author
George Washington Williams
1849–1891
A soldier, minister, lawyer, journalist, and historian, he packed an extraordinary amount into just 41 years. He is remembered both for writing a groundbreaking history of Black Americans and for boldly condemning abuses in the Congo.
2 Audiobooks
History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol 1 Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens
by George Washington Williams
History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol. 2 Negroes as Slaves, as Soldiers, and as Citizens
by George Washington Williams
About the author
Born in Pennsylvania in 1849, George Washington Williams served in the Union Army while still very young and later also served in Mexico before building a career that crossed ministry, law, journalism, and politics. He studied after the war, became a Baptist minister, and went on to serve in the Ohio legislature, where he was among the first Black lawmakers in the state.
Williams is best known as a pioneering historian. His History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880 is widely recognized as one of the first major histories of Black Americans written with serious research and from a Black perspective.
Late in his life, he traveled to the Congo and wrote a powerful open letter condemning the violence and exploitation he found under King Leopold II's rule. That stand, along with his historical writing, helped secure his place as an important early voice for both Black history and human rights. He died in England in 1891.