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Bessie Coleman. By Julia S. . Mrs. Hart 4 th Grade. Early Life and Family. Bessie Coleman was born on January 26 th , 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. Bessie was very poor and looked after her three sisters at the age of 9. She picked cotton in the hot fields when she was a young girl.
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Bessie Coleman By Julia S. Mrs. Hart 4th Grade
Early Life and Family • Bessie Coleman was born on January 26th, 1892 in Atlanta, Texas. • Bessie was very poor and looked after her three sisters at the age of 9. • She picked cotton in the hot fields when she was a young girl. • Whites and blacks were not allowed to go to the same school, could not live in the same neighborhood and they didn’t have the same opportunities. • She had 13 brothers and sisters and she was the 10th one born in her huge family. • In the 1900s flying was dangerous and people were called ‘’Flying Fools’’ • Bessie was killed in a plane crash when her plane’s nose dived in 1926.
Education • Bessie Coleman attended school at the age of six. • She was really good at all of her subjects, especially math. • Bessie was forced to quit college because she was short of money. • Bessie took pilot lessons in a pilot school.
Problems and Obstacles • Bessie Coleman was born into slavery • She could not go to schools with whites • No one wanted to teach her how to be a pilot • She didn’t have enough money to buy a plane ,so she couldn’t get one.
Accomplishments • Bessie got her pilot license on June 15th, 1921. • At the age of 29 she had become the first black women to earn a pilots license. • She was in the newspaper because a black pilot was big news. • Bessie got her first plane for $400. • She taught herself how to speak French.
Interesting facts • Bessie had no birth certificate and lied about her age. • Somebody wrote a poem about her. • Her real name was “Elizabeth Coleman.’’ • The U.S postal service issued a stamp honoring her bravery. • Her family included some American blood as well as African American blood.
Bibliography • Hart, Philip S. "Up In the Air". Minneapolis, Minnesota: First Avenue Edition, 1996. Print. • Coleman, Bessie." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.