alex haley biography - wvms blue team ela & social studies · 2020. 2. 28. · alex haley...
TRANSCRIPT
Name: ___________________________________ Date: ________________________
Alex Haley Biography
Author Alex Haley, born on August 11, 1921, was a major historical figure in literature and
in Black History. He faced tragedy at a young age when his mother died while he was
10 years old. Alex’s father was a college dean and worked long hours, but he
continued to instill in Alex the importance of education. Graduating from high school at
only 15 years old, Alex went to college early, but only stayed for two years. He enlisted,
or signed up to serve in the Coast Guard and did a lot of reading and writing while on
the ships. This ignited in Alex a passion to become an author.
Although he worked with the Coast Guard for 20 years, he tried dozens of times to
get a book published. He was always rejected. Then in 1959, Alex agreed to interview
the famous Civil Rights activist Malcolm X which led to his first published novel: The
Autobiography of Malcolm X. The book wasn’t published until 1966, but Haley was now
well-known for his writing skills.
© Tanya G. Marshall, The Butterfly Teacher
He immediately began working on his next
writing project—researching his family tree all
the way back to Africa. It took him 10 years,
but in February 1976, Alex Haley published his
most famous book, Roots: The Saga of an
American Family.
This book has inspired millions of Americans to
trace their family ancestry and better
understand slavery in America. Haley died of a
heart attack on February 10, 1992. He will
always be remembered for inspiring others to
take pride in their family heritage.
Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Alex Haley Biography QuestionsUse the context clues in your biography to answer these questions in complete
sentences.
1- Why is Alex Haley an important figure in American and Black History? _______________________________
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2- What tragedy did Alex Haley face as a child? ___________________________________________________________
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3- Name both of Alex Haley’s careers? _____________________________________________________________________
4- What other important historical figure did Alex Haley interview for his first book?
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5- When was Alex Haley born ? ___________________________________________________________________________
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6- How long did it take Alex Haley to research and write a book about his family tree?
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7- What does ‘enlisted’ mean? ____________________________________________________________________________
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8- How long was Alex Haley in college? ____________________________________________________________________
9- When and how did Alex Haley pass away? ______________________________________________________________
10- What has Alex Haley inspired millions of Americans to do ? __________________________________________
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© Tanya G. Marshall, The Butterfly Teacher
Alex Haley Timeline
Complete this timeline of
events for Alex’s life.
You should have a total of 6
events on this timeline—which includes his birth and death. And four of them
should have the dates besides
them.
Alex’s death
Alex’s birth
Name: __________________________________
© Tanya G. Marshall, The Butterfly Teacher