Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks was born into slavery around the year 1723. Due to the slavery conditions at this time, it is unknown what he did for the first 27 years of his life. He became a runaway slave in 1750. He was never captured, so around 1770 he started work as a sailor in Boston, Massachusetts. On March 5, 1770, during Attucks’s lunch break, he encountered a group of British soldiers. He took the leadership role in a group of angry Americans. After the British were provoked enough, they began to open fire, killing Attucks first, and then other Americans followed. This tragic event became known as the Boston Massacre. After this event, Crispus Attucks became an American hero. He was the first person to die for American freedom from Britain. After the attack, the African American community named March 5 “Crispus Attucks Day,” and in 1888, the people of Boston created a monument in his honor.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a Baptist family on January 15, 1929. He was an excellent student; he began college at the age of fifteen. Because his father was a minister, it was expected that he would continue that legacy. He decided against that at first, but eventually chose to follow through with those expectations. After college, King began his work as a civil rights activist. His career began with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which he was chosen to lead. After the boycott, he continued his work in the Civil Rights Movement. He believed in the power of words and actions, and he encouraged fellow African Americans to use a non-violent approach to protests. King is arguably most famous for his speech “I Have a Dream,” which was given in 1963. This speech, as well as all his work for civil rights, still has an impact today. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, but his legacy still lives on.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was born on January 19, 1919. His mother raised him and his four siblings on her own. Though Robinson played competitive collegiate sports and was a member of the U.S. Army, he is probably best known for his incredible feat of breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. He began his baseball career planning for the Brooklyn Dodger’s minor league team, the Kansas City Monarchs. After playing there, he got the call to make his Major League Debut. Though his debut as the first African American ball player was a big step for the MLB organization, it was also a big step for the MLB fans. Though all the fans came from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds, for the span of the baseball game, they were all there for the same reason. After Robinson retired from baseball, he took his experiences with integration and began to work along side Martin Luther King Jr. to help the Civil Rights Movement. After Robinson passed, his wife developed a scholarship fund to assist underprivileged African Americans who cannot afford to attend college on their own.
Harriet Jacobs
Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in 1813. After her parents passed away, she was left in the care of her grandmother and was forced to work as a slave. She had two children that would also be forced to work on the plantation. Her master repeatedly sexually assaulted her, and eventually she gained the strength and courage to run away. After her initial escape, she was forced to hide in a small room above her grandmother’s garage for seven years. Eventually, she was presented an opportunity to escape in a boat to Boston, where her children eventually joined her. After many years and much to her dismay, her freedom was bought. After she finally reached freedom, she became a Civil Rights Activist. She was one of the first African American slaves to write down her story and share the terrible truth of slavery with the rest of society. Harriet’s story, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, shares her story from birth until freedom. She shares explicit details about those who oppressed her and those who helped her along the way. Harriet passed away in 1897, but through her book, her legacy lives on.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913. Her parents separated when she was young, and she lived with her mother for the reminder of her childhood. She was attended a segregated elementary school, left high school in the eleventh grade, and got a job at a factory in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955, Parks was riding the bus home from a long day at work. When White passengers got on the bus, she was ordered to move to the back to make room for the White people to sit down. She refused to move, and was eventually arrested and taken to jail. After that night on the bus, African Americans decided to go on strike. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began, and it lasted 381 days when the court finally ruled that buses could not be segregated. Rosa Parks lost her job after the protest, but she became an important part of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1992, she published a book about her experience, and in 1999, she was named one of the TIME magazine’s most influential people of the 20th century. Rosa Parks passed away in 2005, but not until she helped thousands of African Americans get the rights they deserve.
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice was born on November 14, 1954 in Alabama. She grew up in an area that was plagued by segregation, but she worked through school and eventually earned her PhD from University of Denver. Upon graduation, she spent time working in Washington D.C. for various international affairs organizations. In 2001, President George Bush appointed Rice to become the national security advisor. She was the first African American woman to hold that position. She eventually moved up to Secretary of State; she was the first African American woman to hold that position as well. Her focus was placed on helping the U.S. remain a well-governed democracy, as well as helping the Middle East. She is currently a professor at Stanford, and plans to stay there in the future to educate students so that they are ready to help the future of America.
Crispus Attucks was born into slavery around the year 1723. Due to the slavery conditions at this time, it is unknown what he did for the first 27 years of his life. He became a runaway slave in 1750. He was never captured, so around 1770 he started work as a sailor in Boston, Massachusetts. On March 5, 1770, during Attucks’s lunch break, he encountered a group of British soldiers. He took the leadership role in a group of angry Americans. After the British were provoked enough, they began to open fire, killing Attucks first, and then other Americans followed. This tragic event became known as the Boston Massacre. After this event, Crispus Attucks became an American hero. He was the first person to die for American freedom from Britain. After the attack, the African American community named March 5 “Crispus Attucks Day,” and in 1888, the people of Boston created a monument in his honor.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a Baptist family on January 15, 1929. He was an excellent student; he began college at the age of fifteen. Because his father was a minister, it was expected that he would continue that legacy. He decided against that at first, but eventually chose to follow through with those expectations. After college, King began his work as a civil rights activist. His career began with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which he was chosen to lead. After the boycott, he continued his work in the Civil Rights Movement. He believed in the power of words and actions, and he encouraged fellow African Americans to use a non-violent approach to protests. King is arguably most famous for his speech “I Have a Dream,” which was given in 1963. This speech, as well as all his work for civil rights, still has an impact today. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, but his legacy still lives on.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was born on January 19, 1919. His mother raised him and his four siblings on her own. Though Robinson played competitive collegiate sports and was a member of the U.S. Army, he is probably best known for his incredible feat of breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. He began his baseball career planning for the Brooklyn Dodger’s minor league team, the Kansas City Monarchs. After playing there, he got the call to make his Major League Debut. Though his debut as the first African American ball player was a big step for the MLB organization, it was also a big step for the MLB fans. Though all the fans came from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds, for the span of the baseball game, they were all there for the same reason. After Robinson retired from baseball, he took his experiences with integration and began to work along side Martin Luther King Jr. to help the Civil Rights Movement. After Robinson passed, his wife developed a scholarship fund to assist underprivileged African Americans who cannot afford to attend college on their own.
Harriet Jacobs
Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery in 1813. After her parents passed away, she was left in the care of her grandmother and was forced to work as a slave. She had two children that would also be forced to work on the plantation. Her master repeatedly sexually assaulted her, and eventually she gained the strength and courage to run away. After her initial escape, she was forced to hide in a small room above her grandmother’s garage for seven years. Eventually, she was presented an opportunity to escape in a boat to Boston, where her children eventually joined her. After many years and much to her dismay, her freedom was bought. After she finally reached freedom, she became a Civil Rights Activist. She was one of the first African American slaves to write down her story and share the terrible truth of slavery with the rest of society. Harriet’s story, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, shares her story from birth until freedom. She shares explicit details about those who oppressed her and those who helped her along the way. Harriet passed away in 1897, but through her book, her legacy lives on.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913. Her parents separated when she was young, and she lived with her mother for the reminder of her childhood. She was attended a segregated elementary school, left high school in the eleventh grade, and got a job at a factory in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955, Parks was riding the bus home from a long day at work. When White passengers got on the bus, she was ordered to move to the back to make room for the White people to sit down. She refused to move, and was eventually arrested and taken to jail. After that night on the bus, African Americans decided to go on strike. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began, and it lasted 381 days when the court finally ruled that buses could not be segregated. Rosa Parks lost her job after the protest, but she became an important part of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1992, she published a book about her experience, and in 1999, she was named one of the TIME magazine’s most influential people of the 20th century. Rosa Parks passed away in 2005, but not until she helped thousands of African Americans get the rights they deserve.
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice was born on November 14, 1954 in Alabama. She grew up in an area that was plagued by segregation, but she worked through school and eventually earned her PhD from University of Denver. Upon graduation, she spent time working in Washington D.C. for various international affairs organizations. In 2001, President George Bush appointed Rice to become the national security advisor. She was the first African American woman to hold that position. She eventually moved up to Secretary of State; she was the first African American woman to hold that position as well. Her focus was placed on helping the U.S. remain a well-governed democracy, as well as helping the Middle East. She is currently a professor at Stanford, and plans to stay there in the future to educate students so that they are ready to help the future of America.