Jesse Owens
Born: 9-12-1913, Oakville, Alabama
Died: 3-31-1980
Era: Freedom without Equality
Married: Minnie Ruth Solomon
Children: Three girls: Gloria, Marlene,
and Beverley
Education: Ohio State University
Olympic Track runner who proved
that blacks were just as good as
whites
Jesse Owens
James C. Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama on September 12,
1913. When he was little, he always loved running. He moved to
Cleveland, Ohio at age 9. When the teacher asked what his name was,
James replied, “J. C.” Because of his southern accent, it sounded like
“Jesse”. For the rest of his life, he was called Jesse Owens.
When Jesse went to high school, he met his first track coach, Charles
Riley. Charles taught Jesse how to run. Jesse managed to break three
world records and tie a fourth. In high school, he also met Minnie Ruth
Solomon, his future wife. After high school, he graduated to Ohio State
University.
In 1936, Jesse qualified for the Summer Olympics in Berlin,
Germany would show the world that Hitler`s “pure” race (white, German,
anti-Jew) was superhuman. Jesse Owens proved him wrong. He
dominated the competition, but wasn`t snobby about it. He didn`t get
punished, either. In fact, the Germans were actually cheering him on
(except for Hitler and his royal Nazis). In the end, Jesse Owens received
four gold medals. Even some German track runners became friends with
Jesse Owens. Jesse proved that blacks were just as good as whites. James
C. “Jesse” Owens died on March 31, 1980.
Jan Matzeliger
Born: September 15, 1862
Died: August 24, 1889, only 37 years old
Era: Civil War, Antebellum, and
Reconstruction
No wife
No children
No formal education
The first African American to build a
shoe-lasting machine
Jan Matzeliger
Jan Ernst Matzeliger, born September 15, 1862, was a boy when he started to love
shoes. His dad would buy him shoes each time his old ones grew too old for him. He loved
shoes and his dad had inspired him. And he dreamed that when he was older he could make
his own shoe-machine for everyone. He fulfilled his dream.
When he was 20 or 21 years old, Matzeliger tried looking for a job. No white man or
woman accepted him because he was black. But when he showed one man his skills at handmaking shoes, he was hired and a worker in a shoe factory. When the shoe factory boss died,
Jan took charge, and he owned a shoe factory. When his shoe factory employers and friends
complained about how they need a shoe machine, Jan Matzeliger said he’d make a shoemachine. He spent all of his day in his den doing blueprints then trying to build it. If it fell
apart, too bad. If it stayed together, good; and Jan would continue working on it. But there
was always a way it would fall apart...until now.
After years of working and working with shoes and machines, he built a prop. A shoe
worker offered $50 in cash. Now Jan knew he was going in a great direction of shoes and shoemachines. A few years later, a woman asked if she could buy it for $100-$300. Matzeliger
denied, waiting to finish his work and make the shoe machine that his friends thought he
could not make. Then a long time passed and finally, yes . . . finally, a he made his shoe-making
shoe-lasting shoe machine!
Jan Ernst Matzeliger died August 24, 1889, he was only 37 years old. He died happy, knowing
that he created something no black man has ever created before. He sold his machine to man
who gave him $1,000-$5,000. Jan Matzeliger was the first black man to build a shoe-lasting
shoe machine.
Bessie Smith
Born: on April 15, 1894 in Chattooga
Tennessee
Died: September 26, 1937 in
Clarksdale Mississippi during a car
accident
Era:
Freedom without equality
Education: Was discovered by
Clarence Williams who helped create
her first album called Downhearted
Blues
Family: Dad, and three brothers,
Mom but two of her brothers and her dad died.
Famous African-American
blues singer.
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was known for being a fantastic all-around performer doing acts like
comedy, acting, dancing, and most of all being a blues singer, which soon lead to
the nickname ‘‘The Empress Of The Blues.’’ The fight for equality soon inspired
Bessie to help fight poverty through her business and great preforming. But this
was a very hard time for Bessie because her dad and two of her brothers died
when she was young. Bessie and her brother Andrew sang and played the guitar
on street corners for money.
Soon all of this changed because at 17 Bessie finally started to become popular.
When she joined the Moses Stokes traveling show, people cheered and came from
all over just to see her perform. Bessie started her very own traveling show. Years
later, Bessie Smith released her very first record called ‘’Downhearted Blues’’
which sold over 780,000 copies and became wildly popular in the black
community. But this was not at all as easy as it seems. Bessie had to practice her
heart out every day because she knew what was right for America and all future
African American musicians. She worked for years and years before finally, a
famous female singer named Ma Rainy set Bessie up with troupes of singers and
dancers to perform with her. Bessie finally thought she would become famous. But
sadly no!!!
Bessie kept going and soon enough a pianist/composer named Clarence Williams
discovered Bessie and helped her on the way to stardom. In about a year Bessie
had finally released her first record leading the way for many modern musicians
like Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, and Mahalia Jackson.
Booker T. Washington
Born: Virginia in 1856
Died: 1915
Era: Freedom without
Equality
Married to know one
Had no children
Education:
Principal developer of
Tuskegee Normal and
Industrial and went to
school in Hampton West
Virginia
Was the First President of
Tuskegee University
Booker T. Washington
In 1865 a boy was born. Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington
was only 9 when he was freed from being a slave these earlier years he
was a slave. As he grew up he went to college In Hampton Virginia. He did
leave his family but still was proud to go to school. He Graduated in 1872.
He worked at a salt mine when he was a teenager. He worked for many
years. He was taught how to read by his boss’s wife.
After a couple of years he became a teacher of Tuskegee University He
was the first president elected of Tuskegee University a school for black
people. He was a powerful African American he became a principal
because someone in Alabama helped him by a letter become a principal
At Tuskegee university then he got accepted. Then later in his life he is
still a teacher now. He gave the school speeches to the school about
growing up and being a powerful African American just like him self
When he is a little older he wrote a book about himself “Up from Slavery”
and later on in his life He helped many black/ African American people
earn equal rights. Still now he never retired from the school he loved in
his life era he was in Freedom without Equality he changed many peoples
life by giving speeches. He died in 1915
Charles Drew
Born: June third 1904
Died: 1950 car accident
Era: Freedom without equality
Education: Graduated College
Charles Drew was a member of the
Red Cross and helped invent many
ways to save injured men in world
war two
Member of the Red Cross
Charles Drew
Charles Drew was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington, DC. Charles
Father, Richard Drew was a carpet layer and his mom was a
homemaker. Although there was segregation Charles grew up fairly
comfortable. Charles was a natural athlete he was especially good at
football. Two years after World War one Charles watched his sister Elsie
die of a disease called tuberculosis. Charles was a very hard worker.
Charles got a partial scholarship at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
Charles moved in to a mostly white school but still had plenty of
friends. Charles focused more on sports than academics. Someone
purposely injured Charles and before long Charles was in the hospital.
This is what made Charles want to learn about the human body. In 1933
Charles graduated and got a degree being a doctor. He became
fascinated with blood and started studying it.
Daniel Hale Williams
Born: January 18 1856
Hollidaysburg Pennsylvania
Died: August 4 1891
Era: slavery and abolition
Married to Alice Johnsens
No children
Education:
Finished college
Was first doctor to operate heart
and change segregated hospitals
Daniel Hale Williams
Life was hard in 1856 African Americans were not allowed to do anything.
Hospitals were segregated. African American hospitals were terrible. Germs were
everywhere and almost everybody died who came to a hospital. But this changed
when Daniel hale Williams was born. He opened hearts and minds virtually and
literally.
Dr. Williams started his work when he met Dr. Palmer, a doctor and a surgeon
going to patients in the middle of the night. If it was rain or snow hot or cold it did
not matter to him. This inspired Daniel to become a doctor. He asked Dr. Palmer if
he could be his assistant so Daniel could learn. In that time period surgery was
usually done on the dinner table!! Doctors would wear street clothes. People did
not know of bacteria and could what it could do to you. But in Daniels training he
learned that bacteria cause infections. Infections kill you if they get to deep in you
they will kill you. After a couple of weeks of training Dr. Palmer decided that Daniel
was such a good student that Dr. Palmer sent him to a medical school in Chicago.
This was a huge accomplishment because African Americans were not allowed to
go to these types of schools. But because Dr. Palmer was a white person he was
allowed to go. After collage Daniel Williams created a hospital called Provident
Hospital in 1891. He trained African Americans to be in his hospital. His hospital
was a great success. It was always very clean. 22 patients died in his hospital and
172 survived. This was a great accomplishment for that time. In 1889 Daniel got a
patient that was stabbed in the heart. Daniel had to do surgery on the heart. This
was never done before. He gave it a shot and the patient survived. He became
famous all over the world. He was called to Washington to work for freedoms
hospital but he didn’t like it there so he went back to Provident Hospital. When he
came back there was a rumor that Daniel was not spending the money of the
hospital well. When he decided that it was over he went back to his house and
died at age 35.
Frederick Douglass
Born: February 1818 near Easton Maryland
Died: February 20, 1895
Era: Slavery & Abolition
Married to Anna Murray
He had 1 daughter and 3 sons.
Education: None
He was a slave
Helped slaves get their freedom
Frederick Douglass
Frederick was born in February 1818 near Easton Maryland. He was born
as a slave. Frederick Douglass learned how to read and write on one of
the plantations when he was a slave. Then he was moved to another
plantation. His master was really mean. Frederick escaped with the help
of Anna Murray. He married Anna Murray. He was named Frederick
Bailey when he was born, but he changed his name to Frederick Douglass
after he escaped from his master’s plantation His master couldn't find
him because he changed his name. He always liked to read and write.
He never had kids.
After he escaped, he wanted helped other slaves to get their freedom
back. He wrote letters to President Abraham Lincoln telling him how
unfair slavery was. He asked President Lincoln to make slavery illegal.
Frederick also gave speeches against slavery. He also talked about
women getting the same rights as men. He wanted everyone to be
equal. He gave speeches all around the United States
He helped a lot of people be equal. He was very brave because he said
many things that were against the law. Most people did not agree with
Frederick. The things he said could have gotten him killed. In 1965, the
13th Amendment was passed. This law said that slavery was illegal. He
helped all slaves to get their freedom. He died in February 20, 1895 in
Washington, D.C.
Garrett Morgan
Born: March 4, 1887
Paris Kentucky
Died: July 27, 1963
Era: Freedom without equality
Married Madge Nelson
in1896, although divorced
after 2 years then married
Mary Anne, they had three
sons
Education: left school after 5th
grade
Inventor of the traffic light, Gas
mask and the improved sewing
machine
Garrett Morgan
Garrett Augustus Morgan, 7th out of 11 children, left school after 5th grade. It was time for him to earn
some money. At age 14 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio and received a job as a hand man at a rich man’s farm.
When Garrett turned 18 in 1895 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio and found a job sweeping and doing odd
stuff at Roots and McBride (a clothing factory.) When he was there he saw that the sewing machines would
always snap when they were being used. He was inspired by this and wanted to make a new, improved and
more efficient sewing machine. Once he successfully finished inventing the improved sewing machine the
factory paid him $150 for his invention. He started to visit other factories and fix their sewing machines as
well. Soon he had made enough money to buy a home.
The improved sewing machine was not the only thing that Garrett invented; he made life safer with his
Gas masks (or Safety hoods.) When people were trapped in smoke tunnels Garrett and his Gas masks saved
the day. The key thing to his Gas masks was the tubes hat inhaled air closer to the ground where the air was
fresher to breathe. In 1914 Garrett received a patent for his Gas mask. With his invention Garrett saved more
than 20 lives. Since his Gas masks became a success he started to travel from state to state to sell them.
Although some people wouldn’t buy his Gas masks because he was African American, but this didn’t stop
Garrett from inventing.
Besides saving people’s lives with his Gas masks he also saved people’s lives with his traffic light
system. One day Garrett experienced watching a car and horse drawn carriage crash in to each other, this
effect was caused by the bad traffic signal signs saying stop and go. These signs were meant to be controlling
the streets. He wanted to stop the crashing incidents, so he invented a better traffic light system. Although his
traffic lights are not the same as the ones we have today. In 1923 Garrett received a patent for his traffic light
system.
Garrett believed in equal rights for African Americans. He believed that everyone should be treated
fairly and not by the color of their skin and he believed that everyone should have a nice home, a job and
follow their dreams
George Washington Carver
Born: 1864 and he was born a slave on a Missouri
farm.
Death: 1943
Era: Slavery and Abolition
Never Married
Education: Went to college in Iowa
Taught farmers to grow peanuts
and sweet potatoes
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was born in 1864 as a slave on a Missouri farm. He never married.
During his life, he worked as a scientist and a teacher. Some of his hobbies and interests
included farming and teaching Saturday school. George taught farmers to grow peanuts and
sweet potatoes and to turn them into other things such as glue and cheese and ink and rubber.
His jobs were being a scientist and teaching people how to farm.
He lived during the era of Freedom Without Equality. He no longer was a slave but white people
still treated him badly. It was hard for him because he was the first black teacher and
scientist in the country. He was not like other people because of his skin color and white people
were angry at him for being a black teacher.
He was the first African American to graduate from college.
He died in 1943.
Granville T. Woods
Born: April 23, 1856 Columbus,
Ohio
Died: January 30, 1910
Era: Slavery
Not married
Education: educated until 10 years
old
Invented tools and machines
to help with daily lives.
Granville T. Woods
Every time you hear trains goes by, or pass a chicken farm,
remember Granville Woods, who invented great tools and machines to
help make trains safer and chicken farms easier to manage. Granville T.
Woods was born on April 23, 1856, the Slavery era, in Columbus, Ohio
and died January 30, 1910. He was 54 years old. Granville was educated
until 10 years old then worked in a machine shop in New York City. When
he was 16, Granville started to work on the Iron Mountain Railroad. He
loved railroads and trains and electricity fascinated him. Granville worked
on a lot of railroads (i.e. D&S Railroads) and a British steamship, the
Ironsides.
As Granville grew up, he became a steam loco motive engineer. He
started his own machine shop called the Woods Railway Telegraph
Company with his brother. Together, they made the shop famous in
1884. In 1884 his first invention was the Steam Boiler Furnace. In 1887,
he invented the Induction Telegraph System. In 1890, he invented the
Third Rail System. In 1900, Granville invented the Incubator. In 1902, he
invented the Automatic Air Brake.
Granville’s invention had a huge impact on people everywhere who
rides the train or manages a chicken farm. He lived in the north all of his
life and was not punished for his work. Granville Woods was a truly
extraordinary man.
Harriet Tubman
Born: 1820 in Maryland
Died: 1913 in New York
Era: Slavery & Abolition
Never Married
Slave
Helped slaves escape on the
Underground Railroad.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was born around 1820 in Maryland. She died in 1913.
Harriet escaped slavery in 1849.she was in the time period of Slavery & Abolition.
Harriet Tubman did not get married or have any children She was a slave.
cook and scout nurse during the Civil War. She helped slaves escape. Harriet wanted to help
slaves escape because it was horrible because slaves were treated badly. She was a cook, nurse,
scout helping slaves. She escaped to the north in 1849. Helped 300 other people escaped with
the Underground Railroad. Help slaves get out she wanted the slaves have a better life. She
didn't want to get caught. She was caught and her master threw something at her.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Born: June 1862 in
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Died: March 25, 1931
Chicago, Illinois
Era: Slavery and Abolition
Married to Ferdinand WellsBarnett on June 27, 1895
Children: Charles, Herman,
Ida and Alfreda
Education: Went to school
and started teaching at
fourteen years old
Journalist for freedom
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a brave woman that wanted freedom. She turned out to
have 4 jobs! First, she was a teacher in Holly Springs, Mississippi after that, she got
transferred to another teaching job in Memphis, Tennessee. That wasn’t all! She
also got a job as a journalist in Memphis, The Living World. But then got
transferred again to another newspaper office in New York, The New York Age. In
June 27, 1895 she got married to Ferdinand l. Barnett, a newspaper man from
Chicago. With him, she had four children Charles, Herman, Ida and Alfreda. She
had a very happy family.
Many people thought she would stop what she was doing, fighting for freedom,
but she never did. She even spoke to the president! But not many people liked
what she was doing. Some people try to kill her or hurt her. One day people even
tried to burn down her office. In her time it was hard for her to write about
freedom, she was living in the time of slavery and abolition. Sadly, her articles
weren’t published all over the world.
After a long time she died March 25, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. Did her articles
work? Well some people did relies how important freedom were, but some still
ignored her. She worked so long to get freedom and more and more people tried
to get freedom just like her.
Jackie Robinson
Born in Cairo, Georgia January 31,
1919
Died October 24, 1972
Era: Freedom without equality
Married to Rachel Isum and had 3
children
First African American to play
Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson is mostly known for being the first African American
to play Major League Baseball, but did you know that he fought for our
country in World War 2 and played in the Negro league before he played
for the Brooklyn Dodgers?
Jackie would not step down for a white person, in fact when he was
young he had a fight with girl next door, so the girl’s dad came out and
soon the dad and Jackie were throwing rocks at each other. He was one
of the best athletes in the school for sports like Basketball, Track,
Football, and Baseball. For money he fought in World War 2 and still
didn’t get much respect even though he was fighting for his country.
When he came back from the war he played Baseball for the Kansas
City Monarchs because he wasn’t allowed to play for the major league
teams. One day he was asked to try out for the Brooklyn a major league
team! Jackie made the team and played his first game in 1947. That year
he was the first Rookie of the Year and later was the in the Hall of fame.
Langston Hughes
Born: February 1st, 1902
Died: May 22nd, 1967
Era: Civil Rights
Did not marry
Had no children
Education: Colombia
University, Lincoln
University
Famous African
American Poet
Langston Hughes
James Langston Hughes was born on February 1st, 1902. His parents
divorced when he was a baby. His father moved to Mexico and his
mother stayed in Joplin, Missouri. His mother was going through some
trouble finding a job, so Hughes was sent to live with his grandmother.
Hughes loved his grandmother very much, especially her stories. One of
his favorite stories was about his grandfather, who fought for a stop to
segregation.
After a few years of living with his grandmother, Hughes’ father
wanted Hughes to spend some time over in Mexico with him. On his way
there, Hughes wrote his first famous poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers.
After a year in Mexico, Hughes was happy to be home with his mom.
He went to school at Colombia University and Lincoln University. One
day, Hughes ran into a famous publisher. Before he left, Hughes slipped a
few pieces of his work under the man’s plate. A few months later,
Hughes’ work was published throughout Missouri, then the whole USA!
He was mostly famous for writing inspiring poems for colored people
worldwide. His goal was to change the meaning of poetry and the
thoughts of people about black poets. Hughes was not punished for the
work he did, but he still had trouble changing people’s minds. He died on
the 22nd of May, 1967 and did not marry and had no children.
Mae Jemison
Born: October 17, 1956
Decatur Alabama
Still living
Era: civil rights
Family: 1 brother, 1 sister,
did not marry, and had no
children
Education: She attended
Stanford. She earned her
medical degree at Cornell
University
First African American Woman
in Space
Mae Jemison
Ever since Mae was little she knew what she wanted to do with her life. From a
young age Mae wanted to be a scientist. This was an unheard of job at the time for
black girls like Mae because of segregation-the discrimination of colored people.
Colored people didn’t get to go to the same schools, drink from the same
fountains and were considered less intelligent than whites. So having a job that
required smarts was not “available” for blacks, only whites. But Mae went on to be
just that and more. Mae Jemison grew up to be a scientist, teacher, and astronaut.
She also enjoyed anthropology, (the study of men’s health, culture and social life)
archeology, (the science of how humans lived in the past), and astronomy (the
science of space). As a child she liked dancing and dinosaurs and was terrified of
heights and the dark. These two fears were hard to conquer especially for an
astronaut because they fly high in dark outer space.
She is most famous for her 8 day trip on the Endeavor becoming the first African
American woman ever to be in space. On the ship Mae conducted experiments on
herself and her shipmates because of her position s mission specialist. Her
experiments were mostly directed towards health being a doctor. She studied
herself and her shipmate’s health as they rocketed through outer space and took
note of the lack of gravity effected welfare of humans and animals.
In her later years Mae founded a company and was on discovery Chanel. She
even started a science camp because of her love of kids. However she did not
marry and had no children. She also wrote and autobiography called Where the
Wind Goes Moment of my Life. She proved to the world that blacks were just as
smart as whites and helped along the Civil Rights Movement. Without her many
lives in America may not be as they are currently. She is still living today and is
renowned as the first African American woman in space and the changer of many
segregated minds.
Marian Anderson
Born: February 27, 1897
Death: April 8, 1993
Era: Freedom without Equality
Family: Single
Education: Took private music lessons
First black person to sing at a
famous opera house
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson was a famous black singer. Her most famous concert
was at the Lincoln Memorial. She wanted to sing at a famous opera house
but the owners would not let black people sing there so she sang at the
Lincoln Memorial instead. Once she sang at the Lincoln Memorial
people’s minds were changed. When she was little the thing that got her
on the road to singing was when she sang everyone said she had a
beautiful voice. Also when she was little she wanted to go to music
school but the owners would not teach black people so she took private
lessons instead. She worked for freedom too. She won a Presidential
Medal of Freedom for her work. In 1965 she sang her last concerted and
spent the rest of her life helping poor people.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Born: Jan 15, 1929 Atlanta,
Georgia
Died: April 4, 1968
Era: civil rights
Family: Married Coretta Scott
no Children
Education: he won a big
speech in high school. He
went to Morehouse collage
First African America
Leader
Martin Luther King Jr.
One day there was a man one of the America’s Great leaders was Martin
Luther king Jr. He was a powerful speaker that everyone can hear him.
When he was a kid his favorite hobbies are sports and he is very good at
church singing. While he was enjoying with his friends he can’t come
cause they were white skin and he is black skin so he cried and try to
change things in white only stuff. When he finished collage he began as a
minster before he got a job. Martin led a march of people to
Montgomery he also won the Nobel peace prize. In 1968 Martin went
back to Memphis, Tennessee while he was there some guy killed with a
gun because Martin was setting black people free so that is why he shot
him. People liked Martin Luther King Jr. and that is why they decided to
celebrated Martin Luther king Jr. Day each year in January to thank him
for what he did for us. Also the statue said on Martin’s last words “I am
free free at last”.
Mary McLeod Bethune
Born: July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, SC
Died: She was 79, 1955
Era: Freedom without Equality
Married to Albertus Bethune
Had one child
Education: elementary school, Moody Bible
Institute (college)
The Founder of the National
Council of Negro Women and
A member of the Black Cabinet
Mary McLeod Bethune
Mary McLeod Bethune was a teacher and a college president.
She provided education for African Americans even if they couldn’t pay. She
opened the Bethune-Cookman institute so she could give education to more
people.
Life wasn’t good for African Americans there were segregation laws and they
didn’t have equal rights. Mary’s parents were freed slaves and were poor; she
grew up in a family of 17 kids on a farm. Her parents could only send one child to
school and they sent Mary. She was a good student but there were no more
schools for her to go to after elementary school because of segregation. Mary did
get to go to college; she attended the Moody Bible Institute. Mary’s first job was
teaching at her local church. Mary opened a school and it started out small it had
only five students. It got bigger and bigger so they added a high school and merged
with Cookman College. The school provided skills for jobs and gave the students a
good education.
President Roosevelt asked her to found of the national Council of Negro Women.
Because African Americans didn’t have equal opportunities the council helped
them get an education and find jobs. Mary was also the director of Negro Affairs
for the National Youth Administration. She was one of the most influential African
Americans in the Black Cabinet.
In 1974 Mary was the first African American to have a monument in DC.
Unfortunately she passed away in 1955 of a heart attack, she was 79.
Today the National Council of Negro Women has helped four million women and
the Bethune-Cookman Institute has graduated almost thirteen thousand people.
Matthew Henson
Born: August 8, 1866 in
Charles County, Maryland
Died: March 9, 1955
Era: Freedom without
Equality
Married to Eva Helen Flint
(1891-1897) and then Lucy
Jane Ross (1908-End of life)
1 Child: Anaquak Henson
Education: Stopped attending
school at age 13
First person to sail to the North Pole
Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson was born on August 8, 1866 in Charles County,
Maryland. Matthew Henson was raised by his uncle because his Mom
and Dad both died while Matthew was very young. Also while Matthew
Henson was young he stopped attending school and got a job washing
dishes at a restaurant called Janeys Home Cooked-Meal Café. Then at age
13 Matthew met a sailor named Captain Childs who told him about his
adventures which inspired Matthew Henson to become a sailor. So
Matthew worked for Captain Childs as a cabin boy and then a valet who
are people who help the captain of the ship by doing laundry, cleaning
the ship, taking care of captain’s needs, etc. During that time Matthew
gained a lot of experience and sailed to China, Japan, Philippians, France,
Africa, and Russia. Then in 1877, Matthew met a man named Robert
Peary who was an engineer for the U.S. Navy. Peary wanted Matthew
Henson to be his Personal Assistant on Peary’s journey to the North Pole.
Back then the North Pole couldn’t be shown on maps because it had
never been explored but Peary wanted to change that and he wanted
Matthew to join him. They left for the North Pole in 1908 on the
Roosevelt. After a long expedition Peary, Matthew, and the rest of the
crew arrived at the North Pole on August 6, 1909. Matthew wrote about
his adventures in his autobiography A Negro Explorer at the North Pole.
Then Matthew Henson died on March 9, 1955 at age 88 and definitely
left his mark on the world.
Maya Angelou
Born: April 4th, 1928 in
St. Louis, Missouri
Still alive
Era: Civil Rights
Married to Tosh Angelos
Children: Clyde Bailey Johnson
Education:
High School
An African American writer who
wrote about the obstacles of
being black, Poor, and female
Maya Angelou
When Maya Angelou was a child she moved a lot. Most of her life she
lived in Stamps, Arkansas with her grandmother and her brother Baily. She got
an education there and was a great student. She loved to read and she loved
music. She even got a scholarship to the California Labor School when she was
four-teen. She was inspired by Langston Hues when she was a child.
Maya had many jobs before she was a writer. She was a theater director,
singer, dancer, cook, teacher, and a cocktail waitress. She also moved a lot as
an adult to do all these jobs. In around 1946 she had a son named Clyde but
was not married. Maya tried to make a living as a single mother. She struggled
to make enough money. After being a cook and a waitress she decided to be a
musician. Shortly after she met Tosh Angelos and got married to him. She
changed her last name to Angelou because she thought it would be a better
stage name. She moved to Africa but then moved back to America.
In the 1970s she moved to New York to become to writer. It was hard for
her because most people like her were supposed to become maids. Her first
book was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It was about her hard life in Stamps
as a poor black child. She wrote many books and poems. Most of them were
about what it what it was like to be poor, black, and female. She wasn’t treated
well because of the color of her skin and her gender. She offered people a
message of hope in her writing. Maya Angelou became an example of the
American dream.
Later in life she became a professor of American studies at Wake Forest
University. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Nat Turner
Born: October 2, 1800 on
Benjamin Turner’s plantation in
Southampton, Virginia
Died: November 11, 1831 at
Southampton County Gallows
Era: Slave/Abolition
No children or wife
Education: Mother
First Slave to Lead First
Successful Slave Rebellion
Nat Turner
Nat Turner was born into slavery. His mother taught young Nat about
Africa and how the white people were very cruel. Nat Turner’s mother taught
Nat that he is a descendant of kings and Nat’s mom also naught Nat to be
proud of his African background.
Nat was very smart at a young age. He would tell stories to the other
slave children about Africa. Nat became known to be a prophet. At age 20
Nat Turner ran away from his master because the new overseer worked the
slaves to hard. Nat later came back saying that he had a message from God.
God said that Nat had to free all slaves. From then on it was Nat’s duty to
free all slaves.
Nat looked for opportunities, but the white people put him under close
watch. On August 21, 1831 Nat and nine other slaves led the first slave
rebellion. This event killed 51 whites! On November 11, 1931 Nat Turner was
hanged for treason. When the executer asked Nat if he was ready, Nat said
yes. When the executer put the rope around Nat’s neck, Nat did not even
flinch. This performance awed the audience and told the white people that
Nat’s goal was achieved and there was nothing they could do about it. Nat
Turner’s impact on the black people was enormous and it gave the black
people hope of freedom because freedom is all that matters
Paul Robeson
April 9th 1898
Princeton, New Jersey
Died: January 23rd 1976
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Era: Freedom without
Equality
Married to Eslanda Goode
Son: Paul Robeson Jr.
Education: Rutgers
University
One of the first African Americans to
act in the primarily white theater
Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson was an actor, a singer, and a political activist. He
graduated from Rutgers University with top grades in his class. He
became a Lawyer but he was not treated fairly so he quit. Then, when he
married Eslanda Goode, she thought he should sing. They put on a show
and Paul quickly became famous for his voice. But not only was he good
at singing, he was good at acting. In fact, he was so good at acting that
he was one of the first African Americans to perform in the Primarily
White Theater. But lots of people didn’t honor his acting; they just
thought it was wrong for him to be acting with white people. And Paul
thought this was wrong, just like when he was lawyer, and he wanted
equal rights.
Afterwards, he and Eslanda were punished, and they weren’t
allowed to leave America. Luckily, later on, they won a court case saying
that they could leave and they took off headed for London. There he
resumed his singing and acting career but came back to America because
he was sick.
Many more African Americans started getting accepted to act in the
theater because of Paul. He died January 23 1976 in Philadelphia.
Philip Randolph
Born: April 15th 1889 crescent city
Florida
Died: May 16 1979
Era: civil rights and freedom without
equality
Married to Lucille Campbell green
No children
Education:
City College New York City
He led the 1963 march on
Washington and led and/or made
many organizations to help black
laborers get better paying jobs.
Philip Randolph
Introduction
1889 was a time when there was much discrimination against African
Americans and the government was not doing much about it. But then
on April 15th 1889 along came a man who would change the future for
many African Americans to come.
Early life
Born in crescent city Florida Philip Randolph lived with discrimination on
a day to day basis. Philip Randolph was originally inspired by the book
The Souls of Black Folk but before he was defeating discrimination where
ever it was Philip Randolph was a preachers son going to city college as
an actor. He stopped acting though because his father did not approve.
Amazing achievements
Philip Randolph lead the march on Washington dc and spoke on the
Lincoln memorial right before martin Luther king. He also organized
many organizations that helped African Americans get jobs on the rail
road project although some crumbled due to pressure from the
government. He won the humanist of the year and medal of freedom.
Phillis Wheatley
Born: 1754 in Senegambia,
West Africa
Died: December 5, 1784
Era: Slavery and Abolition
Married to John Peters in 1774
3 children, all died in infancy
Education: Susannah
Wheatley, Phillis’s owner and
teacher
Slave Poet
Phillis Wheatley
In 1761, when she was just 7 years old, Phillis Wheatley was carried away from her
hut in Senegambia, West Africa to be put on a slave ship to Boston,
Massachusetts. She was on the ship for 6 weeks, with little food and water. When
she got to Boston, people laughed and pointed at her. No one wanted her as a
slave. Finally, Phillis was purchased by a tailor, John Wheatley, for around 3
dollars.
After 2 ½ years of living in Boston, Susannah Wheatley, Phillis’s co-owner, taught
Phillis how to read and write. Phillis was not allowed in a school house because she
was colored. Just days after Phillis’s final lesson, at the age of 10, she wrote her
first poem. Year after year, Phillis wrote in secrecy, afraid of what people would
say when they found out about her poetry. But when she did tell people, men and
woman all over Boston loved Phillis’s work, and in 1767, her first poem was
published in the Boston News. But some people still thought that having a girl
slave write poetry was wrong. At that time, there was a lot of segregation, so some
people were very unhappy with Phillis’s work. They wrote letters to Phillis’s
owners, demanding Phillis stop and her poetry burned. But Phillis did not stop, she
wrote on everything she could find. That’s when she broke the first color barrier.
Word got out about Phillis’s writing. Even people in Europe where talking about
the brave young slave who wrote poetry. In 1773, Phillis published her 1st and only
book, being the second African American to so. After her book was out, in 1773,
she was freed from slavery. At the age of 22, Phillis met John Peters and married
him. A year later, Phillis had 3 children, but all of them died in infancy. Even
though Phillis was freed from slavery and had a husband, she was still very poor
and had little food. On December 5th, 1784, Phillis Wheatley died in a Boston
boardinghouse. People will always remember her, and how she inspired slaves all
over the world to read and write, no matter how much they were discriminated.
Ruby Bridges
Born: 1954 Tylertown,
Mississippi
Era: Civil rights
Ruby Bridges is still living. She
lives in New Orleans.
Education: She was one of the
first African American kids to go
to school with white kids
Life Time: She is married and
has four sons.
She was one of the first African
American kids to go to school with
white kids
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges lived in the Civil Rights era. She is a business woman. She wrote a book about her
life and was inspired by God. She is still living. She lives in New Orleans. She volunteered at her
childhood elementary school.
Ruby is one of the first African American children to go to school with white kids. White people
did not like ruby going to school with white kids.
Ruby Bridges is married. She has four sons. She started the Foundation which continued to help
school children.
She wants all children to feel accepted and to get a good education. Her impact was in America.
She helped change everyone.
Sarah Walker
Born: December 23, 1867
Grand View Plantation, Louisiana
Died: May 25, 1919
Irvington-on-Hudson, New York
Era: Freedom without Equality
Family: Married to Moses Williams
Married again then divorced
Charles Joseph
1 child
Education: NO
The first self-made millionaire
and hair product maker
Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker also known as Madam C.J. Walker was born on December 23, 1867
in Grand View Plantation, Louisiana. She had a hard time growing up because
white people were burning down schools so she could not get an education. Also
her parents were slaves to a white family. A couple years later her
parents died of yellow fever. When Sarah Walker was 14 years old she married
Moses Williams. She stared to work for a laundry business. shehad one child her
name was Leia she was born on January 6 1885.Two years later Moses died. Sarah
Walker at the age of 20 remarried a guy named Charles Joseph and changed her
name to Madam C.J Walker. Sarah stared to make a product to make black
woman’s hair healthy and grow long because white hair products made their hair
fall out.
She stared to sell her products in the drug store but not a lot of people bought her
products so she stared to sell the product door to door. That way she would get a
little bit more money. Then she set a goal for herself she would become famous.
She was right. In 1910 she opened her own factory. She earned 4.3 million dollars
a year. She became the first self-made millionaire. Her product went across the
U.S. Sarah Walker died at the age of 51 on May 25, 1919 in Irvington-on- Hudson
New York. She hoped that her factory would stay alive.
Thurgood Marshall
Born: July 2, 1908 in Baltimore,
Maryland
Died: January 4, 1993
Era: Civil Rights
Family: married Vivian Burey.
Vivian died in 1954. Married
Cecilia Stuart. Had two sons.
Education: went to Lincoln
University. Wanted to go to
Maryland but was not accepted.
Went to Howard University.
First African American
Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer and the first African
American Supreme Court Justice. Thurgood Marshall
was born July 2, 1908 in Baltimore Maryland. He and his
dad were very interested in court and went to watch
trials often when he was a kid. He later said “my dad never told me to be
a lawyer, but he made me into one”.
Thurgood Marshall wanted to go to Maryland University, but wasn’t
allowed to because of the color of his skin. He later helped a client who
had colored skin get into Maryland. Instead of going to Maryland he
went to Howard University to study law. At college he met Vivian Burey.
They became good friends and soon married.
Thurgood Marshall went to work with NAACP (National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People) where he became their chief
lawyer. Thurgood later opened up his own law firm.
In 1954 Thurgood’s wife, Vivian, Died of cancer. In 1955 He married
Cecilia Stuart and had two kids. Thurgood was appointed to Supreme
Court Justice June 13, 1967 by President Johnson.
He retired in 1990 of old age. He died on January 4, 1993.
Wilma Rudolph
Born: June 23rd, 1940 in
Clarksville, Tennessee
Died: November 12th, 1994
Era:
Freedom without Equality and Civil Rights
Education:
Collage Tennessee State University
Fastest women in the world
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph was always getting sick; she was the sickliest child in
Tennessee. When Wilma was almost 5 she got sicker than ever. She had a
disease called polio where her leg turned in and it wouldn’t go back to
normal. People thought that Wilma Rudolph would never walk again.
What hurt Wilma the most was that the local school wouldn’t let her
in because she couldn’t walk. All Wilma could manage was hopping
around small parts of her house. Wilma did the doctor’s exercises every
day even when it really hurt. When she was 8 Wilma was ready for a
brace. She got to do everything besides the recess games where she sat
on the sidelines. Wilma also got made fun of because of her brace. When
Wilma was 11 she finally got her brace off she couldn’t wait to be a
normal kid again. Everyone was amazed that Wilma Rudolph had found a
cure for polio and was walking again.
When Wilma was 16, in 1956, she got on a track and field team.
Right before the Olympic 100 meter race in Rome she twisted her ankle
but when they yelled GO she ran, she forgot about her ankle and
everything else and ran. She did it she won and she was the first
American women to win 3 gold medals at one Olympics. She moved on
and became a teacher and a track coach. Her story inspired people all
around to work hard and achieve their dreams.