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Since 1976, the United States and Canada have recognized February as Black History Month. The idea to dedicate time to the contributions of African Americans was originated in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson. His vision was to increase the awareness of people and communities to the significant additions African Americans have made to the overall history of the United States.
His vision has grown since 1926 to include an entire month where elementary, junior high and high school students take time to learn about notable figures and accomplishments of African Americans.
Black History Month’s annual celebration has come with its fair share of criticism. From questioning the need to dedicate an entire month to a single race to complaints about the month chosen being the shortest month of the year, the opinions are as varied as they can be outlandish.
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Regardless, the idea to educate ourselves about the historical influence countless African Americans have had on our country and communities is with merit. It is a time to dig past the dates and names to attempt to put yourself in the shoes of a race of people who have struggled to gain an equal footing in the United States.
Without Black History Month we may be familiar but not as cognizant of the incredible feats of
Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, or Maya Angelou. The contributions African Americans have made to the fabric of the United States are without question.
Please research and report back on the accomplishments of one of the following people:
Condoleezza Rice
George Washington Carver
Frederick Douglass
Booker T Washington
Louis Armstrong
What did you learn and why did you choose that person?
I chose Louis Armstrong because I knew he was in the music business and thought that was cool. Louis was a jazz trumpeter in the 1920s. He influenced jazz and was not only known for his skillful trumpet playing but for his scat singing (using vocal syllables instead of words) and raspy singing voice. He had amazing charisma too.
ReplyDeleteLouis was also allowed access to the upper class, a privilege that most "colored" people are not allowed to have. His skin color was secondary to his amazing musical skills. He knew many other famous people such as Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Louis lived until 1971 and died one month before his 70th birthday.
Condoleezza Rice is an inspiring woman. She is not just a role-model for African Americans, but also for women. She was born in Birmingham Alabama, on November 14, 1954. She grew up as an only child, and attended a segregated school. She succeeded musically, academically, and athletically. In 1968, she moved to Denver, Colorado. Condoleezza Rice graduated from high school in 1971, and attended the University of Denver. In 1974, she earned a political science degree. A year later she received a masters from Notre Dame, and became fluent in Russian. In 1981, she received her doctorate, and was hired by Stanford University, as a political science professor. In 1986, Condoleezza Rice became an advisor to the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs’ Staff. This began her political career. President George H.W. Bush appointed Condoleezza as Director of Soviet and East European affairs at the National Security Council in 1989. In 1999, Condoleezza joined the George W. Bush Presidential Campaign as a Foreign Relations Advisor. Then President Bush appointed her as the first female National Security Advisor. In 2005, Condoleezza became the first female African-American Secretary of State. In 2009, she left the state department, and returned to being a professor at Stanford. She has written four books, and in 2012, became one of the two women who were in the all-male Augusta National Golf Club.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, Condoleezza Rice has accomplished numerous careers in her life. I did not know who she was until I researched her, but she is an amazing woman. Even with all the challenges she faced, it did not hold her back.
I learned that although with the setback of the criticism and harshness brought with being black, there were many people that still persevered and became people that accomplished great things in their lives. Condoleezza Rice because the thought popped into my head before I even read Kate's comment. The thought that she was not only an inspiration for black people, but also an inspiration for women. Which brings me to another point being that, that is even more impressive considering it is hard to get a rank as high as United States Secretary of State in general, let alone being black AND a woman.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that we have not been as racist and sexist now a days. Because this woman is a symbol of how far we've come. At one point, only white men were allowed to vote, not black people, not women. I am happy to say that now things have changed.
Many people on the list above I have hear of, like Louis Armstrong and Frederick Douglass. I haven't heard of Booker T Washington though. So I researched him. I found that he was a slave, but decided to walk many miles to get to school and then he would walk back to work on a farm. He was determined to become a teacher when he grew up. So, when he finished school, he started up a new one called Tuskegee. Here, he focused of agriculture for African Americans. Later, he became more politically involved with America and battled for African Americans rights.
ReplyDeleteI think that he would be happy today because our country has learned away from racism. I think that it is cool that all the people on the list and countless others have battled for their rights.
Booker T Washington was a true inspiration for all people. Booker was born a slave, but when slavery was abolished, moved on to become a very well educated man. He became the head of the new Tuskegee Institute, and moved on to become an educator, author, and a key civil rights activist. He intrigued many people with his famous Atlanta Address of 1895, and he soon became a spokes person for the African American population. He was very involved in black politics, communities, and ministers nationwide. He helped create funds to built thousands of schools in small communities, as well as create better education for the existing black schools all throughout the South.
ReplyDeleteI chose Booker T Washington because he is a man who had humble beginnings, and yet he made a huge difference in his community. Without Booker, we would still be struggling with the chains of racism in our country. Booker worked hard for his community, because he knew that even with feeble starts, he could still succeed with a firm hand and a strong education.
For this report, I chose Frederick Douglass. As some of you may know, he was an abolitionist in, not just in america, but parts of Europe as well. Douglass was born into slavery, but there was an upside. His owner's wife taught him to read and the alphabet, but when he was caught reading a newspaper, his 'schooling' was over. He continued his lessons in private, by himself. As a young adult, he tried escaping multiple times, and finally did, ending up in New York City using a path later established as the Underground Railroad. To start a new life, he changed his last name to Douglass (his original name was Washington). After that, he worked with abolitionists in New York and the North. Douglass wrote multiple autobiographies, highlighting the cruelties and hardships of slavery. On top of being an abolitionist, he also held a station in the Underground Railroad. Douglass gave speeches and went to Britain and Ireland, spreading word about the evils of slavery. He came back to America and then started and 1840s campaign for more women's rights. To him, Lincoln was the best president. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were ratified, it showed that Douglass's, Lincoln's, and abolitionists' hard work changed America.
ReplyDeleteToday, Douglass's grave is located in Rochester, New York, and America is proof of Douglass's hard work, as well as the work of other abolitionists.
Lots of people know who Fredrick Douglas is but I have never heard of George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver was born in 1864 in the town of Diamond in Missouri and when was little was granted freedom and was an agricultural researcher. He was one of the best known African Americans in his life. By the late 20's he had abandoned teaching and agriculture research. Carver sadly died in the year 1943. I chose George Washington Carver because I had never heard of him before and wanted to learn about somebody new.
ReplyDeleteLouis Armstrong was a famous jazz musician and singer. He was born in one of the poor parts of New Orleans and his father left when he was young and his mother was often gone. He dropped out of school in fifth grade and began to work for money. One time he shot his step father's gun in the air on new Years and was arrested and taken to a home for boys. Here he learned to play the cornet. When he left the home for boys he began his musical career. He has many famous songs including What A Wonderful World. He became the first African american to write an autobiography and he was the first to star in a Hollywood movie.
ReplyDeleteI chose Louis Armstrong because he had to deal with all kinds of struggles but he pushed through them and accomplished his dream. He also was really into music and I feel that he is a good role model for all musicians.
Before this I had no clue who Frederick Douglass was. He was a great man with extreme ambition for success. Frederick was born into slavery in Maryland. He tried to escape twice and never made it until, the love of his life Anna Murray helped him escape, and he did. He dressed as a sailor and had false papers to prove it. He went to New York and married Anna. He was extremely successful after that, he gave many speeches and had extremely successful life. We will always know Frederick Douglass as a man slavery held captive and he escaped. This month id a time to celebrate how he helped our country.
ReplyDeleteI choose Frederick Douglass because although I have heard his name many times, I never actually knew who he was. He was born into slavery in Talbot Country, Maryland. He was one of the smartest African- Americans of his time. He was one of the first African-Americans who had high office in the government. He had five children, Rosetta, Luis Henry, Fredrick Jr, Charles Redmond, and Annie. His wife was Anna. He produced an abolitionist newspaper call "The North Star." His children, minus Annie who died at 10, help with the newspaper when they grew older.
ReplyDeleteBooker T. Washington was an inspiration to all people he was born a slave but turned int an educated man.He intrigued most people with The Atlanta Address of 1895. He did funding to bring schools for blacks in small communities and in the south. Some of his jobs are educator, author,orator and a advisor for the President of the United States. The reason why I chose him because he sounded really intresting and did good things for his country.He help build schools for the black kids in his country and in small communities.
ReplyDeleteI chose George Washington Carver because I have never heard of him before. He was the first African American at Simpson University. He got a bachelor in agriculture degree. Carver was appointed member of faculty at Iowa State College. He did many great things for agriculture and was a great man. He died in 1943, and in 1998 the second Carver stamp was issued.
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DeleteI chose Friedrick Douglas because I have heard his name a lot and knew he escaped slavery but that was all I knew, I wanted to know more. Thats why I chose him.
ReplyDeleteAfer escaping slavery he bacame a leader of the apolitionist movement. He was born Febuary 1818 and died Feb 1895.He wrote several autobiographies one being him explaining what slavery was like and his experiences of it all. Life and times of fredrick douglass was publist 3 years before he died going throught the Civil War. Douglas was the first african american nominated for vice president, he was republican. He had 5 children.
I chose Louis Armstrong because I had no idea who he was until i looked him up. I learned that he was an American jazz trumpeter and singer. I learned that he had a very raspy singing voice. He was a influential singer and his lyrics were to express purposes. He was one of the first African American singers to "cross over" he was rarely criticized in public because he was good and really well liked. Overall I learned that he had a huge influence on music
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ReplyDeleteI chose Fredrick Douglas because I kind of know him but I wanted to really get to know him. It turns out he had escaped from slavery and an Abolitionist Leader. When his parents died he was sent to Baltimore where he learned to read and write. Then he was sent to a plantation. At the plantation he established a Sunday school, where he taught the other workers to read and write. Fredrick Douglas once said, "With out struggle there is no process." This means to me that he couldn't teach people until he felt their pain. Douglas was the first black citizen to have a high U.S government rank. As you can see Fredrick Douglas was a great african American, he was able to tech people and let them know what was happening outside of their own world.
Sorry, is an Abolitionist leader.
DeleteI chose Louis Armstrong because I am familiar with some of his songs. Armstrong was born August 4th, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in a neighborhood called the battlefield since it was so run down. He left school in fifth grade and lived with his grandmother. His first job was as a coal collector. Soon, he was able to leave his job and focus on the trumpet. He joined jazz bands and performed on riverboats in the summer. Soon, he became even more famous. Louis Armstrong was one of the most well known African Americans during this time. He paved the way for other African American musicians with his fame. Some of his famous songs include "what a wonderful world" and "la vie en rose".
ReplyDeleteI chose Louis Armstrong. One of his songs is in the movie Elf, and I LOVE that movie. That is why I chose him. I learned that he was born August 4, 1901, and he died in July 6,1971. He was a famous trumpet player. He was really good! He had a hard gravely sounding voice, that many people still love. He was alive during the time when blacks were not treated nicely. I think anyone should look up to him and people like him.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Condoleezza Rice, so I decided to pick her as the person that I would research and report back on. I learned that she was a United States diplomat, as well as a scientist. She was also the first African-American secretary of state. In addition to this, she served on the National Security Council as a Soviet informant. This woman has also been to more parts of the world than any other Secretary of State.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why she is represented in Black History Month is because of her achievements as an individual, and her commitment to the United States and its purpose.
I chose to research Fredrick Douglas because, honestly, I thought that he was the easiest one. I did want to learn more about him. I also thought that he was the most well-known of all of them, but I didn't know much about him, so I thought it might be good to get up-to-speed on my facts. Of all of the things that I learned, here are the ones that I think are the most important:
ReplyDeleteFredrick was born into slavery, not knowing who his dad was, or the exact date of his birth (although he figured it was about February 14th). He was sent away from the plantation he was born at the age of 7, and hardly saw his mother, who died when he was ten. Two years later he was sent to a different plantation and was taught to read by the wife of his master, by the name of Sophia Auld. This was illegal at the time, so when his master found out, he f=told his wife that she was not allowed to teach Fredrick anymore. Fredrick had learned enough though, so he stole newspapers, taught others to read, and watched the white children learn. He was then sent to a different plantation, where he was beaten a lot. He later escaped by disguising himself and catching a train to New York, where he became a free man. He married his wife there, and became an abolitionist. He traveled and spoke in Britain and Ireland, in the fear that he was going to be caught by his old owners. He fought against slavery and for any human rights for the rest of his life.
I choose Booker T. Washington because I hadn't heard of him before and I'm from Washington (I know, chezzy). His full name is Booker Taliaferro Washington and he was an African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American community.
ReplyDeleteI chose Frederick Douglas because he was one of the only people on the list that sounded familiar to me and I already knew a little about him so I thought I would follow up on that knowledge. He was born into slavery in Maryland, though the exact date is uncertain, as he has never seen the official documents. He doesn't know what year he was born in either but he chose to celebrate it on February 14. He was separated from his mother at a very young age so he was raised by his maternal grandmother but was then separated from her at the age of seven. His master's wife taught him to read and write but it was illegal at the time. The master found out and banned his wife from teaching him again. Frederick continued to read by taking newspapers out of gutters or the trash and he taught the other children to read as well. He later escaped on a train up North and became an abolitionist for any human rights. Many were astounded with his speaking skills and furious writings/speeches against slavery
ReplyDeleteI chose Frederick Douglas because he was one of the only people on the list that sounded familiar to me and I already knew a little about him so I thought I would follow up on that knowledge. He was born into slavery in Maryland, though the exact date is uncertain, as he has never seen the official documents. He doesn't know what year he was born in either but he chose to celebrate it on February 14. He was separated from his mother at a very young age so he was raised by his maternal grandmother but was then separated from her at the age of seven. His master's wife taught him to read and write but it was illegal at the time. The master found out and banned his wife from teaching him again. Frederick continued to read by taking newspapers out of gutters or the trash and he taught the other children to read as well. He later escaped on a train up North and became an abolitionist for any human rights. Many were astounded with his speaking skills and furious writings/speeches against slavery
ReplyDeleteI chose to research George Washington Carver because I had never heard of him before. George was born into slavery in Missouri, yet nobody knows the exact day or year he was born. He was taught to read and write by his mother since no schools in the area excepted black students at the time. Carver was originally excepted into Highland Collage, but was then denied admitance when they learned of his race. Carver later made the decision to go to sipson collage in Iowa and learn about the arts and music. Carver later got his science degree and greatly excelled in that area of work.
ReplyDeleteI researched Booker T. Washington, because I did't know who he was. Booker was a slave at a very young age. For work, he would carry sacks of grain to a plantation's mill. When he was a slave it was illegal to teach the slaves how to read and write, but when he was older he put himself through school, and became a teacher. Booker graduated and he became a teacher at his old school in Virginia. He became the leader of Tuskegee school, and it was the leading school in the country. He remained the leader of the Tuskegee Institute until he died on November 14, 1915.
ReplyDeleteI chose Frederick Douglass because i thought i knew his name and it sounded familiar so i chose him he was a social reformer, writer ,and a statesman. he as escaped slavery and became one of the hundreds of abolitionist leaders. He wrote several autobiographies and in them described his experiences as a slave in 1845. He was the first African American to be elected as vice president
ReplyDeleteOne of his famous quotes would be "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong " I am guessing he said this because he thought of women, black people, wight people, Indians recent immigrants as equal.
Louis Armstrong. He was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloists, film star ,and comedian. Born August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Armstrong grew up with a bad history, and his grandmother. He only has an education up to grade five. He had to leave school to find work. He works for a Jewish family I would often let him into their home. When he was only 11, he used his stepfather's gun and shot it in the air. He was arrested immediately and sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. While he was there he was taught music. Louis instantly fell in love with it. Armstrong was released two years later. By then he loved music. Although, to get money, he had to start working again. He began having a reputation of a singer. After his teen years he got married and adopted his sisters child. He ended up being mentally disabled, so I'm strong to care of him for his whole life. Later on in his life he became an amazing jazz musician. He set a lot of African American first. He died July 6, 1971. Overall, I believe that Louis Armstrong is a great example of when something bad occurs, but ends up being great.
ReplyDeleteI chose Booker T. Washington. because he is the only person i havent heard of. Booker was born into a slave family. His job was to carry sacks of grain to the nearby mill. One day, Booker walked in on some kids reading and writing. He wanted to do exactly what they did.So he would get up early in the morning and read and write. When he was older Booker put himself through school. After he graduated, he became a teacher. After a while he founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He then went on to become an advisor for two presidents.
ReplyDeleteBooker T. Washington has such an inspirational story. I chose him because I knew about almost all the other people on the list but not him. He was an educator for african-americans,an author and an advisor to the president from 1890-1915, or for two presidents. He was born April 5, 1856 in Taliaferro Washington. He was born into slavery but luckily got to go to school at Hampton Institute. He got to go to school because his family was freed in 1865. He worked very hard to get where he was, he self taught himself how to read and wright. He worked in the coal mines early in his life to get money to help support his family. I think that his story is very inspirational. It teaches us how if you want to do something with your life you need to get up and do it. Also that no matter where you come from, what you look like or what kind of state your family was in, you can always work hard and preserver to conquer your goals.
ReplyDeleteCondoleezza "Condi" Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush. She was born on November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama age 60 and was part of the Republican Party. Why did I choose her. Well that woman Condoleezza Rice was appointed Special Assistant to President George H. W. Bush for National Security Affairs,The White Houses announces the formation of the Iraqi Stabilization Group, headed by Rice. The group will consist of four coordinating committees: counter-terrorism, economic development, political affairs, and media relations. The committees will be headed by four of Rice's deputies and will include representatives from the CIA and the under secretaries from the State, Defense and Treasury Departments.
ReplyDeleteI chose Louis Armstrong. I chose him because I had heard of him before, but I didn't really know who he was. I remember about 6 years ago when I was in 1st grade learning about him when we were learning about jazz. After looking back and doing a little research on him, I found that he was a black jazz musician who basically changed the whole world of jazz music. Not only was he famous for playing the trumpet as well as he did, he was also famous because of his voice. He created a whole new style of singing which changed some people's view on jazz itself. He sang in a deep raspy voice that became very iconic later on. He shifted the view of jazz from group improvisation to solo performance. He also proved to the world that no matter what race, age, or situation you are in, you can always come out on top by overcoming the struggles and the hardships of life with hope, and not only inspire the world, but most importantly inspire yourself to do more and be more.
ReplyDeleteLouis Armstrong: A famous jazz singer who has inspired my grandpa and my father. He is a talented human being, and is right there with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, and other popular jazz singers of all time. When ever I am driving with my grandpa, we turn the XM channel to "Siriusly Sinatra", and we always here at least one song by Louis Armstrong. This famous musician is also mentioned in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" when the Alligator who plays the trumpet wants to be like this inspiring man. Overall, Louis Armstrong has impacted society in a special, musical way.
ReplyDeleteI chose Frederick Douglas because I knew that he was a slavery abolitionist and I was interested in learning more about him.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from the internet about Federick Douglas is:
He was born in February 1818
He died in February 1895
Not only was he a slave, but he was also an author and orator
Frederick escaped slavery when he was 20
Frederick wrote 3 world renowned auto-biographies
He is one of the most important models in the end of slavery
And many more....
I choose Louis Armstrong because i felt like I wanted to lern something new about someone i did't kave much knowledge on. I learned that he was an american jazz trumpeter, singer and influencer. He was born on August 4, 1901 and died July 6th, 1971. But, he unluckly did not be as shown as he would of liked. He had a great talent but the whtes did not let him go to be "famous". He was very sad that he could not go on further thn he would of liked but of course he stilled stayed what he loved the most. Playing the trumpet.
ReplyDeleteArmstrong was a jazz trumpeter, he was a singer,and also a comedian. He didn't really get famous like he wanted to, but he tried his best. He was born in 1901 and died one month before his seventieth birthday in 1971. He was so inspiring because he held on to his childhood dreams for his whole life, but sadly he didn't reach them. I chose him because I love music and I did not know much about him. I love how he kept trying even though sometimes we can't get there.
ReplyDeleteI chose Armstrong beacuse He was everything and took on so many occupations- A musician (jazz), an accomplished singer, and my personal favorite- A comedien. However, He was not a particualarly Popular or famous human being during his time actually alive like he favored. Armstrong is more recent, but died in 1971 when he was only 16, almost 17. Armstorng was not only an accomplished and inspiring musician, but he was an all around good person who believed in himself and where he came from.
ReplyDeletejust to say he was much older than 17... he was 70!
Deletejust to say he was much older than 17... he was 70!
DeleteDoesnt really matter
DeleteI chose Armstrong beacuse He was everything and took on so many occupations- A musician (jazz), an accomplished singer, and my personal favorite- A comedien. However, He was not a particualarly Popular or famous human being during his time actually alive like he favored. Armstrong is more recent, but died in 1971 when he was only 16, almost 17. Armstorng was not only an accomplished and inspiring musician, but he was an all around good person who believed in himself and where he came from.
ReplyDeleteI chose Fredrick Douglass because I know he was a famous black American who helped abolish slavery but that was about it. I knew that he was very important in American history and I thought I needed to know more about him. He was born in 1818 and died in 1895.He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was an African-American social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement. Douglass famously said, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
ReplyDeleteI chose Fredrick Douglass because I know he was a famous black American who helped abolish slavery but that was about it. I knew that he was very important in American history and I thought I needed to know more about him. He was born in 1818 and died in 1895.He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was an African-American social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement. Douglass famously said, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
ReplyDeleteFrederick Douglass was an abolitionist, author, and orator in our American history. He was always willing to make an extra effort to inform uneducated crowds of the wrong-doing of racial society. He openly spoke, knowing the possible consequences, which I think is a major accomplishment of bravery. He also wrote an autobiography, without changing names, which is very risky. This book is truly touching, I know this because I have read it. And at the time of his death in February 20, 1895, he was attending a women's rights meeting, this shows his willingness to persevere through his whole life. Frederick Douglass was truly an inspirational man.
ReplyDeleteI chose Louis Armstrong because I never really new about him but I've heard of him. He grew up in a place where they are so poor that the Nickname for the city is The Battlefield. Louis Armstrong Made a Wonderful World with his music( See what I did there) His father abandoned their family. Then he was moved to a boys home where he joined an all colored band. In 1918 he adopted a boy named Clarence after the mom who was louis's cousin died in childbirth. His life is basically an underdog story. Where in life he struggles then he makes the world a better place with his music.
ReplyDeleteI chose Booker T Washington because I didn't really know what he did and why he was a big influence.
ReplyDeleteThe things learned were:
African-American educator
born:April 5,1856
died:November 14,1915
He taught at Wayland Seminary and Hampton University
He was also a author, orator, and adviser to the presidents of the U,S