Read About Historical Figures Chapter Notes | Social Studies for Grade 2 PDF Download

Introduction

Learning about historical figures helps us understand the people who made a big difference in our world. These men and women worked hard, showed courage, and helped make life better for others. In this chapter, we will read about important people from the United States who did amazing things. Each person has a special story that teaches us about bravery, kindness, and hard work.

American Heroes Who Made a Difference

George Washington

George Washington was the first President of the United States.

• He was born on February 22, 1732, in Virginia.
• He was a leader in the American Revolutionary War, helping America become free from British rule.
• He led the Continental Army to win important battles.
• Washington was known for being honest and fair.
• He helped create the U.S. Constitution, which is the plan for how our country works.
• He served as President from 1789 to 1797, for two terms.
• People called him the "Father of His Country" because he helped start the United States.
• Washington lived on a farm called Mount Vernon.
• He died in 1799, but we still honor him with monuments and holidays.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Kentucky.

• He taught himself to read and became a lawyer.
• Lincoln led the country during the Civil War, a fight between the North and South.
• He worked to keep the United States together as one country.
• He signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which helped free enslaved people.
• Lincoln believed all people should be treated equally.
• He gave a famous speech called the Gettysburg Address.
• He was President from 1861 until 1865, when he was sadly killed.
• We remember Lincoln for his honesty and kindness.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was a brave woman who helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

• She was born around 1820 in Maryland and was enslaved herself.
• She escaped slavery in 1849 and went to the North, where she was free.
• Tubman went back to the South many times to help others escape.
• She led people on a secret path called the Underground Railroad.
• The Underground Railroad was not a real train but a way to help people get to safety.
• She helped about 70 people escape to freedom.
• During the Civil War, she worked as a nurse and a spy for the North.
• Tubman was called "Moses" because she led people to freedom, like the Bible story.
• She died in 1913, and we honor her for her courage.

Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony worked to give women the right to vote.

• She was born on February 15, 1820, in Massachusetts.
• She believed women should have the same rights as men.
• In the 1800s, women could not vote, but Anthony wanted to change that.
• She gave speeches and organized meetings to fight for women’s rights.
• She worked with her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton to make changes.
• Anthony was arrested in 1872 for voting because it was against the law for women.
• She kept working until women got the right to vote in 1920.
• Anthony died in 1906, but her work helped women today.
• We honor her with a coin that has her picture on it.

Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull was a Native American leader of the Lakota Sioux people.

• He was born around 1831 in what is now South Dakota.
• He was a brave warrior and a wise leader for his people.
• Sitting Bull wanted to protect his people’s land and way of life.
• He led his people in the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, where they won against the U.S. Army.
• He believed in keeping Native American traditions and culture.
• Sitting Bull traveled with a show called Buffalo Bill’s Wild West to teach others about his people.
• He always spoke up for Native American rights.
• He was killed in 1890 during a conflict with soldiers.
• We remember Sitting Bull for his strength and leadership.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was an inventor who made many things we use today.

• He was born on February 11, 1847, in Ohio.
• Edison invented the light bulb that made homes brighter.
• He also created the phonograph, which played music and sounds.
• He worked on the motion picture camera, which helped make movies.
• Edison had a big workshop where he and his team made new inventions.
• He had over 1,000 patents, which are papers for new ideas.
• He worked hard and never gave up, even when things didn’t work at first.
• Edison died in 1931, but his inventions changed the world.
• We call him the "Wizard of Menlo Park" because of his amazing ideas.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was a scientist who helped farmers.

• He was born around 1864 in Missouri and was enslaved as a baby.
• He worked hard to go to school and learn about plants.
• Carver taught farmers to grow peanuts and sweet potatoes to keep the soil healthy.
• He found over 300 ways to use peanuts, like making oil and butter.
• He worked at Tuskegee Institute, a school in Alabama.
• Carver wanted to help poor farmers have better lives.
• He was kind and shared his knowledge with everyone.
• He died in 1943, and we honor him for helping farmers and science.
• Carver is remembered as a great teacher and scientist.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart was a brave pilot who flew airplanes.

• She was born on July 24, 1897, in Kansas.
• Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
• She loved adventure and wanted to show women could do big things.
• She set many records for flying long distances.
• Earhart wrote books about her adventures to inspire others.
• In 1937, she tried to fly around the world but disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
• People searched for her, but her plane was never found.
• We remember Earhart for her courage and love of flying.
• She showed girls they can follow their dreams.

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer and judge who fought for equal rights.

• He was born on July 2, 1908, in Maryland.
• Marshall worked to make sure all people were treated fairly, no matter their skin color.
• He won a big court case called Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
• This case said schools could not separate children by race.
• Marshall became the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967.
• The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.
• He worked on the Supreme Court until 1991, making fair decisions.
• Marshall died in 1993, and we honor him for his work for justice.
• He showed that laws can help make life fair for everyone.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was a woman who helped start the Civil Rights Movement.

• She was born on February 4, 1913, in Alabama.
• In 1955, she refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama.
• At that time, laws said Black people had to sit in the back of buses.
• Her brave action led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, where people stopped using buses.
• The boycott helped change unfair laws about buses.
• Parks worked with Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for equal rights.
• She moved to Detroit and kept working for fairness.
• Parks died in 2005, and we call her the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement."
• We honor her for standing up for what was right.

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball.

• He was born on January 31, 1919, in Georgia.
• In 1947, he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in baseball.
• Before that, Black players were not allowed in Major League Baseball.
• Robinson faced unfair treatment but stayed strong and played well.
• He was a great athlete and played other sports like football and basketball in college.
• He won awards for being an excellent baseball player.
• Robinson helped show that all people should have a chance to play sports.
• He died in 1972, and his number 42 is honored in baseball.
• We remember him for his courage and talent.

Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez was a leader who helped farm workers get better treatment.

• He was born on March 31, 1927, in Arizona.
• Chavez grew up in a family of farm workers and knew their struggles.
• He started a group called the United Farm Workers to help workers.
• He led marches and boycotts to ask for fair pay and safe work for farmers.
• Chavez believed in peaceful ways to make changes, like not eating to protest.
• He worked with people of all backgrounds to make life better for workers.
• His work helped farmers get better wages and working conditions.
• Chavez died in 1993, and we honor him with a holiday in some states.
•  We remember him for helping workers and teaching fairness.