Origins & Early Life

John Hope Franklin (January 2, 1915 – March 25, 2009) was an American historian who focused on the history of the United States. He is best known for his work From Slavery to Freedom, first published in 1947 and continually updated. More than three million copies have been sold. Born in Oklahoma, Franklin attended Fisk University and then Harvard University, receiving his doctorate in 1941.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He was a professor at Howard University, and in 1956 was named to head the history department at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York. Recruited to the University of Chicago in 1964, he eventually led the history department and was appointed to a named chair. He then moved to Duke University in 1983, as an appointee to a named chair in history. He was a president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, the American Studies Association, and the Southern Historical Association. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Franklin was born in Rentiesville, Oklahoma, in 1915 to attorney Buck (Charles) Colbert Franklin and his wife Mollie...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. A. K. Niazi — Contemporary (Born in 1915) (1915): Pakistani general who commanded Eastern Command during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
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• Adolphe Pégoud — Contemporary (Died in 1915) (1915): Pioneering French aviator and the first recorded fighter ace of World War I.
• Aage Bohr — Contemporary (Died in 2009) (2009): Pioneering Danish nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate for atomic structure theory.
• Al Martino — Contemporary (Died in 2009) (2009): Iconic Italian-American crooner, celebrated for standards and his role in The Godfather.
• Ali Akbar Khan — Contemporary (Died in 2009) (2009): Master sarod virtuoso who popularized Hindustani classical music in the West.
• Anton Pannekoek — Shared historical date (01-02 · Born) (1873): Dutch astronomer, philosopher, and leading Marxist theorist of council communism.
• Apsley Cherry-Garrard — Shared historical date (01-02 · Born) (1886): English polar explorer renowned for his Antarctic accounts and survival narratives.
• A. J. P. Taylor — Shared historical date (03-25 · Born) (1906): Influential English historian specializing in 19th and 20th-century European diplomacy.
• Anita Bryant — Shared historical date (03-25 · Born) (1940): American singer and prominent Christian activist known for her career and stance on gay rights.
• 1915 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1915
• January 2 (01-02) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 2
• 2009 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2009
• March 25 (03-25) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on March 25