Offers readers an inside look into the life of Barbara Bush and how she influenced the nation as First Lady. Learn all about her work to improve literacy and her support for troops serving overseas. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, critical thinking questions, primary source quotes and accompanying source notes, a phonetic glossary, an index, an author introduction, and sources for further research.
Offers readers an inside look into the life of Betty Ford and how she influenced the nation as First Lady. Learn all about how she encouraged women to look after their health and how she fought for equal rights. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, critical thinking questions, primary source quotes and accompanying source notes, a phonetic glossary, an index, an author introduction, and sources for further research.
W. E. B. Du Bois was born a few years after the end of the Civil War, and he dedicated his life to the fight for racial equality. Du Bois was highly educated, and he used his knowledge to speak out against segregation and the commonly held belief that blacks were inferior to whites.
A very simple introduction to the life and accomplishments of noted author and lecturer Helen Keller.
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared all Confederate slaves to be free. Because the order only applied to Southern states that the Union did not control, few slaves benefited immediately. However, many see the historic document as a key turning point in the U.S. Civil War and in the movement to abolish slavery.
The first enslaved Africans landed in North America in 1619 to begin a life of forced, unpaid labor, harsh living conditions, and cruel treatment. The Southern economy grew dependent on slave labor, and the terrible institution was not abolished until after the American Civil War. Although slavery ended almost 150 years ago in the United States, its legacies of racism, prejudice, and the struggle for equal treatment persist today.
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery. Freed before its abolition, she dedicated her life to speaking out against inequality in all forms. She became one of the nation's foremost abolitionists and an important women's-rights advocate.
Herbie Bear wonders how best to show family members his appreciation for all they do.
A very simple introduction to the life and accomplishments of famed civil-rights activist Rosa Parks.
Muhammad Ali is one of America's most well-known athletes. From the time he was a young boy, Ali has been devoted to fighting racism in and out of the boxing ring. Later in his life, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but despite his illness he has not ceased to stand up for what he believes.
Throughout her life, Mary McLeod Bethune worked tirelessly to increase women's opportunities, from education to the military to the right to vote. Her activism led her to the White House as a consultant for several presidents. There, she helped advance important civil rights agendas.
Marian Anderson broke through discrimination and racism to become one of the greatest classical singers of all time. Her exceptional talent allowed her to travel to many countries to perform, showing the world firsthand that the color of one's skin does not determine one's talent or inner strength.
Madam C. J. Walker's skill as a businesswoman and desire to create products for black women drove her to become the first black female millionaire. While improving women's lives with her products, she employed women as sales agents and hair culturists, all while giving back to her community.
Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass was struck by the unfairness and cruelty of slave life and escaped as a young man to the North. A skilled speaker and writer of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass became a fierce fighter for the end of slavery and later led the early civil rights movement.
Eighteenth-century inventor and astronomer Benjamin Banneker was widely known and respected in his time. Most of what he knew, he taught himself. His letter to Thomas Jefferson asked the future president to reconsider his racial prejudices. Later, abolitionists would use Banneker as proof that people of any race can be equally intelligent.
