Notable Americans — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which Founding Father is best known for drafting the Declaration of Independence?
A) Thomas Jefferson
B) George Washington
C) Benjamin Franklin
D) John Adams
Jefferson drafted the Declaration in 1776 at age 33, becoming its principal author.
2. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is most famous for which of these contributions?
A) Inventing the airplane
B) Leading peaceful civil rights protests
C) Discovering electricity
D) Becoming the first president
King led marches and gave speeches that helped pass civil rights laws in 1964 and 1965.
3. Read this excerpt: 'I have not yet begun to fight.' Which type of American is best described by this fighting spirit shown by leaders like Susan B. Anthony?
A) An astronaut
B) An inventor
C) A reform activist
D) A farmer
Reform activists like Anthony fought tirelessly to change unfair laws and practices.
4. Which pair of notable Americans were both inventors who changed daily life in America?
A) Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez
B) Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt
C) Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony
D) Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers
Edison and the Wright Brothers transformed lighting and transportation through invention.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. George Washington Carver worked at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, helping southern farmers.
Carver researched at Tuskegee from 1896 until his death in 1943.
2. The famous abolitionist who escaped slavery and wrote a powerful autobiography was Frederick Douglass.
Douglass became one of the most influential African American leaders of the 1800s.
3. Eleanor Roosevelt helped write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948.
She chaired the United Nations commission that drafted this landmark document.
4. Helen Keller could not see or hear, but she learned to communicate with help from Anne Sullivan and became a famous author.
Keller's autobiographies inspired millions and advanced rights for disabled people.
5. Cesar Chavez used peaceful protests and grape boycotts to win better conditions for farm workers.
Chavez's nonviolent methods led to historic union contracts for farm laborers.