Introduction

In memory of John Hope Franklin (1915-2009) and in honor of Black History Month, this exhibit touches on four periods crucial to understanding the history of African Americans in the United States, exploring their dimensions-in a necessarily brief manner-through the words of John Hope Franklin and the many forms of historical documentation in the collections of the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library. Through these displays, we can reflect on our past and at the same time, as Dr. Franklin so strongly urged us, look to the present for the means to free ourselves from injustice, fear, and hatred.

"The writing of history reflects the interests, predilections, and even prejudices of a given generation. This means that at the present time there is an urgent need to re-examine our past in terms of our present outlook."  (John Hope Franklin, from African American Biography, Volume 2, 1994)

Exhibit curated by Paula Jeannet Mangiafico and Janie Morris, with support from the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture:  http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/franklin/