George Washington Williams

author

George Washington Williams

1849–1891

A Civil War veteran turned minister, lawyer, legislator, and pioneering historian, he packed an extraordinary number of careers into just 41 years. He is especially remembered for writing one of the first major histories of African Americans and for his outspoken condemnation of abuses in the Congo.

2 Audiobooks

History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol. 2

History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol. 2

by George Washington Williams

History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol 1

History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880. Vol 1

by George Washington Williams

About the author

Born in Pennsylvania in 1849, George Washington Williams served in the Civil War while still a teenager and later continued military service before turning to religion, public speaking, journalism, and the law. His life moved quickly across many worlds, and that restless energy shaped the work he became known for.

Williams gained lasting recognition as a historian with History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880, an early landmark attempt to document Black life and achievement in the United States on a broad scale. He also served in the Ohio legislature and built a reputation as a forceful public figure who wrote and spoke with urgency about race, citizenship, and national responsibility.

Near the end of his life, he traveled to the Congo and became one of the earliest prominent critics of the brutal exploitation taking place there under King Leopold II's rule. He died in England in 1891, but his legacy endures through his historical writing and his willingness to challenge injustice in public, plain language.