Helen keller biography summary of thomas
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It may be hard to imagine, but Helen Keller – born June 27, 1880 – and her beloved teacher and friend, Annie Sullivan, were their era’s equivalent of TikTok stars.
Annie famously taught the deafblind Helen to learn language bygd forming letters in her hand, after which Helen learned to write, read braille, speak, and give public speeches. When Helen was an adult, they traveled the world as celebrities, educating people about the abilities of people who are deafblind or visually impaired.
“Even when Helen was a kid, she was writing letters to kings and queens and princes around Europe,” says Micheal Hudson, director of the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) that’s based at APH’s headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. “She then became friends with famous people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, many U.S. Presidents,&nb
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Every year, the National History Day Contest encourages more than half a million students around the world to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice, and many students choose to research Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan.
This year, the National History Day theme is "Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences."
Helen Keller circa 1893
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Helen Keller do to help people who cannot see?
Helen Keller made enormous differences in two key ways. Firstly, she changed perceptions about blindness and secondly, she was instrumental in getting laws passed to benefit those who could not see.
Perceptions of Blindness
Helen Keller was born in 1880, in a world still dominated by the centuries-old belief that blindness was a punishment from God, barring you from a normal and productive life. Keller was instrumental in changing negative perceptions that were still prevalent when she was growing up.
Helen K
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Helen Keller
(1880-1968)
Who Was Helen Keller?
Helen Keller was an American educator, advocate for the blind and deaf and co-founder of the ACLU. Stricken by an illness at the age of 2, Keller was left blind and deaf. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments.
Early Life and Family
Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Keller was the first of two daughters born to Arthur H. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller. Keller's father had served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. She also had two older stepbrothers.
The family was not particularly wealthy and earned income from their cotton plantation. Later, Arthur became the editor of a weekly local newspaper, the North Alabamian.
Keller was born with her senses of sight and