BRITANNICA EDUCATION TEACHER CENTER

TEACHER CENTER

Celebrate Black History

This February, join us in honoring the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Use this specially curated collection of impactful learning materials to help your students recognize and reflect on Black Americans’ rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities throughout history and into the modern era.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

African American Heroes

Black History Month is an opportunity to highlight the lives of African American leaders, thinkers, and innovators in U.S. history. Explore their remarkable stories and achievements with our Biographies features, and investigate the social and historical context surrounding their lives and the valuable impact their accomplishments continue to have today.

Information sourced from Britannica School. Not a subscriber? Contact us to learn more.

Shirley
Chisholm

(1924–2005). The first Black woman ever elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm served her native district of Brooklyn, New York, in the House of Representatives from 1969 until 1982.

George
Washington Carver

(1864?–1943). American agricultural chemist George Washington Carver helped to modernize the agricultural economy of the South and helped liberate the South from its dependency on cotton.

Bessie
Coleman

(1892–1926). U.S. aviator Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman—as well as the first woman of Native American descent—to earn a license to fly an airplane.

Katherine
Johnson

(1918–2020). During her long career working for the U.S. space program, American mathematician Katherine Johnson calculated and analyzed the flight paths of many spacecraft.

Booker T.
Washington

(1856–1915). American educator Booker T. Washington was the first president of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. His mission was to provide practical training for African Americans.

Ida B.
Wells-Barnett

(1862–1931). African American journalist and civil rights advocate Ida B. Wells-Barnett led an antilynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s by using newspapers and lectures.

Katherine
Johnson

(1918–2020). During her long career working for the U.S. space program, American mathematician Katherine Johnson calculated and analyzed the flight paths of many spacecraft.

Barack
Obama

(Born 1961), 44th president of the United States (2009–17) and the first African American to hold the office. Before winning the presidency, Obama represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate (2005–08).

Ida B.
Wells-Barnett

(1862–1931). African American journalist and civil rights advocate Ida B. Wells-Barnett led an antilynching crusade in the United States in the 1890s by using newspapers and lectures.

Mae
Jemison

(Born 1956). Trained as a physician and engineer, Mae Jemison was the first African American woman to become an astronaut. In 1992 she spent eight days orbiting Earth.

George
Washington Carver

(1864?–1943). American agricultural chemist George Washington Carver helped to modernize the agricultural economy of the South and helped liberate the South from its dependency on cotton.

Colin
Powell

(1937–2021). Colin Powell was a U.S. general and a statesman. He served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as secretary of state, the first African American to hold either position.

Row 1: Katherine Johnson, NASA; Barack Obama, Pete Souza/The White House; Ida B. Wells-Barnett, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Row 2: Mae Jemison, NASA; George Washington Carver, Johnston (Frances Benjamin) Collection/Library of Congress, Washington D.C. (LC-J601-302); Colin Powell, © Smontgom65/Dreamstime

Black History Month Activities

ACTIVITY 1

Quiz: What Do you Know about Rosa Parks?

With the simple act of refusing to give up her seat on a bus, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, sparked a nationwide movement that would change the course of history. So, let's see what your students know about her incredible story. Test their knowledge now!

ACTIVITY 1

Quiz: What Do you Know about Rosa Parks?

Subjects: African American History Month, Social Studies - History, U.S. History Grades 5 - 8th

ACTIVITY 2

Interactive Lesson: Civil Rights Movement

In this interactive lesson, students will learn about the historical background of the Civil Rights Movement in America and several brave individuals and groups who stood up against racial segregation during the 1950s and 1960s.

Information sourced from Expedition: Learn!. Not a subscriber? Contact us to learn more.

Through media, text, and images, discuss the following questions:

Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and why do we celebrate him today?

How did he help pave the way for African American civil rights?

Did their protests bring about change?

What was the March on Washington?

What are some of the most famous words Dr. King spoke that helped inspire people to push for a more equal society?

Play Video

Through media, text, and images, discuss the following questions: How did civil rights leaders and activists work to end segregation? What were they protesting? And did their protests bring about change?

Information sourced from Expedition: Learn!. Not a subscriber? Contact us to learn more.

ACTIVITY 3

African American Basketball Superstars

LeBron James has now scored more points than any National Basketball Association player in history. He passed fellow Los Angeles Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career 38,387 points during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 7, 2023. So, what do the top 2 scorers have—and don’t have—in common?

Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar

LeBron
James

Have students use this tool to help them organize their thinking! Discuss similarities and differences between the two basketball greats using the compare and contrast methodology—early life, championships won, honors and awards obtained, and other data put side by side.

MLK Timeline

Black History at a Glance

Get a glimpse into some of the most notable events, movements, and figures, from slavery to the Emancipation Proclamation and the civil rights movement to the commemoration of Black History Month, with these Britannica School articles.

Information sourced from Britannica School. Not a subscriber? Contact us to learn more.

African American History Month

The idea for an African American History Month was first conceived by the historian Carter G. Woodson and members of his Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). Together they organized a Negro History Week, beginning in February 1926. They selected the month of February for this celebration because it was close to the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln, who had been responsible for the Emancipation Proclamation, and the African American orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

African American History at a Glance

The story of African Americans in the United States is one of both limitless suffering and soaring hope. Two and a half centuries of slavery and segregation prevented Black people from exercising the rights of citizenship taken for granted by white Americans. Nevertheless, African Americans persevered. They built universities and achieved heights in all spheres of activity, from arts and entertainment to aviation and science.

Carla Cioffi/NASA

Pete Souza—Official White House Photo

MLK Timeline

Modern History Makers

From politicians to astronauts, these modern-day heroes have already made their mark on history. Easily explore curated collections of Britannica School articles and multimedia featuring the following and many more.

Information sourced from Britannica School. Not a subscriber? Contact us to learn more.

Lebron James

Professional Basketball Player

Zendaya

Actor, Singer, and Dancer

Eddie Murphy

Comedian, Actor, and Singer

Serena Williams

Professional Tennis Player

Jay-Z

Rapper and Entrepreneur

Michelle Obama

First Lady, Attorney, and Author

Lebon James, © Dgareri/Dreamstime.com. Zendaya; Noam Galai/Getty Images Entertainment. Chris Jackson/Getty Images. Eddie Murphy; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images. Serena Williams; Scott Barbour/Getty Images. Jay-Z; PRNewsFoto/VH1/AP Images. Michelle Obama, Joyce N. Boghosian/The White House.

Barack Obama; Pete Souza—Official White House Photo. Serena Williams; Scott Barbour/Getty Images. Jay-Z; PRNewsFoto/VH1/AP Images. Mae Jemison; NASA.

In Your Community

trailblazers

Explore More

Information sourced from Britannica School. Not a subscriber? Contact us to learn more.

Carter G. Woodson; Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Great Migration; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Segregation; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Jim Crow Laws; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. March on Washington; Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Underground Railroad; Photos.com/Getty Images. Negro League Baseball; UPI/Bettmann Archive. Martin Luther King, Jr.; National Archives, Washington, D.C.