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Growing up in Texas, Bessie Coleman wanted to make her life matter. She often told her friends and family - then and later - that she wanted her actions to count for something.

It was hard for Bessie, though. The tenth of thirteenth children, she knew there weren't many opportunities for African-Americans in the Jim-Crow South. There were so few job options, in fact, that Bessie's father - part black and part Cherokee - decided he could do better by moving to Oklahoma (which was formerly known as "Indian Territory").

After her father left the family, life became even harder for Bessie. She thought a move to Chicago, where two of her brothers lived, would open more doors for a young African-American woman. What she learned - and whom she met - changed her life.

Young men returning to America, after fighting in Europe during World War I, talked about their experiences. Bessie read news articles which, among other things, profiled young pilots who had flown in the war. Bessie was intrigued and decided to become a pilot.

Actualizing her dream of flying, however, was not possible in the United States. Flight schools routinely turned-away women and people of color.

Robert Abbott, founder of a Chicago newspaper called the Chicago Defender, helped Bessie research where she could study outside the United States. France seemed to offer the best possibilities, but Bessie could not speak French. Before she could attend flight school, she would have to attend language school.

By the fall of 1920, Bessie was ready to book passage on a ship - the Imparator - to France. With her passport in hand, she was ready for a completely new life adventure.

Aboard ship, she was surprised - and pleased - to see there were no segregated places for African-Americans. Arriving in France, she was surprised - and discouraged - to learn that her chosen aviation school would not admit her. Two other students, both women, had crashed their planes and died. School administrators had come to believe that females shouldn't be pilots.

Using her limited French-language skills, Bessie had to find another school. She was admitted to - and graduated from - one of the best flying schools in France, which was located in Le Crotoy. She was the only African-American living in the area.

By 1921, Bessie was a licensed pilot. At the age of 29, she was the first black woman in the world to achieve that milestone. Planes had open cockpits, at the time Coleman flew, and they were notoriously dangerous.

After she returned to the States, Bessie's prowess as a pilot allowed her to fly in exhibitions. She wanted to earn enough money to open an aviation school which would admit females and people of color. Traveling the country, performing as a stunt pilot, Coleman encouraged young African-Americans to think about an aviation career.

On the 30th of April, 1926, Coleman and her mechanic were testing a new plane - in Jacksonville, Florida - for a show to take place the next day. The mechanic mistakenly forgot his wrench, leaving it unsecured in the plane.

In the air, the plane could not pull out of an intentional nose dive - reportedly because the wrench was jamming the controls. As the plane fell to earth, Bessie was thrown from her seat. (See Bessie Coleman, by Philip S. Hart, pages 95-97.)

Because of her death in the plane crash, Bessie was unable to establish the aviation school she had longed to create for African-Americans who wanted to fly. ("The air," said Bessie," is the only place free from prejudices.") Her vision and fortitude, however, inspired other black pilots to follow in her footsteps (and to study sophisticated subjects like aeronautical engineering).

It was because of Bessie Coleman that Lt. William J. Powell wrote: "We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream." By 1942, African-Americans didn't just dream about flying - they were flying. Other forces were against them, however, preventing blacks from becoming military pilots.

Even though World War II was raging - and more and more American pilots were needed to fly bombers and fighters - blacks were prevented from participating. A significant basis for this prejudice stemmed from a 1925 report, from the War College, which states that African-Americans are incapable of performing the toughest tasks.

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Growing up in Texas, Bessie Coleman wanted to make her life matter. She often told her friends and family - then and later - that she wanted her actions to count for something. It was hard for Bessie, though. The tenth of thirteenth children, she knew there weren't many opportunities for African-Americans in the Jim-Crow South.

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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Make your online life easier by keeping all your favorite websites organized in a visually-appealing, personalized environment. Save your links in tiles that you can customize with different colors, icons or images. Organize all of your favorite websites, videos, documents, articles and more - all in one place!

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92 books, audio &  visual on various topics in E.W. Grove School Library

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92 books, audio &  visual on various topics in E.W. Grove School Library

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African American Legislators in Tennessee

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African American Legislators in Tennessee

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This resource has a tab for educators with related activities.

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he first African slaves were shipped to America by European colonists long before the arrival of the Mayflower. Although protests against slavery emerged before 1700, the buying, selling, and keeping of slaves became part of daily life in the colonies, both north and south. Congress declared the importation of slaves illegal in 1808, but slave ships continued to deliver their tragic cargo to American shores until 1859. As various Northern states declared slavery illegal, negotiating a balance between slave states and free states required the full attention of several presidential administrations.
When gathering tensions led irrevocably to the devastating War between the States, the nation was forced to face the reality that the patterns of its daily life would be forever altered. Although African slaves had been denied the rights of citizenship, the Civil War changed all the rules. The Thirteenth Amendment (ratified December 1865) freed the slaves;

the Fourteenth (July 1868) made them citizens; and the Fifteenth (February 1870) gave them - the men, at least - the right to vote and to take part in the affairs of government. Two and a half years after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, in November 1872, Tennessee voters elected their first African American representative to the General Assembly.
The achievements of the fourteen black men, most of them former slaves, who served as Tennessee legislators before 1900 represent an important part of state history. However, after the end of the 45th General Assembly in March of 1887, Tennessee would not seat another African American in its legislature until 1965. It is imperative that readers remain aware of the generations of racial violence, supported by the legislative enactment of restrictive "Black Codes," which silenced the political voices of millions of black Americans for decades. It took further civil strife in the 1950s and 1960s to restore those important voices to the national dialogue.

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he first African slaves were shipped to America by European colonists long before the arrival of the Mayflower. Although protests against slavery emerged before 1700, the buying, selling, and keeping of slaves became part of daily life in the colonies, both north and south.

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Ancestry Classroom for Henry County Schools

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Ancestry Classroom for Henry County Schools

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AncestryK12 offers free access for one year to all the original and primary documents of Ancestry's U.S. Collection for use in any K12 classroom.

U.S. Federal Census Collection
Travel and Immigration
Military Records

Family History in the Classroom
Interview Questions for Family Research

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Ancestry Education | Our resources will bring your classroom to life

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AncestryClassroom™ provides educators with access to classroom resources, professional learning tools, and Ancestry® historical record collections at no cost to help students find their personal place in history. AncestryClassroom™ materials are designed to help…

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Black scientists like George Washington Carver, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Otis Boykin and Mae C. Jemison have made great contributions to scientific progress.

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10 Famous Black Mathematicians and Their Contributions

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10 Famous Black Mathematicians and Their Contributions

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"The colour of the skin is in no way connected with strength of the mind or intellectual powers." -Benjamin Banneker

The following names represent those famous black mathematicians who beat the odds against their discrimination and achieved excellence in the field of mathematics.

1. Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)

Best known for: Constructing a clock that struck hourly

Although best known as an African-American scientist, Benjamin Banneker was a multi-talented person who self-educated himself in astronomy and mathematics. He was also a writer, compiler of almanacs, surveyor and inventor. At the age of 24, Banneker observed a wrist-watch and used it to construct his own clock from wood which struck on the hour. He created puzzles for trigonometry which demonstrated his knowledge of logarithms. Banneker also attempted to find the exact lengths of an equilateral triangle which is inscribed within a circle where the diameter of the circle is known. He brought about a positive contribution in mathematics years before any black mathematician came to rise.

2. Charles Lewis Reason (1818-1893)

Best known for: First African-American to teach in a pre-dominantly white college

Although Reason's contributions to the field are not spectacular, he is remembered as the first African-American to be appointed university professor at a pre-dominantly white college, that was, New York Central College, McGrawville. Charles Reason was an early child prodigy in mathematics as his parents laid great emphasis on education from the very beginning. At the age of 14, Charles began teaching at the African Free School in New York from where he embarked upon his life-long career as an educationist. He has worked tirelessly to promote education among the blacks and even founded that Society for the Promotion of Education among Colored Children.

3. Kelly Miller (1863-1939)

Best known for: First African-American to attend John Hopkins University

Mathematician, sociologist, columnist, essayist and scholar, Kelly Miller had a remarkable influence on the intellectual life of African-Americans. When a minister took notice of Miller's exceptional mathematical abilities, he sent him to Fairfield Institute from where he earned a scholarship to Howard and later attended John Hopkins for post-graduate studies in mathematics, physics and astronomy. However, when JH raised their tuition fee, Miller left and adopted a teaching career in sociology and later pursued his mathematics study. Miller was also the first person to teach sociology at Howard University.

4. Dudley Weldon Woodard (1881-1965)

Best known for: Second African-American to earn Ph.D in mathematics and established the mathematics graduate program at Howard University

Dudley Woodard is remembered as the second African-American to achieve a Ph.D degree in Mathematics from Penn. Woodard had more achievements than any of his predecessors. He managed to publish his masters' level thesis, 'Loci Connected with the Problem of Two Bodies' and taught college-level math for 20 years. He was also the dean at Howard - the most prestigious university for black Americans at the time. At Howard, Woodard established a graduate program in mathematics and furthered it by establishing a mathematics library, sponsored professorships and seminars- in short, Woodard advanced the mathematics faculty steadily in only quarter of a century. He is distinguished as one of the greatest Black Mathematicians of all time.

5. Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890-1980)

Best known for: First African-American woman to earn a Ph.D in Mathematics

Although she is remembered as the first black American woman with a Ph.D in mathematics in 1943, this was only a stepping stone in Martha Haynes' extraordinary and highly influential career. She played an instrumental role in changing the face of the education system from which the blacks were often segregated or very few in number. For forty-seven years, Haynes taught at Washington DC's public schools where she was also the first woman to chair the DC School Board. Haynes' also served as chair at Dunbar High School and District of Columbia Teachers College for their respective mathematics departments. At Miner Teachers College, she went as far as establishing the mathematics department altogether.

6. Elbert Frank Cox (1895-1969)

Best known for: First African-American ever to receive Ph.D in Mathematics

Elbert Frank Cox is a name that will perhaps never be missed out when speaking about black mathematicians. In 1925, Cox became the first African-American to earn a Ph.D in mathematics. He inspired many future black mathematicians and served a 40 year long teaching career. He taught at Howard University and West Virginia State College. The Cox Talbot Address is annually delivered at National Association of Mathematicians' national meetings in his honour and the Elbert F. Cox Scholarship Fund which is used to help black students achieve educational goals is also named in his honour.

7. William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor (1908-1967)

Best known for: Third African-American to receive a Ph.D in Mathematics

Being Dudley Woodward's most promising student at Howard, it is no surprise that William Calytor was recommended for further studies at Penn. Claytor quickly earned himself an outstanding reputation at Penn where he won the Harrison Scholarship in Mathematics and later the Harrison Fellowship in Mathematics- the most prestigious award Penn had to offer. Moreover, his dissertation was also well-received by the faculty at Penn because it furthered the theory of Peano Continua-a branch of point-set topology. Come 1933, Claytor became the third African-American Ph.D holder and joined West Virginia College as a faculty member. Later in his life, Claytor earned a Rosenwald Fellowship in 1937 to further develop his theory on Imbeddability on questions regarding homogenous continua. Unfortunately, he went through a rough patch after which Claytor managed to return to his teaching work but did not get back to his research which left many colleagues at Penn disappointed.

8. Marjorie Lee Browne (1914-1979)

Best known for: Third African-American to earn a Ph.D in Mathematics

Another prominent female mathematician and educator was Marjorie Browne who was the third black woman to earn a doctorate in her field. Not only did she chair the Mathematics Department at North Carolina College but also responsible for setting up the first electronic digital computer center at a minority college in 1960. Browne taught undergraduate and graduate level math and published four sets of lecture notes during that time for other teachers to use. Furthermore, in 1950s, Browne won a Ford Foundation grant to Cambridge University and other grants to University of California and Columbia University thus allowing her to travel vastly for her field of study as well.

9. David Harold Blackwell (1919-2010)

Best known for: First black faculty member at UC Berkeley and only black American inducted into National Academy of Sciences

Perhaps one of the greatest African-American mathematicians, David Blackwell is part eponymous of the Rao-Blackwell Theorem, first black inductee (and only) into the National Academy of Sciences and first tenured member of faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. Blackwell has also been the President of the American Statistical Society and Vice President of America Mathematics Society.

10. Jesse Ernest Wilkins Jr. (1923-2011)

Best known for: Entering University at the age of 13

Rightly referred to as the 'negro genius' in the media, this African-American was a mathematician, mechanical engineer and nuclear scientist who became the youngest ever student on entering the University of Chicago at the age of 13. Wilkins worked as a contributor to the Manhattan Project during World War II, wrote numerous scientific papers, earned many awards, served several important posts and aided recruitment of minority students into science courses. Jesse Wilkins served in his respective fields for seventy years making undeniable contributions to optics, civil and nuclear engineering and pure and applied mathematics.

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10 Famous Black Mathematicians and Their Contributions

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"The colour of the skin is in no way connected with strength of the mind or intellectual powers." -Benjamin Banneker The following names represent those famous black mathematicians who beat the odds against their discrimination and achieved excellence in the field of mathematics. 1.

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What Is The African American Chefs Hall of Fame?

The African American Chefs Hall of Fame is a recognition program that celebrates the living history of African American chefs and highlights those individuals whose extraordinary contributions have made American Cuisine, and use, possible. The African American Hall of Fame was launched by the Taste of Heritage Foundation in 1993. Inaugural inductees were announced on April 12, 1993 at the Hay Adams Hotel in Washington, DC.

"There are some extraordinary people who have helped make American Cuisine an unparalleled platform for innovation that goes well beyond what we could have ever imagined. This program honors individuals who have pushed the boundaries to bring Southern Cookery to life and make it an desirable resource enjoyed by millions."
- Joe Randall
At the African American Chef's Hall of Fame, our mission is "Showcasing great African American Chefs... who have Inspired us all!"
It is essential that we know our history. Most African American history has been lost or distorted, as if African American chefs didn't play a prominent role in the culinary foundation of our nation's culture. It is up to the African American Chefs Hall of Fame to preserve that history.

We must push ourselves to tell our story better than it has ever been told before. We will focus on celebrating the great African American chefs in the Hall of Fame through firsthand stories of their trials and tribulations. Memorable lessons they learned and unforgettable obstacles they encountered.

We stand on the shoulders of the culinary pioneers that paved the way for African American chefs of today to achieve so much and continue to garner the accolades they so truly deserve. This organization is dedicated to showcasing the lives and contributions of these remarkable pioneers and the contributions they've made to our industry.

Our Mission

We are fulfilling our mission in various ways, while preserving our historical roots through the induction of great African American chefs into the Hall of Fame. As custodians of African American history, we have an inherent responsibility to preserve and promote African American chefs and their contributions through various programs, thus maintaining a perpetual foundation that keeps the Hall engaged with inductees both now and in the future.

The African American Chefs Hall of Fame is currently at a pivotal place in its history. We are truly energized by its potential, but most excited about the overall clarity of our organization's vision and its anticipated impact upon African American culinarian lives-past, present and future.

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What Is The African American Chefs Hall of Fame? The African American Chefs Hall of Fame is a recognition program that celebrates the living history of African American chefs and highlights those individuals whose extraordinary contributions have made American Cuisine, and use, possible.

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Gerald A. Lawson

Anyone who owns a Playstation, Wii or Xbox should know Lawson's name. He created the first home video game system that used interchangeable cartridges, offering gamers a chance to play a variety of games and giving video game makers a way to earn profits by selling individual games, a business model that exists today. Lawson, who died last year at age 70, is just beginning to be recognized by the gaming industry for his pioneering work.

James E. West

Without , rappers wouldn't be able to rock the mic. West, along with Gerhard M. Sessler, helped develop the electroacoustic transducer electret microphone, for which they received a patent in 1962. Their invention was acoustically accurate, lightweight and cost-effective. Ninety percent of microphones in use today - including those in telephones, tape recorders and camcorders - are based on their original concept.

Patricia Bath

received a patent for her cataract laserphaco probe in 1988. Her device used an innovative method of removing cataract lenses with a laser, which was more accurate than the drill-like instruments that were in common use at the time. The ophthalmologist's invention helped save the eyesight of millions and even restored sight to people who had been blind for more than 30 years.

Granville T. Woods

was such a prolific inventor, he is often called the black Thomas Edison. Woods holds more than 50 patents for such inventions as the egg incubator and a steam boiler furnace. But his most significant invention, the synchronous multiplex railway telegraph (patented in 1887), allowed railway stations to communicate with moving trains. Because dispatchers were better able to locate trains, rail accidents were significantly reduced.

Thomas Jennings

Fashionistas everywhere have to thank for inventing a way to clean clothes using a dry-scouring process, what we call dry cleaning today. He received a patent for his process in 1821, a first for an African American.

Mark Dean

is one of technology's top innovators. The computer engineer helped design the IBM personal computer, introduced in 1981, that became a staple on desktops. He, along with co-inventor and IBM colleague Dennis Moeller, helped develop the interior hardware that would allow computers to connect to printers, monitors and more. Ironically, the man who helped make the PC popular is now using only tablets, noting in a "When I helped design the PC, I didn't think I'd live long enough to witness its decline."

Lewis Latimer

Thomas Edison may have invented the electric lightbulb, but helped make it a common feature in American households. In 1881 he received a patent for inventing a method of producing carbon filaments, which made the bulbs longer-lasting, more efficient and cheaper. Latimer, who at one time worked as a draftsman for inventor Alexander Graham Bell, would eventually be hired by Edison and continue his innovations in electric lighting. Edison's company would go on to become General Electric.

Marc Hannah

Anyone awed by the special effects in the films Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and The Abyss should thank . The computer scientist is one of the founders, in 1982, of the software firm Silicon Graphics (now SGI), where the special-effects genius developed 3-D graphics technology that would be used in many Hollywood movies. Donkey Kong fans also owe a debt of gratitude to Hannah: He was instrumental in designing the Nintendo 64 gaming system.

Shirley A. Jackson

is known for her innovative work in theoretical physics and semiconductor theory. In 1985 President Bill Clinton appointed the physicist chairwoman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, making her the first woman and the first African American to hold the position. In 2002 Discover Magazine named her one of the 50 Most Important Women in Science.

Garrett Morgan

After witnessing an accident between a horse-drawn carriage and an automobile, had an idea. His three-position traffic signal, patented in 1923, helped save lives at a time when cars, horses and pedestrians all shared the road. But this wasn't even his most famous invention. Morgan received a patent in 1912 for his safety hood and smoke protector (a precursor to today's gas mask), which helped save a group of men trapped in a tunnel beneath Lake Erie in 1916.

Otis F. Boykin

patented a type of resistor in 1959 that is still used today in radios, televisions and computers. Resistors are important in controlling the flow of electricity into components, which made for safer, longer-lasting - and cheaper - products. He also invented a control unit for the pacemaker. In all, Boykin was granted 28 patents for electronic devices, some of which are still having an impact on the military and the consumer market.

Lonnie Johnson

Figures it would take a rocket scientist to invent one of the greatest water guns of all time, the Super Soaker. One day in 1982 , an aerospace engineer who loved to tinker at home, was working on creating a heat pump that used water to cool down instead of Freon. That device led to one of the most popular toys ever made. The Super Soaker generated $200 million in retail sales and turned Johnson into a millionaire. He's now using his fortune to develop energy technology.

James C. Letton

Letton made a name for himself at Procter & Gamble by earning several patents for biodegradable soap elements and enzyme stabilizers for laundry detergent in the late 1970s. The scientist, who earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, has also been granted several patents while working as part of the team exploring uses for fat substitute Olestra.

George E. Alcorn

While at NASA, Alcorn invented the imaging X-ray spectrometer, which allowed scientists to examine materials that couldn't be broken down into smaller parts for study. The physicist received the NASA Inventor of the Year Award in 1984 for his device.

Percy L. Julian

One of the most important scientists of the 20th century, Julian was one of the first to harness the power of plants using the process of synthesis. Synthesis was critical to the medical industry because it allowed scientists to create chemicals that were rare in nature. The chemist's work led to the birth control pill and improvements in the production of cortisone. In 2007 PBS's NOVA made a documentary on his life called .

Roy L. Clay

helped launch Hewlett-Packard's computer division in the late 1960s and is known to some as the godfather of black Silicon Valley for helping break down barriers for African Americans in technology. His recruitment and development of talent has helped usher in the next generation of black technology innovators.

Frederick M. Jones

In the mid-1930s, designed a mobile refrigeration unit that could be used in trucks, trains, ships and airplanes. His invention allowed the transportation of perishable foods such as produce and meats, which changed eating habits across the country. Thermo King, the company he co-founded, became a leading manufacturer of refrigerated transportation.

Valerie Thomas

In an era when girls weren't even encouraged to study math and science (a problem that persists today), eagerly sought information about technology. She would eventually earn a degree in physics and land a job at NASA in the mid-1960s, where she would work into the 1990s. In 1980 she received a patent for the illusion transmitter, an early form of 3-D technology. Uses for the technology have yet to be fully realized, but with the increased interest in 3-D, her work will surely be an integral part of the future.

Eric Williams

didn't invent the cardiac stent, but his design for it has helped change the lives of millions who suffer from heart disease. With the use of stent technology, patients can avoid the arduous process of open-heart surgery, which can be particularly detrimental to older patients. Stent surgery is less invasive, and patients can usually go home the next day.

George R. Carruthers

As a 9-year-old in 1948, Carruthers (pdf) became interested in astronomy from reading books on the subject and science fiction comics. After earning a doctorate in aeronautical engineering in 1964, he went to work for NASA, where he headed the team that invented the ultraviolet camera spectrograph. The camera traveled to the moon with Apollo 16 in 1972. From the moon, researchers were able to study Earth's atmosphere.

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Anyone who owns a Playstation, Wii or Xbox should know Lawson's name. He created the first home video game system that used interchangeable cartridges, offering gamers a chance to play a variety of games and giving video game makers a way to earn profits by selling individual games, a business model that exists today....

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Diversity in Silicon Valley has become a hot topic lately.

In a one-and-a-half year long investigation, CNNMoney probed 20 of the most influential technology companies in the U.S.

What they found: racial minorities and women are generally underrepresented in management roles. And those roles are typically dominated by white and Asian men.

So yes, there are fewer blacks in tech compared to white and Asian men, but it doesn't mean they're not there.
Click here to jump straight to the list of prominent African-Americans in technology >
Wayne Sutton, a former partner at the NewMe accelerator and founder of PitchTo, tells Business Insider that there are tons of African-Americans throughout the country doing amazing things in the field of technology, but a lot of people just haven't heard about them.

As part of the discussion regarding blacks in technology, questions regarding racism, implicit networks, and racial bias have emerged.

"The bias in Silicon Valley is about creating great companies, solving big problems, making a lot of money, and impacting the world," Sutton says. "That's the bias. If you're doing that in Silicon Valley, no matter what, you have a chance."

But Brian Watson, an analyst at Union Square Ventures, doesn't necessarily agree with Sutton's sentiments.

"It's clear that there is always a bias," Watson tells Business Insider. "And it's annoying and it's frustrating, but you can get around that. There's also an argument that because there's a bias, in a weird way, the bias can also lead to some opportunities."

Bias or no bias, there are a number of African-Americans in tech that are doing great things.

Some are high profile executives, some own their own venture capital firms, and others are making technology more accessible to people all over the world.

The list and rankings are subjective, so please feel free to let us know in the comments if we missed anyone.

Founder and CEO, Creadio

Co-founder, MoviePass

Co-founder, MoviePass

CEO, The Resumator

Ted.com

CEO and co-founder, Bitcasa

Justin.Tv, SocialCam

EIR, Andreessen Horowitz

Michael Seto

President, PubMatic

Chairman, MIPS Technologies, Inc

Microsoft

CEO, Virtual Instruments

More: Features Diversity Silicon Valley Racism

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The 25 Most Influential African-Americans In Technology

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Diversity in Silicon Valley has become a hot topic lately. In a one-and-a-half year long investigation, CNNMoney probed 20 of the most influential technology companies in the U.S. What they found: racial minorities and women are generally underrepresented in management roles. And those roles are typically dominated by white and Asian men.

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14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn't Know about

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14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn't Know about

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14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn’t Know About

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Many people have read the story of how George Washington Carver invented over 300 products made from peanuts: flour, paste, insulation…

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Famous Black Mathematicians Whom the World Can't Thank Enough

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Famous Black Mathematicians Whom the World Can't Thank Enough

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Who Was George Washington Carver?

George Washington Carver was born enslaved and went on to become one of the most prominent scientists and inventors of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised over 100 products using one major crop - the peanut - including dyes, plastics and gasoline.

Early Life

Carver was most likely born in 1864 enslaved in Diamond, Missouri, during the Civil War years. Like many children of enslaved, the exact year and date of his birth are unknown.

Carver was one of many children born to Mary and Giles, an enslaved couple owned by Moses Carver. A week after his birth, Carver was kidnapped along with his sister and mother from the Carver farm by raiders from the neighboring state of Arkansas.

The three were later sold in Kentucky. Among them, only the infant Carver was located by an agent of Moses Carver and returned to Missouri.

Education

The conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 brought the end of slavery in Missouri.

Moses and his wife, Susan, decided to keep Carver and his brother James at their home after that time, raising and educating the two boys. Susan Carver taught Carver to read and write since no local school would accept Black students at the time.

The search for knowledge would remain a driving force for the rest of Carver's life. As a young man, he left the Carver home to travel to a school for Black children 10 miles away.

It was at this point that the boy, who had always identified himself as "Carver's George" first came to be known as "George Carver." Carver attended a series of schools before receiving his diploma at Minneapolis High School in Minneapolis, Kansas.

Accepted to Highland College in Highland, Kansas, Carver was denied admittance once college administrators learned of his race. Instead of attending classes, he homesteaded a claim, where he conducted biological experiments and compiled a geological collection.

While interested in science, Carver was also interested in the arts. In 1890, he began studying art and music at Simpson College in Iowa, developing his painting and drawing skills through sketches of botanical samples.

His obvious aptitude for drawing the natural world prompted a teacher to suggest that Carver enroll in the botany program at the Iowa State Agricultural College.

Carver moved to Ames and began his botanical studies the following year as the first Black student at Iowa State. Carver excelled in his studies. Upon completion of his Bachelor of Science degree, Carver's professors Joseph Budd and Louis Pammel persuaded him to stay on for a master's degree.

His graduate studies included intensive work in plant pathology at the Iowa Experiment Station. In these years, Carver established his reputation as a brilliant botanist and began the work that he would pursue the remainder of his career.
READ MORE: How George Washington Carver Went From Enslaved to Educational Pioneer
Tuskegee Institute

After graduating from Iowa State, Carver embarked on a career of teaching and research. Booker T. Washington, the founder of the historically Black Tuskegee Institute, hired Carver to run the school's agricultural department in 1896.

Washington lured the promising young botanist to the institute with a hefty salary and the promise of two rooms on campus, while most faculty members lived with a roommate. Carver's special status stemmed from his accomplishments and reputation, as well as his degree from a prominent institution not normally open to Black students.

The agricultural department at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) achieved national renown under Carver's leadership, with a curriculum and a faculty that he helped to shape.

Areas of research and training included methods of crop rotation and the development of alternative cash crops for farmers in areas heavily planted with cotton. This work helped under harsh conditions including the devastation of the boll weevil in 1892.

The development of new crops and diversification of crop use helped to stabilize the livelihoods of people, many former enslaved who had backgrounds not unlike Carver's own. The education of African American students at Tuskegee contributed directly to the effort of economic stabilization among Black people.

In addition to formal education in a traditional classroom setting, Carver pioneered a mobile classroom to bring his lessons to farmers. The classroom was known as a "Jesup wagon," after New York financier and Tuskegee donor Morris Ketchum Jesup.

Carver went on to become a prominent scientific expert and one of the most famous African Americans of his time. Carver achieved international fame in political and professional circles. President Theodore Roosevelt admired his work and sought his advice on agricultural matters in the United States.

Carver was also recognized abroad for his scientific expertise. In 1916, he was made a member of the British Royal Society of Arts - a rare honor for an American. Carver also advised Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi on matters of agriculture and nutrition.

Carver used his celebrity to promote scientific causes for the remainder of his life. He wrote a syndicated newspaper column and toured the nation, speaking on the importance of agricultural innovation and the achievements at Tuskegee.

DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER FACT CARD

Inventions

Carver's work at the helm of the Tuskegee Institute's agricultural department included groundbreaking research on plant biology, much of which focused on the development of new uses for crops including peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans and pecans.

Carver's inventions include hundreds of products, including more than 300 from peanuts (milk, plastics, paints, dyes, cosmetics, medicinal oils, soap, ink, wood stains), 118 from sweet potatoes (molasses, postage stamp glue, flour, vinegar and synthetic rubber) and even a type of gasoline.

At the time, cotton production was on the decline in the South, and overproduction of a single crop had left many fields exhausted and barren. Carver suggested planting peanuts and soybeans, both of which could restore nitrogen to the soil, along with sweet potatoes.

While these crops grew well in southern climates, there was little demand. Carver's inventions and research solved this problem and helped struggling sharecroppers in the South, many of them formerly enslaved now faced with necessary cultivation.

Peanut Butter

Contrary to popular belief, Carver did not invent peanut butter. However, he did do a lot of research into new and alternate uses for peanuts.

He even became known as the "Peanut Man" after delivering a speech before the Peanut Growers Association in 1920 attesting to the wide potential of peanuts. The following year, Carver testified before Congress in support of a tariff on imported peanuts, which Congress passed in 1922.
READ MORE: Did George Washington Carver Invent Peanut Butter?
Racial Inequality

Carver also spoke about the possibilities for racial harmony in the United States. From 1923 to 1933, Carver toured white Southern colleges for the Commission on Interracial Cooperation.

However, he largely remained outside of the political sphere and declined to criticize prevailing social norms outright. This made the politics of accommodation championed by both Carver and Booker T. Washington anathema to activists who sought more radical change. Nonetheless, Carver's scholarship and research contributed to improved quality of life for many farming families, making Carver an icon for African Americans and white Americans alike.

Death

Carver died after falling down the stairs at his home on January 5, 1943, at the age of 78. He was buried next to Booker T. Washington on the Tuskegee grounds.

Carver's epitaph reads: "He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world."

George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center

Carver, who had lived a frugal life, used his savings to establish a museum, the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas, which was devoted to his work, including some of his own paintings and drawings.

In December 1947, a fire broke out in the museum, destroying much of the collection. One of the surviving works by Carver is a painting of a yucca and a cactus, displayed at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

In addition to the museum, Carver also established the George Washington Carver Foundation at Tuskegee, with the aim of supporting future agricultural research.

Legacy

A project to erect a national monument in Carver's honor also began before his death. Harry S. Truman, then a senator from Missouri, sponsored a bill in favor of a monument during World War II.

Supporters of the bill argued that the wartime expenditure was warranted because the monument would promote patriotic fervor among African Americans and encourage them to enlist in the military. The bill passed unanimously in both houses.

Carver's iconic status remained after his death. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated $30,000 for the monument west of Diamond, Missouri - the site of the plantation where Carver lived as a child. This was the first national monument dedicated to an African American. The 210-acre complex includes a statue of Carver as well as a nature trail, museum and cemetery.
READ MORE: George Washington Carver's Powerful Circle of Friends
Carver appeared on U.S. commemorative postal stamps in 1948 and 1998, as well as a commemorative half dollar coin minted between 1951 and 1954. Numerous schools bear his name, as do two United States military vessels.

In 2005, the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis opened a George Washington Carver Garden, which includes a life-size statue of the garden's famous namesake.

These honors attest to Carver's enduring legacy as an icon of African American achievement, and of American ingenuity more broadly. Carver's life has come to symbolize the transformative potential of education, even for those born into the most unfortunate and difficult of circumstances.

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George Washington Carver was born enslaved and went on to become one of the most prominent scientists and inventors of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised over 100 products using one major crop - the peanut - including dyes, plastics and gasoline.

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Coded Messages

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This collection of original stories and poems provides rare insight into the minds of adolescent African American boys.Book in Library

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       Book of Negro Folklore A representative collection of Black folklore. Includes slave memories and accounts of voodoo and ghost stories, with contemporary folk tales, songs, poetry, and prose.

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       Book of Negro Folklore A representative collection of Black folklore. Includes slave memories and accounts of voodoo and ghost stories, with contemporary folk tales, songs, poetry, and prose.

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Book in Library

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The Dark-Thirty : Southern Tales of the SupernaturalThis Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award Winner from beloved author Patricia McKissack offers a "stellar collection" of "ten original stories, all with a foundation in African-American history or culture"

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The Dark-Thirty : Southern Tales of the SupernaturalThis Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award Winner from beloved author Patricia McKissack offers a "stellar collection" of "ten original stories, all with a foundation in African-American history or culture"

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Book in Library

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Hidden Hero our country's only human computer

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Hidden Hero our country's only human computer

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NASA Biography

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Born: Aug. 26, 1918
Died: Feb. 24, 2020
Hometown: White Sulphur Springs, WV
Education: B.S., Mathematics and French, West Virginia State College, 1937
Hired by NACA: June 1953
Retired from NASA: 1986
Actress Playing Role in Hidden Figures: Taraji P. Henson
Biography by Margot Lee Shetterly
Being handpicked to be one of three black students to integrate West Virginia's graduate schools is something that many people would consider one of their life's most notable moments, but it's just one of several breakthroughs that have marked Katherine Johnson's long and remarkable life. Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in 1918, her intense curiosity and brilliance with numbers vaulted her ahead several grades in school. By 13, she was attending the high school on the campus of historically black West Virginia State College. At 18, she enrolled in the college itself, where she made quick work of the school's math curriculum and found a mentor in math professor W. W. Schieffelin Claytor, the third African American to earn a PhD in mathematics. She graduated with highest honors in 1937 and took a job teaching at a black public school in Virginia.

When West Virginia decided to quietly integrate its graduate schools in 1939, West Virginia State's president, Dr. John W. Davis, selected her and two men to be the first black students offered spots at the state's flagship school, West Virginia University. She left her teaching job and enrolled in the graduate math program. At the end of the first session, however, she decided to leave school to start a family with her first husband, James Goble. She returned to teaching when her three daughters got older, but it wasn't until 1952 that a relative told her about open positions at the all-black West Area Computing section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' (NACA's) Langley laboratory, headed by fellow West Virginian Dorothy Vaughan. Katherine and her husband decided to move the family to Newport News, Virginia, to pursue the opportunity, and Katherine began work at Langley in the summer of 1953. Just two weeks into her tenure in the office, Dorothy Vaughan assigned her to a project in the Maneuver Loads Branch of the Flight Research Division, and Katherine's temporary position soon became permanent. She spent the next four years analyzing data from flight tests and worked on the investigation of a plane crash caused by wake turbulence. As she was wrapping up this work her husband died of cancer in December 1956.

The 1957 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik changed history-and Johnson's life. In 1957, she provided some of the math for the 1958 document Notes on Space Technology, a compendium of a series of 1958 lectures given by engineers in the Flight Research Division and the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division (PARD). Engineers from those groups formed the core of the Space Task Group, the NACA's first official foray into space travel. Johnson, who had worked with many of them since coming to Langley, "came along with the program" as the NACA became NASA later that year. She did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard's May 1961 mission Freedom 7, America's first human spaceflight. In 1960, she and engineer Ted Skopinski coauthored Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position, a report laying out the equations describing an orbital spaceflight in which the landing position of the spacecraft is specified. It was the first time a woman in the Flight Research Division had received credit as an author of a research report.

In 1962, as NASA prepared for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Johnson was called upon to do the work that she would become most known for. The complexity of the orbital flight had required the construction of a worldwide communications network, linking tracking stations around the world to IBM computers in Washington, Cape Canaveral in Florida, and Bermuda. The computers had been programmed with the orbital equations that would control the trajectory of the capsule in Glenn's Friendship 7 mission from liftoff to splashdown, but the astronauts were wary of putting their lives in the care of the electronic calculating machines, which were prone to hiccups and blackouts. As a part of the preflight checklist, Glenn asked engineers to "get the girl"-Johnson-to run the same numbers through the same equations that had been programmed into the computer, but by hand, on her desktop mechanical calculating machine. "If she says they're good,'" Katherine Johnson remembers the astronaut saying, "then I'm ready to go." Glenn's flight was a success, and marked a turning point in the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in space.

When asked to name her greatest contribution to space exploration, Johnson would talk about the calculations that helped synch Project Apollo's Lunar Module with the lunar-orbiting Command and Service Module. She also worked on the Space Shuttle and the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS, later renamed Landsat) and authored or coauthored 26 research reports. She retired in 1986, after 33 years at Langley. "I loved going to work every single day," she said. In 2015, at age 97, Johnson added another extraordinary achievement to her long list: President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.

She died on Feb. 24, 2020. NASA Administrator James Bridenstine said, "Our NASA family is sad to learn the news that Katherine Johnson passed away this morning at 101 years old. She was an American hero and her pioneering legacy will never be forgotten."

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Explore a selection of works by African American artists included in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Choose from the images below to view paintings, photographs, works on paper, and sculpture ranging from a still-life painting by Robert Seldon Duncanson to modern and contemporary pieces by Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Alma Thomas, Sam Gilliam, Kara Walker, and more.

To learn more, click the images below.

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Explore a selection of works by African American artists included in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Choose from the images below to view paintings, photographs, works on paper, and sculpture ranging from a still-life painting by Robert Seldon Duncanson to modern and contemporary pieces by Jacob Lawrence , Romare Bearden , Alma Thomas , Sam Gilliam , Kara Walker , and more.

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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of "Negro History Week," the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.

Origins of Black History Month

The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

That September, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent.
READ MORE: The Man Behind Black History Month
Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.

Did you know? The NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses.

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
WATCH: 10 Things You Don't Know About: Civil Rights on HISTORY Vault
Black History Month 2021 Theme

Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme.

The Black History Month 2021 theme, "Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity" explores the African diaspora, and the spread of Black families across the United States.
READ MORE: Black History Milestones
Photo Galleries

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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of "Negro History Week," the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans.

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Click on the buttons above to explore primary sources by historical era. You'll find primary sources tagged by subjects found in the Tennessee Department of Education's social studies content standards. When you click on a "subject" or a "content standard number", the search will take you directly to primary sources that meet that specific subject or standard.