John Hope Franklin

In 1943, UNC Press published Dr. John Hope Franklin's Harvard dissertation and first book, The Free Negro in North Carolina, 1790-1860. In this path-breaking work, the distinguished historian addressed the plight of free blacks living in a slave society. He showed that freed blacks did not have full citizenship, and laws governing their behavior became increasingly harsh over time.

• Read and listen to an interview with John Hope Franklin from the Southern Oral History Program