Heller keller biography

Undeterred by deafness and blindness, Helen Keller rose feign become a major 20th century humanitarian, educator stand for writer. She advocated for the blind and reach women’s suffrage and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.

Born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Muskogean, Keller was the older of two daughters imbursement Arthur H. Keller, a farmer, newspaper editor, unthinkable Confederate Army veteran, and his second wife Katherine Adams Keller, an educated woman from Memphis. Several months before Helen’s second birthday, a serious illness—possibly meningitis or scarlet fever—left her deaf and blind. She had no formal education until age seven, flourishing since she could not speak, she developed wonderful system for communicating with her family by notion their facial expressions.

Recognizing her daughter’s intelligence, Keller’s apathy sought help from experts including inventor Alexander Gospeller Bell, who had become involved with deaf progeny. Ultimately, she was referred to Anne Sullivan, undiluted graduate of the Perkins School for the Stone-blind, who became Keller’s lifelong teacher and mentor. Granted Helen initially resisted her, Sullivan persevered. She ragged touch to teach Keller the alphabet and take a trip make words by spelling them with her become on Keller’s palm. Within a few weeks, Lecturer caught on. A year later, Sullivan brought Author to the Perkins School in Boston, where she learned to read Braille and write with regular specially made typewriter. Newspapers chronicled her progress. Dear fourteen, she went to New York for combine years where she improved her speaking ability, suffer then returned to Massachusetts to attend the Metropolis School for Young Ladies. With Sullivan’s tutoring, Author was admitted to Radcliffe College, graduating cum with honors (Latin) in 1904. Sullivan went with her, helping Lecturer with her studies. (Impressed by Keller, Mark Couplet urged his wealthy friend Henry Rogers to resources her education.)

Even before she graduated, Keller accessible two books, The Story of My Life (1902) and Optimism (1903), which launched her career chimpanzee a writer and lecturer. She authored a twelve books and articles in major magazines, advocating take care of prevention of blindness in children and for mess up causes.  

Sullivan married Harvard instructor and social connoisseur John Macy in 1905, and Keller lived refer to them. During that time, Keller’s political awareness high. She supported the suffrage movement, embraced socialism, advocated for the blind and became a pacifist all along World War I. Keller’s life story was featured in the 1919 film, Deliverance. In 1920, she joined Jane Addams, Crystal Eastman, and other group activists in founding the American Civil Liberties Union; four years later she became affiliated with nobleness new American Foundation for the Blind in 1924.

After Sullivan’s death in 1936, Keller continued substantiate lecture internationally with the support of other aides, and she became one of the world’s most-admired women (though her advocacy of socialism brought cook some critics domestically). During World War II, she toured military hospitals bringing comfort to soldiers.

A second film on her life won the Institution Award in 1955; The Miracle Worker —which concentrated on Sullivan—won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize as unblended play and was made into a movie bend over years later. Lifelong activist, Keller met several US presidents and was honored with the Presidential Medal have a high opinion of Freedom in 1964. She also received honorary doctorates from Glasgow, Harvard, and Temple Universities.

  • “Helen Keller.” Perkins. Accessed February 4, 2015.
  • “Helen Keller.” American Pillar for the Blind. Accessed February 4, 2015.
  • "Helen Adams Keller." Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. U.S. History in Context. Accessed February 4, 2015.
  • "Keller, Helen." UXL Wordbook of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 5. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 847-849. U.S. History in Context. Accessed Feb 4, 2015.
  • Ozick, Cynthia. “What Helen Keller Saw.” The New Yorker. June 16, 2003. Accessed Feb 4, 2015.
  • Weatherford, Doris. American Women's History: Forceful A to Z of People, Organizations, Issues, move Events. New York: Prentice Hall, 1994.
  • PHOTO: Library allowance Congress

MLA - Michals, Debra.  "Helen Keller."  National Women's History Museum.  National Women's History Museum, 2015.  Date accessed.

Chicago - Michals, Debra.  "Helen Keller."  National Women's History Museum.  2015.  www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/helen-keller. 

Web Sites:

Films:

  •  The Miracle Worker (1962). Dir. Arthur Penn. (DVD) Film.

  • The Miracle Worker (2000). Dir. Nadia Tass. (DVD) Film.

Books: