Teacher Quick Picks - African American Inventors
African American Inventors
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Books
Primary
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Benjamin Banneker, Eric Braun
The achievements of Benjamin Banneker, a free educated black man who lived in the late 18th century, are presented for young readers with simple text and a helpful timeline that crosses the bottom of each page. From the Pebble First Biographies series, which also includes a biography of George Washington Carver.
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Five Notable Inventors, Wade Hudson, illus. by Ron Garnett
Short, easy reader biographies of Jan Ernst Matzeliger, Elijah McCoy, Granville T. Woods, Madam C.J. Walker, and Garrett A. Morgan.
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George Washington Carver, Jo S. Kittinger
Born a slave shortly before Emancipation, Carver grew up to go to college, become a scientist, and invent 300 things people could make with peanuts! Period photographs and a glossary word hunt enliven this biography.
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Madam C.J. Walker, Catherine Nichols
An easy and visually appealing biography for the early elementary grades of the woman who built a beauty product empire in the late 1800s.
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Middle Grades
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African-American Inventors, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack
Rather than focusing solely on specific inventors, this book delves into the history of African-American invention from slave days to contemporary times. An explanation of the history of patents and patent law is included, and there are chapters on railroad and automotive inventions.
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The Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor, Wendy Towle, illus. by Wil Clay
Elijah McCoy, educated as an engineer, could only find work on the railroad in post-Civil War America. He invented an automatic oil cup to make his job easier that was so well-designed it may have been the source of the expression, “the real McCoy.”
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Scientists, Healers, and Inventors, Wade Hudson
This “book of black heroes” contains single-page biographies of many African Americans who have made significant advances in the fields of science and medicine and invention.
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Links to Internet Web Sites
Black History Inventors – Black History Month
An alphabetical listing of African-American inventors and their inventions. Links are included to more in-depth information where available.
The Black Inventor Online Museum
This easy-to-use website has profiles of over 60 African-American inventors and a linked timeline of inventions.
Black Studies: Profiles of Great African Americans You Should Know
The profiles include inventors Benjamin Banneker, Jan Ernst Matzeliger, and Granville T. Woods.
Black Scientists and Inventors
An article about inventors written for kids, plus a list of short biographies of notable African-American inventors.
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