Carter G. Woodson’s The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 is a pioneering history of the education of Black people in the United States from the beginning of slavery to the Civil War. Woodson, often called the father of Black history, documents the efforts, obstacles, and achievements surrounding the schooling of African Americans in an era of bondage and legal restriction.
The book traces both the suppression of education under slavery and the determined efforts of individuals, churches, and reformers to provide learning despite the barriers. As foundational scholarship, it remains essential to understanding African American history and the long struggle for education. For readers interested in this history, Woodson’s careful and committed study is an indispensable and moving work.