What Is Black History Month?
Black Scientists and Educators and Further Reading
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Scientists and Educators
Booker T. Washington 1856-1915 Educator
Born to a slave and a white owner, Washington learned to read after the Civil War ended and slaves were freed. He became the first principal of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he built the school from 30 students in a shed to a world famous center for agricultural research.
George Washington Carver 1860-1943 Researcher
Born a slave in Missouri, Carver stayed on the plantation after slavery ended and became educated. He was the first black student at Simpson College in Iowa, where he studied agriculture. He developed more than 300 products from peanut such as plastics, soap, ink and milk. He taught farmers how to rotate crops and earn money from simple, hardy crops such as sweet potatoes and peanuts. For more information, visit our profile of black inventors.
Further Reading
For information about these and other influential black Americans, visit our stories Quick Facts About 10 Black Historical Figures and Who Is Barack Obama?
- Extraordinary African Americans from Colonial to Contemporary Times, Susan Altman, Children's Press, 2001
- Will Smith, Paul Joseph, ABDO Publishing Company, 1999
- I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholastic Books, 1997
- Meet Malcolm X, Melody S. Mis., PowerKids Press, 2008
- African American Teachers, Clinton Cox, Jim Haskins eds., John Wiley and Sons, 2000
- Portraits of African-American Heroes, Tonya Bolden, Dutton Children's Books, 2003
- Book of Firsts: Leaders of America, Richard Rennert, ed., Chelsea House, 1994
For more information on Black History Month, visit these sites:
