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 Adobe Acrobat version of a few sample articles from this set.  Acrobat descriptive flier about this title.  For more information about the other Great Lives from History sets, simply click here. |
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Great Lives from History: African Americans Great Lives from History: African Americans covers more than 770 people from colonial times through the present, offering fascinating perspectives on black American history. Great Lives from History: African Americans features 800 essays covering people from the eighteenth century through the early twenty-first century. The majority of the individuals included in this set have never been covered in this series before. Many individuals are household names, famous for their work in such fields as entertainment, sports, civil rights, politics, and literature. Others have received less attention but made important contributions in such fields as education, journalism, business, and science. All essays in this set have been specially commissioned. Their subjects are African Americans who have undertaken a wide range of endeavors from late colonial times into the twenty-first century. The criteria for including these people take into account their significance in history or modern culture, their representation of a wide range of fields and periods, their relevance to school curricula, and their interest to high school, undergraduate, and general readers. Each essay is approximately 2 to 4 pages in length and displays ready-reference top matter, which offers easy access to biographical information, including the individual's name (with any other versions or alternate spellings), the field of work the individual is most associated with, and dates of birth and death. Also included is a brief synopsis explaining the individual's historical or social importance. The body of the essay is divided into several sections: "Early Life" provides facts about the individual's upbringing and the environment in which he or she was reared. "Life's Work" is a straightforward, generally chronological account of how the individual gained recognition in his or her chosen field, emphasizing the most significant achievements in the figure's life and career. "Significance" provides an overview of the importance of the individual's accomplishments, and discusses why it is important to study this individual. All essays conclude with notes for further research and cross-references to other essays in the set. An alphabetically complete list of contents can be found in the front matter of every volume, as well as a pronunciation key. A multitude of sidebars provide key information on notable achievements, career highlights, and important causes. Appendixes include a Chronological List of Entries, a comprehensive Bibliography, a list of Research Centers and Libraries, and a list of Literary Works that explore the African American experience. Geographical, Personage, and Subject Indexes round out this fascinating five-volume set. A few of the many significant biographies are listed below. For a full list by clicking Table of Contents. Hank Aaron — Baseball player Alvin Ailey — Dancer Muhammad Ali — Boxing champion Marian Anderson — Classical music singer Louis Armstrong — Jazz musician Arthur Ashe — Tennis player Crispus Attucks — Revolutionary War hero James Beckwourth — Explorer Guion Bluford — First African American astronaut Blanche Kelso Bruce — Reconstruction era senator Ralph J. Bunche — Nobel Prize-winning diplomat George Washington Carver — Scientist Shirley Chisholm — Congresswoman Nat "King" Cole — Jazz musician Honi Coles and Cholly Atkins — Tap dancing team Bill Cosby — Actor Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. — First black Army general Miles Davis — Jazz musician Sammy Davis, Jr. — Singer, danger, actor Frederick Douglass — Escaped slave and abolitionist Charles R. Drew — Surgeon and blood researcher W. E. B. Du Bois — Scholar Ralph Ellison — Novelist Father Divine — Spiritual leader Ella Fitzgerald — Jazz singer Aretha Franklin — R&B singer Henry Louis Gates, Jr. — Professor and literary critic Berry Gordy, Jr. — Record producer Matthew Henson — Polar explorer Billie Holiday — Jazz singer Langston Hughes — Poet Jesse Jackson — Civil rights leader and minister Mahalia Jackson — Gospel singer Jack Johnson — Boxing champion Magic Johnson — Basketball player Scott Joplin — Ragtime composer and pianist Michael Jordan — Basketball player Martin Luther King, Jr. — Civil rights leader Beyoncé Knowles — R&B singer, songwriter, actor Malcolm X — Activist and black nationalist Thurgood Marshall — Supreme Court Justice Willie Mays — Baseball player Thelonious Monk — Jazz musician Toni Morrison — Novelist Eddie Murphy — Actor Barack Obama — President of the United States Jesse Owens — Track and field athlete |
5 Volumes
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