Males and Females
Females:
Eleanor Roosevelt:
1884-1962
First Lady, Column writer “May Days”, Civil Rights Activist, and Fair Working Conditions Advocate
http://firstladies.c-span.org/Images/VideoStillImgs/EleanorRoosevelt_640x400.jpg
Eleanor was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. She was the daughter of Ann (Hall) and Elliott Roosevelt, and her uncle was Theodore Roosevelt. Both of her parents died and then Eleanor went to live with her grandmother. Her grandmother sent Eleanor to a boarding school in England. While at boarding school Eleanor learned how to step out of her comfort zone and because of her mentor Madame Marie Sovestre, learned how to live as an independent woman. Eleanor first starting making her impact on society when she joined the Junior League of New York. Eleanor’s duties as part of the Junior League was to teach gymnastics and dancing to the immigrants. She was also a member of the Consumer League where she investigated working conditions of garment factories. In 1904 Eleanor and her fifth cousin Franklin Roosevelt are engaged, and they are married on March 17, 1905 in New York. Eleanor and Franklin had six children one of whom died of influenza. Eleanor took a more powerful role next to her husband after he suffered from polio which left him paralyzed. Eleanor took on the role of creating the National Youth Administration. Eleanor also went against the segregation laws, she most famously sat between black and white at a Human Welfare conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Eleanor also fought for fair housing for culturally and linguistically diverse people. She also invested her time in investigating working conditions and the employees rights. In order to reach more Americans Roosevelt wrote a newspaper column titled My Days in which she discussed many issues including civil rights. In her later years she was a states women under President Harry Truman and was head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Eleanor also went on to speak at civil rights workshops and was a supporter of John F Kennedy’s presidential campaign. On November 7, 1962 Eleanor died at the age of 78 of tuberculosis.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/eleanor-biography/
Elaine Chao:
1953-Present
First Asian- Pacific American woman appointed as a member of the Presidents Cabinet
http://www.heritage.org/~/media/Images/People/Staff%20high%20res/Chao_Elaine.ashx?thn=1&w=200&h=300
Elaine was born on March 26 1953 in Taipei, Taiwan. She and her family came to the U.S in 1961, when Chao was just eight years old. Elaine did not know any English at the time, but her father helped her every night with school work to learn to speak English. Chao went on to college at Mount Holyoke College where she earned her B.A in economics. She later attended Harvard Business School where she received her masters. Before she entered the political world she worked at Bank of America and in San Francisco and was an international banker for Citigroup in New York. She joined a White House Fellowship program because she wanted the learn more about the government in America. She was selected as one of twelve to work in the White House and got to see first hand how the federal government was ran. One her fellowship was over she went back to banking and was vice president of syndication for Bank of America. Elaine returned to Washington D.C and was then appointed to be the Deputy of Administrator of the Maritime Administration, and was in charge of waterborne transportation. She was the first woman and the first Asian Pacific American to have this high of position. Her hard work in this position lead her to be appointed, President Ronald Reagan, Chairman of Federal Maritime Commission, in reported everything from this position straight to U.S Congress. From this position she was then seen for her hard work and was appointed by President George H.W Bush as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation. In 2001 George W Bush appointed her as a member of his cabinet. Her role was to the U.S Department of Labor Secretary. Chao was the first Asian- Pacific American woman appointed as a member of the Presidents Cabinet, and she was also severed in the position as U.S Department of Labor Secretary for the longest time since World War II. Chao was also the only person who remained in Bush’s cabinet the whole eight years of her presidency. Chao also brought the United Way out financial problems as the CEO and president from 1996- 2001. After her time as a member of Bush’s cabinet ended in 2009 Chao returned to her home in Kentucky with her husband. She serves as a member of many non-profit groups and is a Fox New Contributor.
http://www.elainelchao.com/biography/
Wilma Mankiller:
First Female Chief of the Cherokee Tribe of Oklahoma
1945- 2010
http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/on-deadline/2010/04/06/Mankillerx-large.jpg
Was born in Talequah, Oklahoma on November 18th, 1945. Mankiller was of Cherokee and Dutch- Irish descent. She was the great-granddaughter of a Native American man who was one of the Native Americans who was forced of out their homes by the Andrew Jackson and into Indian Territory, which later referred to as the Trail of Tears because of all the loss and sickness. Her family also in the present time had their own struggles. They moved to San Francisco in hops of a better life, but fell on hard times. Through it all Wilma was able to attend college at Skyline College and San Francisco University in California. She later went on to attend Flaming Rainbow University in Oklahoma, where she earned her B.A in social sciences. Mankiller was inspired by the actions of many other Native American’s when they brought attention to the mistreatment of Native American’s by the U.S government, by occupying an abandoned prison on Alcatraz Island. In 1976 Wilma returned to Oklahoma permanently, where she had a job in the Cherokee tribal headquarters, and also attended University of Arkansas Fayetteville taking graduate courses. In 193 Mankiller was asked by Ross Swimmer to be his deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Swimmer and Mankiller won the election, later on Swimmer was appointed to be the head to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C. Mankiller was sworn in as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation she was the first woman to serve as chief of the Cherokee Tribe. Her main goals as chief was to put an emphasis on education and health care. In her later years after serving as chief she continued to stress that Native Americans should participate as voters in elections, so that they could vote for candidates that supported the issues facing Native Americans. She also was a supporter of ending the violence against women, that had been increasing over the years. Mankiller was inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame in New York City in 1994. She was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Mankiller passed away on April 6, in 2010 at the age of 61.
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Mankiller-Wilma.html
Sybil Ludington:
Rode to tell the people of Danbury Connecticut that the British were coming
April 1761- February 1839
Sybil was the daughter of Colonel Henry Lundington she was born on April 5, 1761. In Putnam County New York on April 26 177, a messenger came to Sybil’s door with a message for her father the the British were burning down the town of Danbury Connecticut. Someone had to ride through the countryside and tell the men of Colonel Lundington to gather to fight the British. Sybil took on this role and saddled up her horse and rode through the countryside, 40 miles, telling her father’s men to gather at her home for the fight against the British. Young Sybil was successful in her ride because by the time she finished her ride the men all gathered and were ready to fight the British. Sybil died on February 26, 1839.
http://www.smithsoniansource.org/display/lesson/viewdetails.aspx?LessonPlanI
1884-1962
First Lady, Column writer “May Days”, Civil Rights Activist, and Fair Working Conditions Advocate
http://firstladies.c-span.org/Images/VideoStillImgs/EleanorRoosevelt_640x400.jpg
Eleanor was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. She was the daughter of Ann (Hall) and Elliott Roosevelt, and her uncle was Theodore Roosevelt. Both of her parents died and then Eleanor went to live with her grandmother. Her grandmother sent Eleanor to a boarding school in England. While at boarding school Eleanor learned how to step out of her comfort zone and because of her mentor Madame Marie Sovestre, learned how to live as an independent woman. Eleanor first starting making her impact on society when she joined the Junior League of New York. Eleanor’s duties as part of the Junior League was to teach gymnastics and dancing to the immigrants. She was also a member of the Consumer League where she investigated working conditions of garment factories. In 1904 Eleanor and her fifth cousin Franklin Roosevelt are engaged, and they are married on March 17, 1905 in New York. Eleanor and Franklin had six children one of whom died of influenza. Eleanor took a more powerful role next to her husband after he suffered from polio which left him paralyzed. Eleanor took on the role of creating the National Youth Administration. Eleanor also went against the segregation laws, she most famously sat between black and white at a Human Welfare conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Eleanor also fought for fair housing for culturally and linguistically diverse people. She also invested her time in investigating working conditions and the employees rights. In order to reach more Americans Roosevelt wrote a newspaper column titled My Days in which she discussed many issues including civil rights. In her later years she was a states women under President Harry Truman and was head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Eleanor also went on to speak at civil rights workshops and was a supporter of John F Kennedy’s presidential campaign. On November 7, 1962 Eleanor died at the age of 78 of tuberculosis.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/eleanor-biography/
Elaine Chao:
1953-Present
First Asian- Pacific American woman appointed as a member of the Presidents Cabinet
http://www.heritage.org/~/media/Images/People/Staff%20high%20res/Chao_Elaine.ashx?thn=1&w=200&h=300
Elaine was born on March 26 1953 in Taipei, Taiwan. She and her family came to the U.S in 1961, when Chao was just eight years old. Elaine did not know any English at the time, but her father helped her every night with school work to learn to speak English. Chao went on to college at Mount Holyoke College where she earned her B.A in economics. She later attended Harvard Business School where she received her masters. Before she entered the political world she worked at Bank of America and in San Francisco and was an international banker for Citigroup in New York. She joined a White House Fellowship program because she wanted the learn more about the government in America. She was selected as one of twelve to work in the White House and got to see first hand how the federal government was ran. One her fellowship was over she went back to banking and was vice president of syndication for Bank of America. Elaine returned to Washington D.C and was then appointed to be the Deputy of Administrator of the Maritime Administration, and was in charge of waterborne transportation. She was the first woman and the first Asian Pacific American to have this high of position. Her hard work in this position lead her to be appointed, President Ronald Reagan, Chairman of Federal Maritime Commission, in reported everything from this position straight to U.S Congress. From this position she was then seen for her hard work and was appointed by President George H.W Bush as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation. In 2001 George W Bush appointed her as a member of his cabinet. Her role was to the U.S Department of Labor Secretary. Chao was the first Asian- Pacific American woman appointed as a member of the Presidents Cabinet, and she was also severed in the position as U.S Department of Labor Secretary for the longest time since World War II. Chao was also the only person who remained in Bush’s cabinet the whole eight years of her presidency. Chao also brought the United Way out financial problems as the CEO and president from 1996- 2001. After her time as a member of Bush’s cabinet ended in 2009 Chao returned to her home in Kentucky with her husband. She serves as a member of many non-profit groups and is a Fox New Contributor.
http://www.elainelchao.com/biography/
Wilma Mankiller:
First Female Chief of the Cherokee Tribe of Oklahoma
1945- 2010
http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/on-deadline/2010/04/06/Mankillerx-large.jpg
Was born in Talequah, Oklahoma on November 18th, 1945. Mankiller was of Cherokee and Dutch- Irish descent. She was the great-granddaughter of a Native American man who was one of the Native Americans who was forced of out their homes by the Andrew Jackson and into Indian Territory, which later referred to as the Trail of Tears because of all the loss and sickness. Her family also in the present time had their own struggles. They moved to San Francisco in hops of a better life, but fell on hard times. Through it all Wilma was able to attend college at Skyline College and San Francisco University in California. She later went on to attend Flaming Rainbow University in Oklahoma, where she earned her B.A in social sciences. Mankiller was inspired by the actions of many other Native American’s when they brought attention to the mistreatment of Native American’s by the U.S government, by occupying an abandoned prison on Alcatraz Island. In 1976 Wilma returned to Oklahoma permanently, where she had a job in the Cherokee tribal headquarters, and also attended University of Arkansas Fayetteville taking graduate courses. In 193 Mankiller was asked by Ross Swimmer to be his deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Swimmer and Mankiller won the election, later on Swimmer was appointed to be the head to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C. Mankiller was sworn in as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation she was the first woman to serve as chief of the Cherokee Tribe. Her main goals as chief was to put an emphasis on education and health care. In her later years after serving as chief she continued to stress that Native Americans should participate as voters in elections, so that they could vote for candidates that supported the issues facing Native Americans. She also was a supporter of ending the violence against women, that had been increasing over the years. Mankiller was inducted into the Woman’s Hall of Fame in New York City in 1994. She was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Mankiller passed away on April 6, in 2010 at the age of 61.
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Mankiller-Wilma.html
Sybil Ludington:
Rode to tell the people of Danbury Connecticut that the British were coming
April 1761- February 1839
Sybil was the daughter of Colonel Henry Lundington she was born on April 5, 1761. In Putnam County New York on April 26 177, a messenger came to Sybil’s door with a message for her father the the British were burning down the town of Danbury Connecticut. Someone had to ride through the countryside and tell the men of Colonel Lundington to gather to fight the British. Sybil took on this role and saddled up her horse and rode through the countryside, 40 miles, telling her father’s men to gather at her home for the fight against the British. Young Sybil was successful in her ride because by the time she finished her ride the men all gathered and were ready to fight the British. Sybil died on February 26, 1839.
http://www.smithsoniansource.org/display/lesson/viewdetails.aspx?LessonPlanI
Males:
Jackie Robinson:
Was the first African American to play professional baseball
January 31, 1919- October 24, 1972
http://cmgworldwide.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/jackie-robinson1.jpg
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo Georgia. Robinson was the first black player in the major league in 1947. Jackie started his sports career in high school being a four sport athlete playing football, basketball, baseball, and running track. He then went on the college at UCLA and was the first student to earn varsity letters in four sports. Robinson could not afford to attend UCLA and he moved to Honolulu where he played football for the semi-pro team the Honolulu Bears. His football days were cut short when Robinson went to serve in WWII from 1942-1944 as a second lieutenant in the U.S army. He was never in combat because he was arrested for not moving to the back of the segregated bus, but his charges were later dropped and received an honorable discharge. In 1944 Robinson started playing baseball. At this time the baseball leagues were segregated as well and Robinson played in the Negro Leagues. Soon Robinson was chooses to help integrate the majors and he was placed on a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers the Montreal Royals. He went to spring training with the Royals and played for the first time with the Dodgers in 1947. In 1955 Robinson helped his team win the World Series. Robison faced racism head on and did not let it affect his playing. He also stood up to racism which then opened the door to other black baseball players. He was also the first African American to become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He contained to be an advocate for other athletes, and was a supporter of the Civil Right Movement.
http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813
Steve Chen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Chen
Best known for co creating the website Youtube
August 18, 1978- Present
http://img.gv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/steve-chen.jpg?w=310&h=310&sharp=20&dpr=2&q=30&s=9fc6488031a805554966db5e2748455c
Steve Chen Was born in Taipei, Taiwan on August 18 1978. When he was 15 years old his family immigrated to America. He went to college at University of Illinois at Urban Champaign. Chen studied computer science. Chen started working at Paypal where he meet Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. The three men went on to develop and found Youtube in 2005. Chen was the chief technology officer. Later in October of 2006 the three men sold Youtube to Google for 1.65 billion dollars. Asian Scientists magazine named Chen one of the 15 computer scientist to watch in May 2010. Chen currently is married and has one son.
JFK
Best known for being the president at the time of the Civil Rights era and being in support of the Civil Rights Movement ay
May 29th 1917- November 22 1963
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/851200/images/o-JFK-facebook.jpg
John F Kennedy was born in Brookline Massachusetts, on May 29th 1917. Kennedy severed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was the 35th president. As president Kennedy was best known for his support of civil rights. Kennedy sent his own brother and the National Guard to escort James Meredith who was the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. He did the same thing for two student in Alabama and addressed the nation to support a bill for civil rights . This bill was the Civil Rights Act of 1964.This bill gave African Americans full legal equality. After his death Lyndon B Johnson got congress to pass this bill in Kennedy’s honor.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/Life-of-John-F-Kennedy.aspx
Lewis Howard Latimer:
Best known for helping paten the telephone and the light bulb, and as an inventor of his own ideas as well.
September 4 1848- December 11, 1928
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Lewis_latimer.jpg
Lewis Howard Latimer was born on September 4 1848 in Chelsea Massachusetts, his parents had fled slavery. Latimer worked to support his mother by enlisting in the US Navy during the Civil War. After he was discharged from the war he went to work with a patent law office. It was here where he learned to do mechanical drawings. He went from an office boy to a draftsmen because of his talents. He designed things such as a railroad car bathroom and an early air conditioning unit, but where he really helped was part of designing the telephone and the light bulb. He helped Alexander Graham Bell draft the patent for his phone, Since he knew about patents and electrical engineering he was a great partner for Thomas Edison.
http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventors/a/Lewis_Latimer.htm
Was the first African American to play professional baseball
January 31, 1919- October 24, 1972
http://cmgworldwide.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/jackie-robinson1.jpg
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo Georgia. Robinson was the first black player in the major league in 1947. Jackie started his sports career in high school being a four sport athlete playing football, basketball, baseball, and running track. He then went on the college at UCLA and was the first student to earn varsity letters in four sports. Robinson could not afford to attend UCLA and he moved to Honolulu where he played football for the semi-pro team the Honolulu Bears. His football days were cut short when Robinson went to serve in WWII from 1942-1944 as a second lieutenant in the U.S army. He was never in combat because he was arrested for not moving to the back of the segregated bus, but his charges were later dropped and received an honorable discharge. In 1944 Robinson started playing baseball. At this time the baseball leagues were segregated as well and Robinson played in the Negro Leagues. Soon Robinson was chooses to help integrate the majors and he was placed on a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers the Montreal Royals. He went to spring training with the Royals and played for the first time with the Dodgers in 1947. In 1955 Robinson helped his team win the World Series. Robison faced racism head on and did not let it affect his playing. He also stood up to racism which then opened the door to other black baseball players. He was also the first African American to become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He contained to be an advocate for other athletes, and was a supporter of the Civil Right Movement.
http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813
Steve Chen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Chen
Best known for co creating the website Youtube
August 18, 1978- Present
http://img.gv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/steve-chen.jpg?w=310&h=310&sharp=20&dpr=2&q=30&s=9fc6488031a805554966db5e2748455c
Steve Chen Was born in Taipei, Taiwan on August 18 1978. When he was 15 years old his family immigrated to America. He went to college at University of Illinois at Urban Champaign. Chen studied computer science. Chen started working at Paypal where he meet Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. The three men went on to develop and found Youtube in 2005. Chen was the chief technology officer. Later in October of 2006 the three men sold Youtube to Google for 1.65 billion dollars. Asian Scientists magazine named Chen one of the 15 computer scientist to watch in May 2010. Chen currently is married and has one son.
JFK
Best known for being the president at the time of the Civil Rights era and being in support of the Civil Rights Movement ay
May 29th 1917- November 22 1963
http://i.huffpost.com/gen/851200/images/o-JFK-facebook.jpg
John F Kennedy was born in Brookline Massachusetts, on May 29th 1917. Kennedy severed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was the 35th president. As president Kennedy was best known for his support of civil rights. Kennedy sent his own brother and the National Guard to escort James Meredith who was the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. He did the same thing for two student in Alabama and addressed the nation to support a bill for civil rights . This bill was the Civil Rights Act of 1964.This bill gave African Americans full legal equality. After his death Lyndon B Johnson got congress to pass this bill in Kennedy’s honor.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/Life-of-John-F-Kennedy.aspx
Lewis Howard Latimer:
Best known for helping paten the telephone and the light bulb, and as an inventor of his own ideas as well.
September 4 1848- December 11, 1928
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Lewis_latimer.jpg
Lewis Howard Latimer was born on September 4 1848 in Chelsea Massachusetts, his parents had fled slavery. Latimer worked to support his mother by enlisting in the US Navy during the Civil War. After he was discharged from the war he went to work with a patent law office. It was here where he learned to do mechanical drawings. He went from an office boy to a draftsmen because of his talents. He designed things such as a railroad car bathroom and an early air conditioning unit, but where he really helped was part of designing the telephone and the light bulb. He helped Alexander Graham Bell draft the patent for his phone, Since he knew about patents and electrical engineering he was a great partner for Thomas Edison.
http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventors/a/Lewis_Latimer.htm