Whereas John Hope Franklin, a noted historian made
significant academic and civic contributions that helped integrate the
African-American narrative into American history;
Whereas John Hope Franklin was the James B. Duke Professor
Emeritus of History, and for 7 years was Professor of Legal History in the Law
School at Duke University;
Whereas John Hope Franklin was a native of Oklahoma and a
graduate of Fisk University and a recipient of a Ph.D. degree in history from
Harvard University;
Whereas John Hope Franklin taught at a number of
institutions, including Fisk University, St. Augustine’s College, North
Carolina Central University, and Howard University;
Whereas, in 1956, John Hope Franklin became the Chairman
of the Department of History at Brooklyn College, the first African-American to
lead a department at a predominately white institution;
Whereas, in 1964, John Hope Franklin joined the faculty of
the University of Chicago, serving as Chairman of the Department of History
from 1967 to 1970, and the John Matthews Manly Distinguished Service Professor
from 1969 to 1982, when he became Professor Emeritus;
Whereas John Hope Franklin’s numerous publications include
The Emancipation Proclamation, The Militant South, The Free Negro in North
Carolina, Reconstruction After the Civil War, and A Southern Odyssey: Travelers
in the Ante-bellum North, and perhaps his best known book, From Slavery to
Freedom: A History of African-Americans, now in its 7th edition;
Whereas John Hope Franklin was active in numerous
professional and education organizations including serving as President of the
following organizations: The American Studies Association, the Southern
Historical Association, the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and the American
Historical Association;
Whereas one of John Hope Franklin’s earliest and most
influential contributions was as a member of the team of scholars who worked
with Thurgood Marshall to win the landmark school desegregation case Brown v.
Board of Education;
Whereas John Hope Franklin served on many national
commissions and delegations, including the National Council on the Humanities,
Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and as chair of President Clinton’s
Race Initiative Advisory Board;
Whereas, in 1995, John Hope Franklin, received the first
W.E.B. DuBois Award from the Fisk University Alumni Association, the
Organization of American Historians’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the
Alpha Phi Alpha Award of Merit, the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, and the
Presidential Medal of Freedom; and
Whereas John Hope Franklin was a mighty scholar and
solider for justice whose chronicling of American history affirmed the dignity
of black people while giving us all richer understanding of who we are as
Americans and our journey as a people: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)commends John Hope
Franklin for helping to integrate the African-American experience into the
telling of American history; and
(2)encourages the
Nation to honor his achievements and contributions and recognize his
scholarship and service.