( CNN Student News ) -- February marks the beginning of Black History Month , a federally recognized , nationwide celebration that provides the opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the significant roles that African-Americans have played in the shaping of U.S. history . But how did this celebration come to be , and why does it take place in February ? We should emphasize not Negro History , but the Negro in history . What we need is not a history of selected races or nations , but the history of the world void of national bias , race hate , and religious prejudice . - Dr. Carter G. Woodson ( 1875-1950 ) on founding Negro History Week , 1926 . Dr. Carter G. Woodson , considered a pioneer in the study of African-American history , is given much of the credit for Black History Month , and has been called the `` Father of Black History . '' The son of former slaves , Woodson spent his childhood working in coalmines and quarries . He received his education during the four-month term that was customary for black schools at the time . At 19 , having taught himself English fundamentals and arithmetic , Woodson entered high school , where he completed a four-year curriculum in two years . He went on to receive his Master 's degree in history from the University of Chicago , and he eventually earned a Ph.D from Harvard . Disturbed that history textbooks largely ignored America 's black population , Woodson took on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation 's history . To do this , Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History . He also founded the group 's widely respected publication , the Journal of Negro History . In 1926 , he developed Negro History Week . Woodson believed that `` the achievements of the Negro properly set forth will crown him as a factor in early human progress and a maker of modern civilization . '' Woodson chose the second week of February for the celebration because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population : Frederick Douglass ( February 14 ) , an escaped slave who became one of the foremost black abolitionists and civil rights leaders in the nation , and President Abraham Lincoln ( February 12 ) , who signed the Emancipation Proclamation , which abolished slavery in America 's confederate states . In 1976 , Negro History Week expanded into Black History Month . The month is also sometimes referred to as African-American Heritage Month . ( Source : http : //blackhistorypages.net/pages/cgwoodson.php , http : //www.chipublib.org/002branches/woodson/woodsonbib.html )
Use this information to understand the origins of Black History Month .