Wednesday, March 25, 2009

John Hope Franklin

Insomuch as I am still an academic, I want to acknowledge the life and legacy of John Hope Franklin. His influence and respect are unparalleled both within the field of history and in related fields. His seminal work, From Slavery to Freedom, should be required reading for every single American. I am in awe of his long life and important work.


Franklin's study of history testifies that history is made by those whose lives tell the story. Every day men and women are going about their lives, living well and living poorly. Historians like Franklin remind us that those stories matter, especially to the parents, spouses, siblings, and children whose futures--history in progress--will never be the same after they are gone.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. Sounds like an amazing person and a powerful book. Will have to check that out! Thanks for posting this.

Anonymous said...

I used his text to teach the African-American history course. Truly an amazing historian. What is almost as amazing is the lack of media attention his passing received.