CONTENTS A Tribute 7 THOMAS ALVA EDISON 36 Introduction 8 ALBERT EINSTEIN 38 JANE ADDAMS 10 DWIGHT D EISENHOWER 40 SUSAN B ANTHONY 12 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 42 CLARA BARTON 14 BILL AND MELINDA GATES 44 MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE 16 JOHN GLENN 46 ELIZABETH BLACKWELL 18 MILTON HERSHEY 48 RACHEL CARSON 20 TEAM HOYT 50 JIMMY CARTER 22 LANGSTON HUGHES 52 GEORGE WASHINGTON THOMAS JEFFERSON 54 CARVER 24 HELEN KELLER CESAR CHAVEZ AND ANNE SULLIVAN 56 AND DOLORES HUERTA 26 THE REVEREND DR MARTIN ROBERTO CLEMENTE 28 LUTHER KING JR 58 WALT DISNEY 30 MERIWETHER LEWIS WILLIAM CLARK DOROTHEA DIX 32 AND SACAGAWEA 60 FREDERICK DOUGLASS 34
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 62 ALEXANDRA ALEX SCOTT 92 Yo Yo MA 64 TECUMSEH 94 GEORGE C MARSHALL 66 HARRY S TRUMAN 96 JOHN MUIR 68 HARRIET TUBMAN 98 BARACK OBAMA 70 GEORGE WASHINGTON 100 SANDRA DAY O CONNOR 72 ELIE WIESEL 102 JESSE OWENS 74 OPRAH WINFREY 104 ROSA PARKS 76 WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT 106 IL M PEI 78 LOUIS ZAMPERINI 108 RONALD WILSON REAGAN 80 Hero Hunt 110 JACKIE ROBINSON AND BRANCH RICKEY 82 Quotation sources 113 ELEANOR ROOSEVELT 84 Index 115 FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT 86 Answers to Hero Hunt 118 THEODORE ROOSEVELT 88 Photo Acknowledgments 119 JONAS SALK 90 About the Authors 120
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A TRIBUTE n our introduction we challenge you to name 50 important American heroes If you actually try to do it we think you will name some people we probably wouldn't even know But you know them and they are heroes to you And that s VERY important All of us have personal heroes They are the people in our own lives who have helped to shape our personalities and define who we are Often we don't even realize how important and special they are Most likely the closest members of your family are personal heroes Think about how much they have helped you Sure we guess there are times you have disagreed with their advice or actions but most likely they have been there for you when you needed them How about teachers Religious leaders Doctors Coaches Club leaders Your friends parents Even your brothers and sisters yes they can be your personal heroes too Do you ever say thanks to your personal heroes Telling someone he or she i your personal hero is different from saying I love you That s important to do too but also letting your personal heroes know they are YOUR HEROES is a powerful way of thanking them There are many other heroes in the United States Sometimes we refer to these people as unsung heroes They are the firefighters who rush into burning buildings to save lives They are the police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe They are the people who serve in our armed forces to keep this nation free It took the horror of September 11 2001 9 11 to remind us of just how special unsung heroes are Many brave men and women sacrificed to help others But that's what heroes do whether they are personal or unsung or famous heroes They give of themselves to make this world a better place The 9 11 tragedy made Americans think about the importance of heroes We want you to think about the importance of the heroes in YOUR life and we hope you'll take some action to let them know how special they are to
