Amazing AmericansAmazing Americans1870-19701870-1970

By Anne Brewer5th Grade Teacher

Berry Shoals Intermediate School2004

WHO’S YOUR HERO?

The world changed more dramatically during the 100

years between 1870 and 1970 than in all of history, nowhere more than in the

United States.

Innovations in technology took us from the horse-drawn carriage to

spacecraft traveling faster than sound, and men walking on the moon.

It took us from houses lit by candlelight and oil lamps

to towering cities flooded with electric light.

Forward thinking activists and reformers carried their messages to the people, bringing unprecedented civil rights and opportunities to

women, minorities and the poor.

Once people sent handwritten mail by rail and horseback. Now we

communicate with the telephone, radio, televisions, and computers that can

transmit live sound and pictures around the globe within seconds.

Heroic Americans led American troops to victory

in wars armed with weapons that changed from single shot black powder muskets to the

atomic bomb.

In the arts, music, and literature, creative genius flourished.

Meet some of the amazing Americans who have made incredible contributions to modern life and culture.

Mark TwainMark Twain

A writer and humorist from the 19th century, Mark Twain piloted a riverboat on the Mississippi River,

and wrote one of the greatest American novels:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

John MuirJohn MuirJohn Muir was a naturalist and America’s first

conservationist.

He founded the Sierra Club, and

convinced President Theodore Roosevelt

to create the National Parks

System.

Booker T. WashingtonBooker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was one of the most politically

powerful African Americans in America from 1895 to 1915.

He founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in

1881, still considered to be the finest university for African Americans in

the United States.

Susan B. AnthonySusan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony believed women deserved to have

equal rights with men. She campaigned for the 19th amendment which gave American women

the right to vote.

Amelia Amelia EarhartEarhart

Amelia Earhart was first woman to pilot a

plane across the Atlantic Ocean. She

inspired generations of young women to follow their dreams.

General John J. Pershing

General Pershing commanded the

American Expeditionary Force in Europe during

World War I.

After the war he was promoted to General of the

Armies, a position previously held only by

George Washington.

Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt

He was the 26th President and helped establish the U.S. as a world power.

Theodore Roosevelt commanded the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War.

The Teddy Bear is named for Roosevelt because of his work to preserve the

American Wilderness.

Elizabeth Cady StantonElizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the first leaders of the women’s rights movement.

She believed women had the right to a good education and helped Susan B. Anthony form

the National Women’s Suffrage Association in 1869 and worked to secure women's right to vote.

Duke EllingtonDuke Ellington

Band leader Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington

was a musical genius. He composed over one

thousand works, and performed all over

the world with his band.

Langston HugheLangston Hughess

Langston Hughes was an important writer of the

Harlem Renaissance, the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life

and culture. He had a strong

sense of racial pride. His literary works helped

shape American literature and politics.

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell not only invented the

telephone, he invented the PHOTOPHONE,

which he believed was more important.

This technology led to the way computers

send information over the Internet today.

Henry FordHenry Ford

Henry Ford invented the automobile and the internal combustion

engine. People first called the car a “horseless

carriage.” His dream was to make an affordable car that everyone would want.

Dorothea LangeDorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange was best known for her

amazing photographs documenting the poor

conditions of the migrant workers who

traveled in large numbers to California

during the Great Depression of the late

1920s and 1930s.

Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most original American architects of the 20th century. His

buildings and ideas have affected the way offices and homes are designed

and organized today.

Andrew CarnegieAndrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie was a poor boy

from Scotland who became a powerful businessman and

a leading force in the American steel industry.

Today, he is remembered as an industrialist, millionaire, and

philanthropist. Carnegie believed that the

wealthy had an obligation to give back to society, so he donated much of his fortune to causes

like education and peace.

On December 17, 1903, on the beach at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright

became the first to demonstrate sustained flight of a heavier-than-air machine

under the complete control of the pilot.

The Wright BrothersThe Wright Brothers

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in the big woods of

Wisconsin. Her family traveled by covered wagon to the prairies of Minnesota,

following the Homestead Act of 1862. Laura’s

daughter Rose encouraged her to write her famous

LITTLE HOUSE books when she was 65 years old.

Thomas EdisonThomas Edison

Thomas Edison was one of the greatest

inventors in history. The light-bulb,

phonograph and motion-picture projector were only a few of his

more than 1,000 inventions.

Buffalo Bill CodyBuffalo Bill Cody

Bill Cody was a buffalo hunter, U.S. army scout,

and an Indian fighter, but he is best known as the man who gave us the myth of the Wild West. His Wild West show was famous all

over the world.

Santa ClausSanta Claus

Santa is the hero who goes all around the world on Christmas Eve giving toys to good children. He

hasn’t always been as he is now. He began as a kindly old man

named Nicholas.

Jesse OwensJesse Owens

Jesse Owens grew up to be a famous track star. He participated in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi

Germany, and proved that black athletes were just as good as white athletes. He broke 3 world records and won 4 Gold Medals.

HoudiniHoudini

Harry Houdini was a master of illusion. Houdini earned an

international reputation as an escape artist who

dramatically freed himself from ropes, shackles, and

handcuffs. He performed on the stage and in early motion

pictures.

Jane AddamsJane Addams

Hull House, founded by Jane Addams, was the first

community center to provide aid to poor working-class

families in Chicago. Her commitment to improving the lives of those around her

led to her work for social reform and world peace.

Helen KellerHelen KellerHelen Keller became blind

and deaf before she was two years old. She became the

first blind-deaf person to effectively communicate with sighted and hearing people.

Helen graduated from

college, wrote several books, and became an advocate

for the handicapped all over the world.

P. T. BarnumP. T. BarnumP. T. Barnum was a natural showman. He understood what

people wanted to see. He and his partner

developed the three ringBARNUM and BAILEY CIRCUS that is still

world-famous today.He said, “There’s a sucker

born every minute.”

Mary McLeod BethuneMary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune was the daughter of slaves.

She understood the importance of education, and started a school for black girls in Daytona Florida with almost no

money. Her school succeeded, and today it is part of a great university.

Wilma RudolfWilma Rudolf

When she was little, Wilma Rudolf had a terrible disease called polio that left her legs crippled. She worked very hard to get back the use of her legs. She became the

fastest woman runner in the world, and went on to win four gold medals in the

1960 Olympics.

John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy was a Navy hero in WWII. As the 35th US president, he fought for government programs to help the poor and the elderly. He passed the Civil Rights Act that

guaranteed equality for everyone under the law. He started the

Peace Corps to help poor people around the world. He also started the Apollo Space Program, which

eventually sent people to the moon.

John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963.

Bob FosseBob Fosse

The man credited with creating modern jazz dance as we know it--the smooth and rhythmic style most

often seen in musical theater--is Bob Fosse. Today

he is considered one of America's greatest choreographers.

Jackie Robinson

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first black man

to play professional baseball. Reaction was

mixed at first, but he was a great athlete.

He became a legend, and was elected to the

National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Walt DisneyWalt Disney

Walt Disney was a great cartoonist. He created the first cartoon with sound,

called “Steamboat Willie,” starring a little mouse we

now call MICKEY. Disney created many feature length films,

Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Neil Armstrong

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot

on the moon.

Leonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a musical pioneer.

He traveled the world as a conductor encouraging

appreciation of American music and composers. He composed a famous

Broadway musical called West Side Story.

Dwight David EisenhowerDwight David Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower was a military leader, an author,

president of Columbia University, and President of

the United States. He was the Allied Supreme Commander in Europe during World War II,

directed allied troops in North Africa and Italy, and

coordinated the unforgettableD-Day invasion of France.

Rosa ParksRosa ParksIn 1955 Rosa Parks was

arrested for disobeying an Alabama law requiring

black passengers to give up seats to white

passengers. Her arrest sparked a 381-day boycott

of the Montgomery bus system and led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation.

Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed the best way Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed the best way

to bring social change was by peaceful to bring social change was by peaceful demonstration, acting with love and calm. King demonstration, acting with love and calm. King

became America’s most compelling and effective became America’s most compelling and effective civil rights leader. He worked for political and social civil rights leader. He worked for political and social

equality for people of all races.equality for people of all races.

Images courtesy of the Library of Congress