I wrote this U.S. History be to celebrate Black History Month in February and a second U.S. History Bee to celebrate Women's History Month in March. I liked how focusing on a theme and group of people can be a frame studying all of U.S. History and even world history. I watched the National Geographic Geography Bee and organized a few of them at my junior high. I liked the suspense and also liked that the questions could teach audience and the contestants.
A United States
for Black History Month
for
questions, comments or ordering information please write to:
Barbara
Carlson
written
by Barbara Carlson
Teacher
Consultant
Copyright
Ó1996, Barbara Carlson. All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Description
and Objectives..........................................page 4
Information
for the
organizer...........................page 4
for the
librarian.............................page 5
for the typist.................................page
6
for the
reader...............................page 13
for the
scorekeeper......................page 13
for the
participants.......................page 13
Bee
questions & answers..................page
14
Description and Objectives
The
objectives of this United States History Bee for Black History Month are:
1. to encourage students to be
knowledgeable of United States History and African American History. Several students are chosen from each history
class to participate in a school wide Bee.
The Bee questions test a student’s knowledge of American History and not
knowledge of trivia. The majority of
questions are chronological and build on knowledge gained from previous
questions.
2. to make all students aware that February
is Black History Month. Each day the students will hear in the school’s daily
bulletin two names of famous African Americans and their short biographies.
3. to set up a display of African American
related history books, magazines, videos, software and other resources in the
student and city library and local bookstores for students and other members of
the community to study.
To the organizer
1. PICK A DATE AND TIME
Decide
early in the month of February when the Bee will be held. During lunch or after school on a shorter day
are good times. The Bee takes about one
hour to complete. Distribute Bee
information to the librarian and to the typist and work with them to complete
their tasks.
2. SELECT PARTICIPANTS
Announce
to teachers that by the end of the month they are to choose one or two students
from their history classes to
participate in the Bee. Teachers can
choose interested students or give students a short qualifying test. Collect all the names of the participants
before the day of the Bee.
3. ORGANIZE PARTICIPANTS It is best to limit the number of
participants to 30. Larger groups should
split into groups of 30 and compete in different rooms. One 6th grade teacher has her entire class
participate and then the winners from each class compete in the final
rounds. On the day of the Bee, assign
each student a chair number (1-30). Have
the students arrange chairs in a semi-circle facing you and then have them sit
in their assigned chair. The scorekeeper
keeps track of correct and incorrect answers.
If a student answers two questions incorrectly he or she must leave
their place in the semi-circle after the end of the round and join the
audience. Hopefully, the students can
answer the Round 1 question and will not have to leave their place in the
circle until Round 4. However, if you think the Round 1 questions are too
difficult, you may decide to make Round 1 a practice round.
4. PUBLICIZE WINNERS Announce participants and
winners to all students, parents and the community. Invite the local newspaper to watch and take
photgraphs. Congratulate the top three
winners with certificates, prizes and/or their photo in the yearbook. Award all participants with certificates or a
small food prize.
To the librarian
Create
a display in your library by gathering together all the materials you have
relating to Black History month. At one
school, teachers collected recordings of Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, etc. to play over the school’s public address
system for a few minutes during the homeroom class period. Most students at my school recognized Alex
Haley’s books Roots and The Autobiography of Malcolm X , Booker
T. Washington’s Up from Slavery
and DuBois’ Souls of Black Folk so I included these and other
popular books in the library display.
Also, you can include any novels that are on the students’ reading
lists, such as Sounder, The Cay and Roll of Thunder, Hear My
Cry as well as the student’s own history books open to the chapters
relating to Black History. I used The
American Experience: An HBJ Resource Guide for the Multicultural
Classroom (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. New York
Here
is a list of the books and resources I used to write this Bee.
African Americans: Voices of Triumph, Time-Life Books, Alexandria , Virginia
Hudson,
Wade, and Valerie W. Wesley. Book of
Black Heroes from A to Z: An Introduction to Important Black Achievers for
Young Readers. Orange , NJ
Igus,
Toyomi, ed. Book of Black Heroes: Great Women in the Struggle. Orange ,
NJ
Low,
Augustus W., and Virgil A. Clift, eds. Encyclopedia
of Black America New
York
The
“San Jose Mercury News” in San Jose, CA published in February 1994 an
excellent 15 page newspaper for teachers
and students called “Pride in Color” though the Newspapers in Education (NIE)
project. Call the Mercury News to get
copies.
In
1995 “American Heritage” magazine began publishing an annual magazine on
African American History and Culture called “Legacy”. Call 216-851-0009 to get copies.
Information for the typist:
During
Black History Month please type the introduction one a week and the entries each
day. You and the organizer can decide to
use this information verbatim. However,
some schools have shortened the information while other schools have added
questions, photographs, music, etc.
Decide what works best in your daily bulletin’s format.
Introduction:
February
is Black History Month. So......you say
you know the history of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Harriet
Tubman. If you do, and know even more
history, then maybe you can win (school name)’s
Black History Bee to be held at the end of this month. Check out (school name) and the (city)
library’s Black History display and
start reading today! Each day this month
our daily bulletin will feature short biographies of two famous African
Americans.
Day 1
In the field of Science
Benjamin Banneker was an architect and
builder and the first African American
to receive a presidential appointment.
In 1791, George Washington named him to the team that designed the city
of Washington
Matthew Alexander Henson was an explorer. He was part of Admiral Robert Peary’s team
that discovered the North Pole in 1907. According to Peary’s diary, he was the
first person to arrive at the Pole’s exact location. Peary himself couldn’t make it all the way to
the Pole because he was suffering from frostbite.
Day 2
In the field of Science
Mae Jemison became the first African
American woman in space. Her first
flight was aboard the space Shuttle called the Endeavor. Before becoming an astronaut she earned her
medical degrees at Stanford and Cornell and also served in the Peace Corps in West Africa .
George Washington
Carver was a botanist (plant
biologist). He became President of
Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee
University
Day 3
In the field of Art &
Music
Billie Holiday was a jazz singer whose unique style and
voice made her one of the most famous jazz singers of all time. Holiday , who
was nicknamed “Lady Day,” performed with the bands of Benny Goodman, Count
Basie and Artie Shaw before becoming a solo performer in 1940.
Marian Anderson was the first black woman to sing a leading
role at the Metropolitan Opera in New
York City United
States , she sang
in countries all over the world, while here, in the United States
Day 4
In the field of Art &
Music
Harry George Belafonte became a star in the 1950’s
as a calypso singer with songs he made famous such as “Day-O”, “Brown Skin
Girl” and “Jamaica Farewell”. Calypso is
a style of ballad (song) originating from the West Indies . It is common to use metal drums to accompany
calypso songs. Belafonte is also a Hollywood actor best-known for the 1954 film “Carmen
Jones,” a modern day version of the 19th century opera “Carmen”.
James Reese Europe was the first black
bandleader to serve in WW1. He served
with the first all-black division called the “Harlem Hellfighters”. His music was one of the early sounds of
jazz. The “Harlem Hellfighters” division
fought successfully in Europe after only drilling for battle in the streets of
Harlem in New York City
Day 5
In the field of Art &
Music
Duke Ellington wrote over 1,000 jazz songs; two of his most
famous are “Take the A Train” and “Sophisticated Lady.” Along with entertainers like Cab Calloway
and Lena Horne, Duke Ellington performed at Harlem ’s
famous Cotton Club in the 1940’s, where blacks at that time (with a few exceptions)
were only allowed in as entertainers, cooks and waiters.
Aretha
Franklin She is most well known for her song
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” “Chain of Fools” and “Never Loved A Man.” She made her first
record at age 12 and by 1967 she became known as the “Queen of Soul”.
Day 6
In the field of Sports
Jackie Robinson from 1947 to 1956 became the first African
American baseball player to play in the major leagues, playing for the Brooklyn
Dodgers. Also, he was the first African American to gain
admission to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jack Johnson in the early 1900’s became
the first African American heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
Day 7
In the field of Sports
Muhammad Ali became the first boxer ever to hold the
heavyweight Champion of the world three times.
He was born Cassius Clay but changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he
became a Muslim and joined the Nation of Islam.
He also became famous (and infamous among people who disagreed with him)
for refusing to go into the Army in 1967 during the Vietnam War. He believed that all wars are wrong.
Joe Lewis won the heavyweight title in 1937. He became a symbol of African American pride
and was nicknamed “the Brown Bomber.” He
defended his title more than 25 times before he retired in 1949. Whenever he won, Louis told reporters, “ It
was just another lucky night.”
Day 8
In the field of Writing
Richard Wright was a novelist and is best know for his novel
Native Son which told the story of blacks fighting against awful
political and social conditions in Chicago
Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist and journalist. He escaped slavery and in 1847 founded the
newspaper THE NORTH STAR to convince whites and free blacks to work to abolish
slavery. Douglass also convinced
President Lincoln to accept black soldiers into the Union Army.
Day 9
In the field of Writing
W.E.B. DuBois was a writer who helped organize the NAACP in
1909. He wrote over 20 books of which Souls
of Black Folks is his best known.
The NAACP is the most well known civil rights organization in the US
In the field of Education
Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee University
Fanny Coppin was a teacher. She was born a slave but
bought her freedom for $125. She was the
first black woman in the United
States Oberlin
College in Ohio Baltimore , Maryland
Day 10
In the field of Writing
Lorraine Hansberry was a writer.
Her most famous play, Raisin in the Sun, tells the story about a
black family’s move into a white neighborhood in the 1950’s. This play became the first play by a black
woman to be produced on Broadway-----New
York City
Joseph Cinque was captured in West Africa in the 1840’s and
sent to America Sierra Leone in Africa . Cinque and 35 other Africans were allowed to
return home only after the US Supreme Court heard their case. John Quincy Adams represented the Africans
before the Supreme Court. He argued
successfully that the Africans were not slaves because they had been captured
and sold illegally. By this time in our
history, the US government
had declared that buying slaves from Africa
was illegal.
Day 11
Olympic Athletes
Wilma Rudolf competed in the 1960 Olympic games in Rome , Italy
Jesse Owens won 3 Gold medals (Broad jump, 10-meter dash
and the 200-meter dash) at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany and set
new world records in these events.
Day 12
In the field of Writing
Langston Hughes published his first poem in 1921 when he was
19 called “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”:
“I’ve known rivers/I’ve know rivers ancient as the world and older than
the flow of human blood in human veins/My soul has grown deep like
rivers./” Before writing became a
career, Hughes worked as a waiter aboard cruise ships where he met writers who
encouraged him. Hughes is considered one
of the most important poets of the Harlem
Renaissance.
The Harlem Renaissance is the name given to the
time and place in history when African-American art & writing flourished
during the 1920’s and 1930’s. This was
the first time in the history of the US that large numbers of black writers lived in
the same place (Harlem in New York
City
Day 13
In the field of Writing
Alex Haley wrote the book ROOTS which won the Pulitzer Prize in literature in
1977. He is also famous for interviewing
Malcolm X more often and more in depth than any other person. The information gained from these interviews
is written in Haley’s book The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Both books were made into popular movies
which helped make African American history known to all Americans.
Ida B. Wells ,during the 1880’s, owned
and reported for the newspaper called “Free Speech” in Memphis , Tenn.
Day 14
In the field of Writing
Olaudah Equiano wrote the book The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah
Equiano, or Gustavus Cassa, the African which was one of first
autobiographies of an African who became a slave in America
William and Ellen Craft wrote in 1860 a book titled Running a Thousand
Miles for Freedom. This book tells
of their escape from slavery. Ellen
disguised herself as a handicapped white man needing the accompaniment of her
slave to travel to Boston Boston they traveled to England Georgia
Day 15
In the field of Law
Thurgood Marshall became the first African American justice of
the Supreme Court in 1967. He is also
known for being the chief lawyer for the NAACP.
Marshall Howard University Law
School in Washington , DC US
Day 16
In the field of Public
Speaking and Politics
Sojourner Truth ran away from slavery to become free. She started her own campaign to abolish
slavery and traveled throughout the Northern States during the Civil War giving
public speeches. She was a talented
public speaker and like Frederick Douglass she spoke about the horrors of
slavery and convinced others who were not slaves to join her fight against
slavery. She changed her name to
Sojourner Truth which means “traveling truth”.
Shirley Chisholm, in 1968, became the first African American woman
elected to the United States Congress.
Marcus Garvey came to New
York City from Jamaica United States Africa ” movement.
Day 17
In the field of Medicine
Charles Drew was a medical doctor who researched methods of
storing blood in Blood Banks. He
developed the method we use today which stores blood safely for long periods of
time. The blood plasma--blood fluid with
the cells and platelets---is separated from the blood. His research saved millions of lives and
earned Drew a Ph.D. in Medicine in
1940------the first ever awarded to an African American.
Rebecca Lee was the first African American female
physician. She practiced medicine after
the Civil War in the Confederate Capital---Richmond , VA.
Justina Ford was the 1st black female doctor in the
West. She earned her medical degree and
license in 1902. She became Colorado ’s
best known obstetrician and was called “Denver
Day 18
In the field of Science
“Guy” Bluford became the first African American to fly in
space traveling aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. His job as a mission specialist was to place
satellites in orbit. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering.
He calls his job at NASA fantastic.
“I don’t need a hobby. My hobby
is going to work.”
Ronald McNair was a NASA astronaut who earned his Doctorate
in Physics from MIT in 1976. He specialized in the shuttle’s remote controlled
manipulator arm used to retrieve and place satellites in orbit. His hometown was so proud of his achievements
they named a day and street in his honor.
Also, McNair’s boot prints are cemented in the city’s downtown park----a
park he was barred from as a child because he was black. McNair died in the Challenger explosion in
1986.
Day 19
In the field of Science
Bernard Harris is a doctor of medicine who
practices medicine in space. He is
mission specialist for Spacelab D2--Spacelabs are the self-contained chambers
that fit into the cargo bay of a space shuttle.
Harris helped design exercises and equipment for astronauts to stay in
condition while in space. As astronauts
adapt to weightlessness they loose muscle tone and bone mass which can be
dangerous to their health.
Warren Washington---earned a Ph.D. from Penn State Washington
Day 20
In the field of Business
Ann Lowe was a clothing designer and
her most famous design was the wedding and bridal party gowns she created for
Jacqueline Bouvier’s marriage to (the then) Senator John F. Kennedy in
1953. Lowe was trained as a designer
at the Taylor Design
School in New York City New York
and opened Ann Lowe Originals on Madison Avenue---New York City
To the reader of the
questions:
Pre-read
the questions before the day of the Bee.
Answers are listed but your judgment is final. On the day of the Bee you many want to trade
jobs with the scorekeeper halfway
through the Bee so you are not reading so much.
If a student answers the question correctly say “correct” and go on to
the the next student and the next question.
If a student answers the question incorrectly say “incorrect”. Announce
the correct answer before continuing. The Bee should take approximately one
hour to complete.
To the scorekeeper:
Assign
each student a chair number. There should be 30 students or fewer in each
room. Have the students arrange their
chairs in a semi-circle facing you. Then
have them sit in their assigned chair.
Keep track of correct and incorrect answers. If a student answers two questions
incorrectly he or she leaves the semi-circle after the round is over and
joins the audience. Also, keep track of
time. Each participant has 15 seconds to
answer a question.
To the Bee participants:
You
were selected by your teachers to participate in (school name)’s annual Black
History Bee to celebrate the month of February as Black History Month. In 1926,
Dr. Carter G. Woodson began Black History Month to promote awareness of
the life and history of African Americans.
Before Woodson’s research in the early 1900’s most people believed
African Americans had no history. Black
History is not a separate history from United States US
Thank
you for participating and good luck to all of you!
The
rules are:
1. You
have 15 seconds to answer each question.
2. You
may ask to have the question repeated before the scorekeeper calls “Time”.
3. Wait
until the reader finishes the question before answering. Once the round has begun there is no talking
unless it is your turn or you will be disqualified. Many questions build upon answers to previous
questions. Also, the same answers can be
used more than once.
4. If
you miss one question, you are still in the contest. If you miss two questions you will join the
audience after that round is over.
Round 1
Most students know more
about Martin Luther King, Jr. than any other African American in United States
1. What was Dr.
Martin Luther Kings’ career?
minister
2. Martin Luther
King’s home church was Dexter
Avenue Baptist
Church
3. In Montgomery , Alabama there
is also a Civil Rights Monument designed by the same architect who designed the
Vietnam Memorial in Washington ,
DC
Supreme
Court ban segregated seating on Montgomery
buses
1/4
million Americans march on Washington
for civil rights
Freedom Summer brings 1,000
volunteers to Mississippi
Dr.
Martin Luther King jr. Assassinated
(etc.)
4. What is the term used to describe keeping the
races separate from one another in separate schools, separate restaurants,
access to separate drinking fountains, separate rest rooms, etc..
segregation
5. South Africa became the last
country in the world to use laws to keep races segregated from one
another. What was the South African term
for segregation?
apartheid
6. During the United
States Civil Rights Movement black protesters would sit in restaurants and
other public buildings that were reserved for whites only. What is this form of protest called?
a
sit-in
7. In 1955, a black
woman refused to give her bus seat to a white man and this action
started a major event of the Civil Rights Movement---the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. Who was this woman.
Rosa
Parks
8. Martin Luther
King’s philosophy of non-violence was influenced by India ’s leader Mahatma Gandhi. Refusing to use the city bus system to
protest Rosa Park’s arrest is what method of protest?
boycott
9. Boycotts and
sit-ins are non-violent methods of protest.
Give one other example of a non-violent method to protest.
marches,
petitions or hunger strikes
10. Mahatma Gandhi’s
use of non-violent protest eventually led to India ’s independence from which
European country?
11. Martin Luther
King, Jr. was chosen president of the Montgomery bus boycott
committee. During the year long boycott
of Montgomery ’s
buses there was violence committed against the committee; homes were shot into
and bombed, including MLK’s. Did MLK
respond to this violence with violence?
no
12. For
approximately one year, 50,000 people boycotted the buses by car pooling,
taking taxis or walking to work. The
success of Montgomery ’s
bus boycott boosted MLK to instant fame.
He was soon regarded as the leader of a movement. What was this movement called?
The
Civil Rights movement
13. The bus
boycott resulted in the US Supreme court ruling that Alabama ’s segregation laws were
unconstitutional. In celebration, King
and others rode the buses throughout the streets of Montgomery .
Where was it now legal for them to sit?
in
the front, anywhere they wished
14. Soon after
the bus boycott, Ralph Abernathy and Martin Luther King, Jr. and other black
clergymen created the SCLC in 1957 which used black churches as a base for
organizing non-violent protests. What
are clergymen?
people
who are church leaders, ministers,
15. These clergymen
called their group the SCLC. What (does
the acronym) do the initials SCLC stand for?
Southern
Christian Leadership Conference
16. After the
bus boycott, the next big project was organizing the March for Equality on
August 28, 1963. In which American city did this march take place? Washington , DC
17. Over 250,000
(1/4 of a million people) marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington ,
DC up Independence
and Constitution Avenues. The high point of this march
was Martin Luther King’s moving speech.
What is the title of this now famous speech?
“I
have a dream”
18. Unlike many
of King’s other speeches, “I have a dream” was prepared in less than an
hour. Recite any one sentence from this
speech.
19. “Jobs and
Freedom” were the goals of the March on Washington . The march leaders published a list of demands
or goals for the March. One demand was a
national minimum wage, which would include all workers. What was one of the other demands?
decent
housing, access to public buildings, integrated education, laws
which bars discrimination by government, employers, trade unions.
20. The year
following the March on Washington ,
Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This act made the separation of the races illegal. What is the term used to describe no longer
separating races.
integration
or desegregation
21. The first
sit-in occurred Feb. 1st, 1960 when four African American college students sat
down at a “White only” lunch counter to be served. They were cursed and hit, but yet they
remained seated and returned the following day.
Many others did the same at other “White only” lunch counters. Give one reason why sit-ins worked to finally
integrate restaurants throughout the South.
Assaults
against people who are nonviolent makes most observers take sides with the nonviolent
group (and against the violent group).
22. King also
visited Chicago
where he organized marches in neighborhoods where blacks were prevented from
buying houses. Many bystanders threw
rocks, shot off guns, yelled curses and death threats. Give one reason why it is harder to react with non-violence to these
violent assaults than with violence.
(Your
judgment is final for the corrent answer)
23. Nonviolent
actions included sit-ins, boycotts and marches.
These actions during the Civil Rights Movement won Martin Luther King
the highest international prize for peace in 1964. What is this prize called?
Nobel
Peace Prize
24. A day before his
assassination King gave a speech now titled “I have been to the Mountain Top”,
in which he said: “I’ve seen the
promised land. I may not get there with
you. But I want you to know tonight,
that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” What did MLK mean by this?
I
may not be alive but the struggle will continue. We will reach our goal
of racial equality
25. 1986 became
the first year that the United
States celebrated the first national holiday
for an African American. Who is honored
on that holiday?
Martin
Luther King, Jr.
26. The MLK
Federal Holiday Commission encourages people
to celebrate the holiday by doing community service. The Commission would not like this holiday to
turn into a shopping day. Name one other
individual we honor with a national holiday.
President
Washington or President Lincoln
27. Martin
Luther King, Jr. holiday is celebrated on King’s birthday in January. Yet Black History Month is celebrated in
February. February was picked to honor
the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and an American President. Which American President?
President
Lincoln
28. President
Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were both honored because they were
abolitionists. What is an abolitionist?
someone
who works to abolish slavery
29. This leader
disagreed with MLK about the best methods to reach the goal of racial equality,
but did work together with King to register voters. Instead of calling for nonviolence, this
leader used the words “by any means necessary.” However, near the end of both
of their lives their methods were more alike than different. This leader is?
Malcolm
X
30. Who said
these words: “The greater sin is not bad
people doing bad things; it is good people doing nothing.”
MLK
Round 2 The
questions in this round cover the topics of
African American achievements in education, writing, art and music. This first set of questions are in the field
of education and writing.
1. Joseph
Cinque was captured in West Africa and sent to the US as a slave in the 1840’s. He led a revolt aboard the slave ship
“Armistad” and returned to Africa to tell his
story. There were other slave ship
revolts but very few were successful.
Two Caribbean countries had successful
slave revolts. Name one of these
countries.
2. Fanny Coppin
became the first black woman in the United States to receive a college
degree. Fanny Coppin was born a slave,
name 1 way that slaves could become free.
escape
or buy their freedom with their master’s permission
3. Tuskegee University
in Tuskegee , Alabama
Howard,
Spelman, Fordham, Morehouse ,
Florida
4. Ossie Davis
(the actor) and David Dinkins (the former mayor of New York )
are graduates of the largest black university in the United States . This university is located in Washington , DC
Howard
5. Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee University
W.E.B.
DuBois
6. This man
escaped slavery and became a journalist and founder of the newspaper the “North
Star”. This man convinced many
Northerners during the Civil War to work to abolish slavery, and he convinced Lincoln to accept blacks
into the Union Army. Name this man.
Frederick
Douglass
7. Frederick
Douglass fought against slavery by writing articles and giving speeches that
convinced people to fight against slavery too.
Give the term for someone who fights against slavery.
Abolitionist
8. This man
helped organize the NAACP in 1909. He
also wrote over 20 books of which the Souls of Black Folks is best
known. He argued with Booker T.
Washington about the best way for blacks to achieve equality with whites. Name this man.
W.E.B.
DuBois
9. Started in
1909, the NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization in the US . What do the initials NAACP stand for?
National
Assoc. for the Advancement of Colored People
10. Charles
Chesnut is one of the important poets of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a time during
the 1920’s and 1930’s when a large number of black writers lived in the same
place (Harlem) and were in contact and supported each other’s work. Name one other Harlem Renaissance writer.
Langston
Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, etc.
11. Historians
also use the word Renaissance (which is an Old French word) to define the time
in world history after the Middle Ages (during the 15th and 16th century). What does the word “Renaissance” mean in
English?
Re-birth
or awakening
12. An important
writer of the Harlem Renaissance is James Weldon Johnson. He was also a leader of the NAACP. He put in writing the many songs that were
sung by slaves during the time of slavery.
What do we call these types of songs.
Spirituals,
folksongs
13. James Weldon
Johnson also wrote what is sometimes called the “Black National anthem”. What is the title of this song?
“Lift
Every Voice and Sing”
14. Before the
Civil War it was illegal for slaves to learn to read and write. Despite this law, slaves did learn to read
and write and some even wrote their own life stories. What is this type of writing called?
autobiography
15. This woman
in the 1880’s owned and reported for the newspaper called the Free Speech in Memphis , Tenn.
Ida
Wells
16. This writer
is best known for his novel Native Son.
His autobiography is called Black Boy which became a best seller. Who is this
writer?
Richard
Wright
17. This woman’s
most famous play Raisin in the Sun tells the story of a black family’s
move into a white neighborhood in the 1950’s.
This play became the 1st African American play to be produced on
Broadway. Who is this writer?
18. Alice Walker
is a writer and graduate of Sarah
Lawrence College
The
Color Purple, children’s books: To Hell with Dying, Langston Hughes
biography, Finding the Green Stone.
19. Toni
Morrison grew up hearing stories and folklore.
In 1988, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved. In 1993, she received literature’s highest
honor--the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Give the title of one of her other novels.
Sula,
The Bluest Eye, The Song of Solomon, Jazz
20. This
writer’s book Roots won him the Pulitzer Prize in literature in the
1977. He is also famous for interviewing
Malcolm X longer and more often than any other person and for writing the Autobiography
of Malcolm X. Who is this writer?
Alex
Haley
21. This woman
is a poet and teacher. Her autobiography
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells of her childhood in the South
during the depression. This writer also
wrote and delivered the inaugural poem
at President Clinton’s inauguration in 1992.
She also appears regularly on the children’s television program “Sesame Street ”. Who is this woman?
Maya
Angelou
The next set of
questions are in the field of the Art & Music
22. African
Americans were major innovators of types of music from ragtime, to jazz to the
blues. Name one other type of music that
African Americans influenced.
soul,
swing, rock & roll, Motown, rap, spirituals, hip hop
23. This man
gained fame as a calypso singer with songs he made famous such as “Day-O,”
“Brown Skin Girl,” “Jamaica Farewell,” and
“Banana Boat.” Calypso music
originated in the Caribbean
Islands US
to the music of other cultures. Who is
this man?
Harry
Belafonte
24. Harry
Belafonte’s first album “Calypso” in 1955 was the first LP in history to sell a
million copies; it started a calypso craze.
Today we buy music on tape or on CD. What is an LP?
a
record (Long Playing Record as compared
to a Standard Play Record)
25. James Reese
Europe was the first black bandleader who went to WW1 with the Harlem
Hellfighters----an all-black unit in the US
military. What type of music did
he help popularize?
Jazz
26. This
musician wrote over 1,000 jazz songs, two of his most famous are “Take the A Train” and “Sophisticated
Lady.” Who is this musician?
Duke
Ellington
27. Gregory
Hines is a dancer who has spent much of his life preserving a type of
dance. What is this form of dance he is
most famous for?
tap
dance
28. This woman
is know in the music world as the “Queen of Soul.” Her most well know song is “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,”
“Chain of Fools” and “Never loved a man.”
She made her first record in the 1950’s at the age of 12. Who is this woman?
Aretha
Franklin
29. This woman’s
unique singing style made her one of the most famous jazz singers of all
time. Her nickname was Lady Day. Who is this singer?
Billie
Holiday
30. This woman
became the first black woman to sing a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York . She sang in countries all over the world,
while in her own country she was denied
opportunities to perform because she was black.
A famous historical event was when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt arranged
for her to sing “My Country Tis of Thee” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
on Easter Morning in 1939. Who is this singer?
Marian
Anderson
Round 3 In this round, the questions range in
topic from sports to science to politics.
This first set of questions are in the field of sports.
1. This man
became the first African American baseball player to play in the major leagues
and for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was
also the first African American to play in the World Series and to gain
admission to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Who is this athlete?
Jackie
Robinson
2. Books, such as Only the Ball was White and The
Forgotten Players document the years before Jackie Robinson desegregated a
baseball team. Before Jackie Robinson,
blacks played on all black teams and in their own leagues. What were these
leagues called?
Negro
Leagues
3. This man in
the early 1900’s was the first African American heavyweight boxing champion.
Both Joe Lewis and Muhammad Ali followed in his footsteps. Who was this first African American boxing
champion?
Jack
Johnson
4. This man
became the first boxer to ever hold the tittle of Heavyweight Boxing Champion
of the World three times. Who is he?
Muhammad
Ali
5. Like Malcolm
X before him, Muhammad Ali was a follower of the Islamic religion. Both men changed their names upon joining the
Nation of Islam. What was Ali’s former name?
Cassius
Clay.
6. Joe Louis
won the heavyweight boxing title in 1937.
He defended his title more than 25 times before he retired in 1949. Whenever he won, Louis told reporters, “It
was just another lucky night.” All over
the country African Americans turned their radios on to hear his fights and
gave him a nickname. What was this
nickname?
The
Brown Bomber
7. During the
Civil Rights Movement Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos brought America ’s
civil rights protests to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when they lifted their
gloved fists as the American Flag was raised in honor Smith’s 1st place
finish. For this action they we expelled
from the Olympic Games. What was this
Civil Rights salute called?
The
Black Power salute
8. This man
played his first game of tennis on segregated “Colored-only” tennis courts but
after graduating from UCLA he entered the record books to become the first
African American man to win the US Open and to win Wimbledon . He died in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a
blood transfusion. Who was this athlete?
Arthur
Ashe
9. This woman
was a chronic truant in high school and wound up in a home run by the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
A friend bought her a second-hand tennis racket. She made history and became the first African
American to compete and win at Wimbledon in
1957. Who was this athlete?
Althea
Gibson
10. This
baseball player broke Babe Ruth’s record of home runs in 1974. Now he is on the Board of Directors of Turner
Broadcasting, the NAACP and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. Who is he?
Hank
Aaron
11. This woman
competed in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome ,
Italy
Wilma
Rudolf
12. This Olympic
athlete competed at the 1936 Games in Berlin ,
Germany
Jesse
Owens
13. With 8 Gold
medals at the 1984 Los Angels games, 1988 in Seoul
and 1992 Barcelona
games to his credit, this man was considered the fastest man in the world and the greatest track star since Jesse
Owens. Who is he?
Carl
Lewis
The next series of
questions are in the field of Science:
14. In 1791, the
president of the United States
assigned Benjamin Banneker to the team
designing the city of Washington ,
DC. Name the president who appointed
him.
George
Washington
15. Banneker is
known as the first African American scientist and mathematician. From astronomical observations and math
calculations he worked out one of the early predictions of an eclipse of the
sun. What is an eclipse?
the
time when the moon covers the view of the sun from earth
16. Banneker
published his calculated rising and setting times of the moon, sun and stars in
an almanac in 1791. The fact book became
a best seller. Give one reason why
people would want to know the rising and setting times of the moon and
sun.
seamen
calculate their positions at sea and also calculate times for low and high tides; farmers rely on
charts for planting times and weather forecasts; other people use them to keep track of special
events
17. This man was
the first person to see the North Pole. This explorer was part of Admiral
Robert Peary’s team that explored and mapped the North Pole region. Peary had sent this man ahead of the team
because Peary himself was suffering from frostbite. Name this explorer.
Matthew
Alexander Henson
18. Mae Jemison
was the first black female astronaut in space.
Guy Bluford and Ronald McNair were also among the first group of African
American astronauts in space. All three
traveled in the space vehicles that can return to earth and be used for more
space flights in the future. What are
these space vehicles called?
space
shuttles
19. In 1940,
Charles Drew was the medical doctor who discovered the method of storing blood
that we use today. If blood is stored
whole as it is, it becomes easily contaminated and no longer fresh and
useable. How do we store blood today as
of Drew’s discovery?
we
separate the blood plasma (cells and
platelets) from the blood
20 In 1902,
Justina Ford became the 1st black female doctor in the West. She was famous in Denver ,
where they called her “Denver ’s
Baby Doctor”. She helped deliver more
than 7,000 babies during her career.
What is her career (a doctor for babies) called?
obstetrician
or pediatrician
21. Warren
Washington is a prominent meteorologist.
What is meteorology the study of?
the
study of weather
22. Washington developed
computer programs that forecast the weather a week into the future. Prior to his work, meteorologists were only
able at best to forecast the weather a day ahead. Washington
has also written extensively on the Greenhouse Effect. What is another name for the Greenhouse
Effect?
Global
Warming
23. What is the
Greenhouse Effect (global warming)?
the
earth is becoming like a greenhouse....becoming warmer. Pollution, deforestation and gasses are causing
the heat from sunlight to stay near the
earth.
24. Dr. Roland
Scott is called the father of “sickle cell anemia disease research”. Most of the victims of sickle cell anemia
are African Americans. (Approx. one in
500 African Americans have this disease).
How is this disease spread?
a
person inherits it from his or her parents
25, Anemia means
the blood is not carrying oxygen normally.
Therefore, the symptoms of sickle cell anemia range from strokes, organ
damage to respiratory infections. Also, because the red blood cells are
different shaped and inflexible they can plug up the blood vessels and bring on
attacks of pain. Why are these red blood
cells called sickle cells?
because
they are sickle (or crescent) shaped
The next set of
questions are in the field of Politics & Law
26. This man
came to New York City from Jamaica in 1916 and founded the
Universal Negro Improvement Association, the weekly newspaper “Negro World,”
and the Black Star steamship line. He
also preached economic and political self-determination and said that Blacks
should relocate to Africa because they would never achieve equality in the United States . Malcolm X’s father was a follower of this
man’s Back-to-Africa movement. Who was
this man?
Marcus
Garvey
27. Marcus
Garvey started an organization called UNIA, which became a counterpart to the
NAACP. What do the initials UNIA stand
for?
Universal
Negro Improvement Association
28. Many African
Americans did move “back to Africa ”. Which country in Africa
did they help establish?
28. This man was
a lawyer for the NAACP and successfully fought to change the laws that
segregated schools. He went on to become
the first African American justice of the Supreme Court. Who was this man?
Thurgood
Marshall
29. This woman
became the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress
in 1968. Name this woman.
Shirley
Chisholm
30. Chisholm was
also the first woman and African American to make a serious bid for the
presidency of the United
States .
Which man became the first African American man to make a serious bid
for the presidency of the United States ?
Jessie
Jackson
Round 4
This 4th round of questions
is an overview of American History from colonial times to the present.
1. In
1619, 20 Africans arrived as indentured
servants to help establish America ’s
first non-Native American town in Virginia . What was the name of this first settlement?
2. Give one example
how an indentured servant is different from a slave?
servant
gains freedom after a few years of free work; a slave never gets freedom
3. Crispus Attacks, a
former slave, was the first person killed in the street fight in Boston that marked the
beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1770.
What was the name of this first battle?
4. In 1843,
there existed a network of secret houses that helped escaped slaves run North
to freedom. What is the name given to
this secret network?
Underground
Railroad
5. Many slaves
escaped to live in the country north of the United States . Name this country
6. Name the woman who organized the
Underground Railroad and who people nicknamed Moses.
Harriet
Tubman
7. Harriet Tubman was compared to Moses
because both helped their people escape from slavery. Where were Moses’ people enslaved?
in
Egypt
8. An American
President was also nicknamed Moses for the same reason as Tubman. Who was this president?
9, In 1847,
Frederick Douglass published the first issue of his newspaper. Its purpose was to convince all Americans
that slavery should be abolished. Name
Douglass’ newspaper.
The
North Star
10. In 1854, Lincoln University Lincoln University
11. In 1863, President Lincoln signed a
Proclamation that abolished slavery in the Confederate states. He hoped this proclamation would help end the
war sooner. What is the name of this
proclamation?
Emancipation
Proclamation
12. After the Civil
War, the “New Orleans Tribune” began
publishing as the first African-American daily newspaper in the South. Since the paper was in New Orleans , it was published in 2 languages,
English and what other language?
French
13. In 1865, the
US Congress passed the 13th Amendment which abolished what?
slavery
14. In 1866, the
law was passed granting citizenship to African Americans. What is the name of the Act?
Civil
Rights Act
15. In 1870, the
15th Amendment to the US Constitution
passed guaranteeing all male citizens the right to vote. Name one group of citizens that were still
not allowed to vote?
women
16. In 1870,
Hiram Revels of Mississippi became the first African-American Congressman
elected to the senate. What do we call our representatives elected to this
office?
senators
17. 1872,
Charlotte Ray became the first African American female lawyer in the United States . Who was the first African American judge on
the Supreme Court?
Thurgood
Marshall
18. In 1881, Tuskegee University
Booker
T. Washington
19. An
African-American surgeon in 1893 performed the first successful heart
operation. This operation was done
without the help of x-rays, blood transfusions or breathing aids. These medical procedures hadn’t been invented
yet. What was this doctor’s name?
Dr.
Daniel Hale Williams
20. In 1896, the
Supreme Court upheld the “separate but
equal” law when it ruled that laws that separate people on the basis of race did
not violate the US Constitution.
What is the name of the Supreme Court case?
Plessy
v. Fuergeson
21. In 1909,
this man helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) on the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Who was this man?
W.E.B.
DuBois
22. In 1927,
these basketball players organized the first all-black basketball team. What did they call their team?
The
Harlem Globetrotters
23. In 1954, the
US Supreme Court was unanimous in it’s decision that racial segregation in
public schools is unconstitutional. What
is the name of this famous case?
Brown
vs. Board of Education, Topeka
Kansas
24. In 1963,
more than 1/4 million Americans joined the March on Washington .
Name one of the goals of the march.
racial
desegregation, equality in houses, wages, jobs
25. In 1965, the
prominent leader of the Black Muslims was assassinated in New York City . Who was this leader?
Malcolm
X
26. In 1967,
President Johnson appointed the first African American to the Supreme
Court. Who was this judge?
Thurgood
Marshall
27. On April 4,
1968 in Memphis , Tennessee
Martin
Luther King, Jr.
28. In
1983, Bob Maynard bought this Oakland paper from Gannet
Co., Inc. becoming the first African-American owner of a major metropolitan
newspaper. What is the name of this Oakland paper?
29. In 1988,
this civil rights leader was the second African American to bid seriously for
the presidential nomination. (Shirley Chisholm was the first.) His speech
titled “Keep Hope Alive” at the Democratic National Convention inspired people
of all races. Name this man.
Jesse
Jackson
30. In 1992,
this woman from Chicago became the first black
woman United States
senator. What is her name?
Carol
Moseley-Braun
Round 5
The questions in this round
are about slavery & the Civil War
1. Slavery was
not new to the world when Europeans began shipping Africans to America .
Slavery had been practiced for thousands of years in many parts of the
world. The Africans, forced to come to America were traded to the
Europeans for items such as rum, cloth and guns. In the US slavery, became widespread
throughout states where workers were needed on the large cotton and tobacco
plantations. Name three states where
slavery was widespread.
(any
three southern states)
2. Give one
reason why slaves were brought from Africa
instead of an other country?
there
was trading triangle between England ,
Africa and the Americas ; Africa was closer than any Asian country; colonists tried
to enslave Native
Americans but they knew the land well enough to escape
3. The trading
triangle from Africa to the American colonies
was called the Middle Passage of the triangle.
Traders paid for Africans with finished products such as rum, guns and
textiles from Europe . List any one item that was traded from the Americas back to Europe .
raw
materials like cotton, tobacco, grain,
sugar, indigo, rice
4. Before the
1700’s most Africans were living in well-planned cities and had sophisticated
governments and distinct cultures.
Because of the need for free labor in North and South
America , Europeans began to enslave Africans and ship them from
their homeland. From which part of Africa were people captured? West, East or South
Africa ?
5. Name one of
the three African Empires that existed in West Africa
before the slave trade?
6. These three
empires were Islamic. The most famous
city had over 100 Islamic schools. It was said that in this city books were
more valued than any other possessions.
This city is sometimes referred to as the oldest University Town
7. The last and
most powerful of the three African Empires was Songhai . Askia Muhammed was the empire of Songhai ’s most famous king. He successfully united a religion with
existing ancient African beliefs. Name
this religion
Islam
8. From the
time the slaves were captured in West Africa
the slave traders tried to break their spirit to be free. When they succeeded, the African became an
obedient passenger. But slaves who
resisted, did so frequently and fiercely.
On a slave ship what was one way to resist?
refuse
food & water, throw themselves overboard (commit suicide), revolt and try to
take over the ship
9. Which book
and television mini-series tells the true story of the African, Kunte Kinte’s
capture in Africa and journey across the Atlantic
to be sold into slavery?
ROOTS
10. Alex Haley,
author of ROOTS, heard the story of Kunte Kinte from his
grandmother. It was passed down from generation to generation
by his ancestors. What do we call this
kind of history that is (not written but) passed down by word of mouth?
oral
history
11. The state of
Virginia set
up the laws for slaves that other states also adopted. One of the laws allowed slaves to be sold at
any time for any reason. Name one other slave law.
slaves
were not allowed to learn to read or write, to testify in court, to hit a
white person, to marry, to hold unauthorized religious services or to visit
or be visited without permission, etc.
12. In 1793, Eli
Whitney’s invention increased the demand for slaves because this machine could
pluck the seeds from cotton faster than 50 people working by hand. Farmers
needed more slaves to plant and pick the cotton. What was this invention?
cotton
gin
13. Two of the
largest slave revolts were led by Nat Turner in Virginia in 1831 and Gabriel
Prosser in Richmond , Virginia
no
14. This woman
ran away from slavery in 1827 and became free. She started her own campaign
against slavery throughout the Northern States.
Like Frederick Douglass she spoke about the horrors of slavery and
convinced others to join her fight against slavery. She changed her name to mean traveling truth.
Who was this woman?
Sojourner
Truth
15. After the
Civil War, in 1865 the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was approved
abolishing slavery. What was the name
given to people who fought to abolish slavery?
Abolitionists
16. Abolitionists
included many whites and free African Americans including former slaves such as
Frederick Douglass. Name one other
former slave abolitionist.
Harriet
Tubman and Sojourner Truth (others)
17. Slavery was
one of the major issues in the presidential election of 1860. The elected president opposed slavery. Who was he?
Abraham
Lincoln
18. After Lincoln ’s election, the Southern states feared he would
end slavery so South Carolina and 6 other
states withdrew from the Union of the United States . What is the term
used to describe withdrawing from the Union ?
seceded/secession
19. On April 12,
1861, Southern troops attacked a fort in Charleston ,
South Carolina
20. Lincoln said
that Fort Sumter Lincoln
is referring to.
Uncle
Tom’s Cabin
21. In July
1862, the North accepted blacks into the army.
Approx. 200,000 blacks saw combat.
Which man convinced Lincoln
to accept blacks into the army?
Frederick
Douglass
22. The 1991
film GLORY, starring Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick,
tells the true story of the 54th Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This all-black regiment led by a white
colonel earned honors and awards for their fight at Fort
Wagner , Charleston , South Carolina
23. On Jan 1,
1863, Lincoln
issued a Proclamation freeing all slaves in all states. Two years later, the North won the Civil War
and all slaves were Free. What is the
name of this proclamation.
The
Emancipation Proclamation
24. This battle became the most famous and
bloodiest battle of the Civil War. It also marks the beginning of the defeat
for the Southern States. Name this
battle.
25. The period
after the Civil War is called Reconstruction. Former slaves got their first
taste of freedom. For the first time
former slaves were allowed to do things they had never done before. Name one of these things.
attend
school, vote, hold public office, marry
26. During
Reconstruction three amendments (the 13th, 14th & 15th) to the Constitution
were adopted guaranteeing African Americans rights and freedoms. Name one freedom that was now guaranteed.
vote,
end to slavery, citizenship
27. This period
of Reconstruction ended in 1876 with the election of President Rutherford B.
Hayes. He did not support Reconstruction
and the voting and citizenship rights of blacks was taken away. As a result thousands of African Americans
left the Southern states. Where did they
go?
West
or North
28. After
Reconstruction the South began to enforce Jim Crow laws. These laws required
separate facilities for blacks and whites. Some courtrooms even had separate
Bibles for swearing in African American witnesses. Give one example of a public
place that was segregated.
Restaurants,
schools, buses, trains, hotels, churches, water fountains, hotels,
telephone booths
29. Give one
other example of a public place that was segregated.
30. Why were
segregation laws called Jim Crow laws?
The
name comes from a black character in a song written around 1830.
Jim
Crow laws were the old segregation laws adopted in the late 1800’s.
Round 6----Championship
Round
For this last round you will
need a piece of paper and a pencil or pen.
All participants will answer the same question and will have 15 seconds
in which to write your answer on paper.
The questions in this round cover contemporary events and people.
1. This woman hosts
the highest top-rated talk show in television history. She is also an actress, a production studio
owner and a Big Sister volunteer. Who is
she?
Oprah
Winfrey
2. This man is
an author of several best-selling books, including FATHERHOOD. His former TV show, which bears his name,
portrayed an aspiring African American
family. He has also made history in the
field of philanthropy contributing a record-breaking $20 million to Spelman College
Bill
Cosby
3. This actor
graduated from Fordham
University
Denzel
Washington
4. This actor
gained recognition playing the role of Kunte Kinte in the TV movie ROOTS. He played the role of Geordi LaForge on the
TV series “Star Trek: The Next
Generation.” He also narrates the
children’s program READING RAINBOW. Who is he?
LeVar
Burton
5. 20 million
people around the world celebrate this holiday which in Swahili means first
fruits and is linked to traditional African harvest festivals. This holiday is celebrated from December 26
to January 1. What is the name of this holiday?
6. This man is
the first African American to reach the highest level in the American
military. He is also credited for
bringing about the US /Allied
victory in the Persian Gulf War. Who is
this general?
General
Colin Powell
7. What is the
highest rank in the American army?
5
Star General
8. This music
group, Sweet Honey in the Rock, sings without musical instruments to accompany
their songs. What is this type of music called?
A cappella
9. In 1995,
there was a historic march organized in Washington ,
DC
The
Million Man March
