1st Grade Biographies
Richard Allen (1760-1831) Richard Allen was the founder and first bishop
of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was also one of the first
African-Americans to be freed during the Revolutionary time.
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) Alexander Graham Bell invented the
telephone. He and his partners formed Bell Telephone Company in 1877.
He was also a founder of the National Geographic Society and believed in
trying to learn about aviation, or flying.
Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931) Thomas Edison was one of the greatest
inventors of all time. He received many patents. His inventions include the
telegraph, the phonograph, improvements to the light bulb, and motion
picture equipment. He opened a lab in Menlo Park where he and his
workers made the light bulb which he patented.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Benjamin Franklin was a well-known
printer in Philadelphia. He was also an active leader in the city. He
published Poor Richard's Almanack. It had readings about how to be a
good and polite American. He founded the first library and fire department
in America. Franklin helped write the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution. As an inventor he proved that lightning was a form of
electricity and he also invented bifocal glasses, lightning rods, and the
Franklin stove.
Sam Houston (1793-1863) Sam Houston was a leader for more than 25
years in Texas. He was the commander of the army and served as
president of the Republic of Texas, U.S. senator, and then governor. He
was well-known in America before he came to Texas. He lived several
years in Tennessee and with the Cherokee Indians. Houston led the Texas
army against Santa Anna's Mexican troops. Texas claims Houston was a
hero at the Battle of San Jacinto. He led the troops which defeated the
Mexican army and captured Santa Anna. Houston was the first elected
president of the Republic of Texas. He believed Texas should become part
of the United States.
Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) Francis Scott Key was a lawyer. He is
best remembered as the person who wrote the national anthem of the
United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner". While he was on a British ship
watching the bombing of Fort McHenry, he wrote the poem. This was
during the War of 1812.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) Martin Luther King, Jr., was a
minister. He believed in equal rights for all people. He spoke out for these
rights in non-violent ways. King helped to plan the Montgomery bus
boycott, a plan not to ride buses. He led the March on Washington. This is
where he gave his now famous speech, "I Have a Dream". He was
assassinated, or shot, on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th
President of the United States. He served during the Civil War. He gave
the Gettysburg Address during the Civil War to honor the men who fought
in the war. He was assassinated, or shot, by John Wilkes Booth. His
likeness is one of four presidents carved into the monument at Mount
Rushmore. Presidents' Day, a federal holiday, occurs on the third Monday
in February, near his birthday, February 12.
Garrett Morgan (1877-1963) Garrett Morgan was an African-American
inventor and businessman. He was the first person to patent a traffic
signal. He also made the gas mask. Morgan used his gas mask to rescue
miners who were trapped in an underground mine. Morgan was asked to
produce gas masks for the U.S. Army.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a young girl, she was quiet and shy.
When President Roosevelt became ill with polio, Eleanor overcame her
shyness and began to help her husband. She helped African-American
men and women as well as the working-class whites. She supported the
works of Jane Addams and promoted the political careers of women. She
was considered by many to be on of the most important American women
of the 20th century. She was appointed as a delegate to the United
Nations and also chaired the Human Rights Commission.
George Washington (1732-1799) George Washington was considered a
military leader and hero. He was elected as the first President of the United
States and served two terms. Before he was president, he lived in Virginia
and was a surveyor, a planter, and the commander-in-chief of the
Continental Army during the American Revolution. His plantation, a large
farm, was Mount Vernon. He is known as the "Father of Our Country." His
likeness is one of four presidents carved into the monument at Mount
Rushmore. Presidents' Day, a national holiday, occurs on the third Monday
in February, near February 22, his birthday.