The Journal of Negro History, Volume 1, January 1916

The document that launched a movement. In January 1916, Carter G. Woodson published the inaugural issue of The Journal of Negro History, establishing the first scholarly journal devoted entirely to African American history. This was a radical act of historical reclamation in an era when Black stories were systematically erased, distorted, or simply ignored. The volume gathers essays exploring Black life in Cincinnati, Ohio before the Civil War, examining the social, legal, and economic barriers Black Americans faced alongside their resilience, community building, and contributions. Woodson and his contributors drew on personal narratives, institutional records, and demographic data to construct a rigorous counter-narrative to dominant histories. More than a periodical, this volume marks the founding of Black history as an intellectual discipline. It remains essential for understanding how one scholar's fierce dedication to preserving the past transformed what we know about America.