American Academy of Achievement
Academy of Achievement: General Colin L. Powell, Usa
Biography on the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell who rose through the ranks to become military general before becoming the first African-American to reach the high rank of Secretary of State, appointed by George W. Bush.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Biographical profile of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the first African American woman to publish a short story and also an influential abolitionist, suffragist, and reformer.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Mae Jemison
Astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Hazel Scott
Jazz pianist and singer Hazel Scott was not only the first African-American woman to host her own television show, but she also bravely stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Hollywood studio machine.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Harriet Tubman
Learn about Harriet Tubman, the first African American woman to serve in the military who escaped enslavement and helped others reach freedom During the Civil War.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Shirley Chisholm
Read about the life of Shirley Chisholm who in 1968 became the first African American woman to serve in Congress.
New York Times
New York Times: A Diverse First Family
Investigate Barack Obama's family tree to discover his family's diverse multicultural roots.
PBS
Pbs: Barbara Jordan: "The First and Only"
This is a transcript of a tribute to Barbara Jordan on PBS' Newshour. It features quotes from Jordan, followed by comments about her by Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Molly Ivins.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Barack Obama
Biography of President Barack Obama, the first African American to hold that office.
Energy for Sustainable Development
Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Pioneers: Edward Alexander Bouchet
A profile of Edward Alexander Bouchet (1852-1918), the first African American to graduate from Yale in 1874, and the first to earn a doctorate from an American university when he earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1876.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Guion S. Bluford, Jr.
Brief biographical sketch of the life and career of the first African American launched into space.
Library of Congress
Loc: Biographical Directory of the u.s. Congress: Blanche K. Bruce
A biography on Blanche K. Bruce, the first African-American to serve a full term in the United States Senate.
University at Buffalo
Black Women in Mathematics: Evelyn Granville
A biography of Evelyn Granville, one of the first African American women to receive a Ph.D. in Mathematics.
University at Buffalo
Black Women in Mathematics: Euphemia Lofton Haynes
A thorough biography of Euphemia Lofton Haynes, an educator who became the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics.
University of Nebraska
Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes
A concise outline of the accomplishments of Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes, the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Mathematics.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Wilma Rudolph
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 2004 to commemorate Wilma Rudolph, the first African American woman to win three gold medals for track and field in a single Olympics. With a short biographical passage.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Harriet E. Wilson
Biographical details on Harriet Wilson, one of the first African-Americans to publish a novel in English in the United States.
Veterans Affairs Canada
Veterans Affairs Canada: Heroes Remember Interview
Search this data base and view interviews with veterans who recount their experiences in the First, Second, South African and Korean Wars. The data base may be searched by war, geographic location, campaign, branch, unit or occupation....
Authors Calendar
Author's Calendar: Wole Soyinka
A complete biography of Nigerian writer, Wole Soyinka, with a list of his works. He was the first black, African Nobel prize winner and has written a variety of literature from plays to poems.
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Petition Signed by Thomas A. Edison
What a surprise to read about the several controversies engendered by the request that the Columbian Exposition be open on Sundays. This lesson plan examines the background of the main controversy and its relation to the First Amendment....
ESPN Internet Ventures
Espn: Althea Gibson Broke Barriers
Gibson was a woman of many firsts. She was the first black to compete at a national tennis tournament and then later at Wimbledon. She was the first black to win either and also won the French championship. This article discusses her...
Other
Augustine.com: Black History in St. Augustine: Fort Mose
The first sanctioned free black town was Fort Mose located near what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Learn about its rich historical background as a slave sanctuary and battleground.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: From Courage to Freedom:frederick Douglass's 1845 Autobiography
In this 3-lesson unit, students will read Douglass's narrative. They will analyze Douglass's vivid first-hand accounts of the lives of slaves and the behavior of slave owners to see how he successfully contrasts reality with romanticism...
Brigham Young University
Byu: Scott's Official History: Record of the Old Fifteenth
Information on the 369th United States infantry who were the first black men to fight in France. Includes details on training the regiment and guarding German prisoners, and also a letter from Colonel Hayward. From "The American Negro in...