Black History Month started in the United States in 1926 and was envisioned by Carter G. Woodson to honor African Americans and raise awareness of Black history. The month of February was chosen in recognition of Abraham Lincoln, the US President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation 1863, and Frederick Douglas, an African American social reformer, author, and abolitionist. It wasn’t until 1976, under President Gerald Ford, that Black History Month was officially recognized in the United States.