Woodson was a distinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and historian. He is known as the "father of Black history." He believed that blacks should know their past in order to participate intelligently in the future affairs of our country. He believed that black history is a firm foundation for young black Americans to build on in order to become productive citizens of our country.
He received his Bachelor's of literature degree from Bethea College, Kentucky. His M.A. from the University of Chicago, and in 1912, he then went on to received his PH.D from Harvard University.
In 1915, he and several of his friends in Chicago established the association for the study of Negro life and History. The following year, the Journal of Negro history appeared, which is one of the oldest learned journals in the United States. In 1926, he developed Negro history week, which today is known as Black history month.
Woodson authored numerous scholarly books and magazine articles on the positive contributions of Blacks to the development of America. Some of these works include " The Mis-Education of the Negro man", " The Negro as a businessman" and "The story of a Negro Retold". His message to people was that Blacks should be proud of their heritage and that other Americans should also understand it.
Dr. Woodson often said that he hoped the time would come when Negro History week would be unnecessary; when all Americans would willingly recognize the contributions of Black Americans as a legitimate and integral part of the history of this country.An African American historian and educator, Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) wrote, "The Mis-Education of the Negro". He was educated at the University of Paris (the most prestigious college in the world today) which alone gives him great credibility the vast majority of people. He was the founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which was responsible for Black American week, later extented to Black American month.