Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan was the first African American woman to
accomplish many important things in government. She spent most of
her life in Texas. Barbara Jordan lived from 1936 to 1996.
Barbara Jordan practiced speaking to people and debating, which
means discussing the reasons for or against something, in college. She
graduated from Texas Southern University and even went on to become
a lawyer. Barbara Jordan was the first to do a lot of important things. In
1961 she became the first black woman to be a Texas State Senator, then
she ran for the U.S. Congress. In 1973 she was the first black woman
from the South to serve in the United States House of Representatives!
As Mrs. Jordan became more famous, she got to do more
important things. She was the first African-American woman to give the
keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 1979
Barabara Jordan decided not to run for office. She became a teacher at
the University of Texas. When Barbara Jordan was older, she got sick
and had to use a wheelchair.
In 1994 Barbara Jordan was awarded the Medal of Freedom
which is the highest honor given to a citizen. Mrs. Jordan must have
been really good at her job. She died in 1996, and she is a very
important figure in American History.
EXAMPLES OF NOTES
•
Born 1936-(E)
•
Lived in Texas-(E)
•
Texas State Senator 1961(M)
•
In wheelchair-(L)
•
Medal of Freedom 1994-(L)
CODE TO HELP STAY
ORGANIZED
E=Early Life
M=Mid-Later Life
L=Later Life
S=Special Award
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