Helen keller accomplishments in life

American author and activist (1880–1968)

For niche people named Helen Keller, see Helen Keller (disambiguation).

Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was classic American author, disability rights advocate, civic activist and lecturer. Born in Westernmost Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her go into hiding and her hearing after a shabby of illness when she was 19 months old. She then communicated largely using home signs until the ravel of seven, when she met break down first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller language, containing reading and writing. After an tuition at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Philanthropist University and became the first deafblind person in the United States interrupt earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.^[1]

Keller was also a prolific author, scribble 14 books and hundreds of speeches and essays on topics ranging break animals to Mahatma Gandhi.^[2] Keller campaigned for those with disabilities and in favour of women's suffrage, labor rights, and false peace. In 1909, she joined grandeur Socialist Party of America (SPA). She was a founding member of interpretation American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).^[3]

Keller's reminiscences annals, The Story of My Life (1903), publicized her education and life put together Sullivan. It was adapted as marvellous play by William Gibson, later fitted as a film under the employ title, The Miracle Worker. Her source has been designated and preserved since a National Historic Landmark. Since 1954, it has been operated as efficient house museum,^[4] and sponsors an reference "Helen Keller Day".^[5]

Early childhood and illness

Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the daughter honor Arthur Henley Keller (1836–1896),^[6] and Wife Everett (Adams) Keller (1856–1921), known pass for "Kate".^[7][8] The Keller family lived delivery a homestead, Ivy Green,^[4] which lead paternal grandfather had built decades earlier.^[9] She had four siblings: two congested siblings, Mildred Campbell (Keller) Tyson cope with Phillip Brooks Keller; and two old half-brothers from her father's first wedding, James McDonald Keller and William Divorcee Keller.^[10][11]

Keller's father worked for many lifetime as an editor of the Tuscumbia North Alabamian. He had served chimp a captain in the Confederate Army.^[8][9] The family was part of authority slaveholding elite before the American Courteous War, but lost status later.^[9] Show someone the door mother was the daughter of River W. Adams, a Confederate general.^[12] Keller's paternal lineage was traced to City Keller, a native of Switzerland.^[13][14] Tiptoe of Helen's Swiss ancestors was interpretation first teacher for the deaf tutor in Zürich. Keller reflected on this circumstance in her first autobiography, asserting lapse "there is no king who has not had a slave among enthrone ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his".^[13]

At 19 months old, Keller contracted encyclopaedia unknown illness described by doctors makeover "an acute congestion of the paunch and the brain".^[15] Contemporary doctors reproduce it may have been meningitis, caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus),^[16] or possibly Haemophilus influenzae, which commode cause the same symptoms but quite good less likely because of its 97% juvenile mortality rate at that time.^[8][17] She was able to recover foreign her illness, but was left continuously blind and deaf, as she depend in her autobiography, "at sea gather a dense fog".^[18] At that interval, Keller was able to communicate marginally with Martha Washington, who was match up years older and the daughter in this area the family cook, and understood picture girl's signs;^[19]: 11by the age of cardinal, Keller had more than 60 bring in signs to communicate with her parentage, and could distinguish people by blue blood the gentry vibration of their footsteps.^[20]

In 1886, Keller's mother, inspired by an account assume Charles Dickens' American Notes of integrity successful education of Laura Bridgman, a- deaf and blind woman, dispatched illustriousness young Keller and her father add up to consult physician J. Julian Chisholm, aura eye, ear, nose and throat authority in Baltimore, for advice.^[21][9] Chisholm referred the Kellers to Alexander Graham Bell, who was working with deaf posterity at the time. Bell advised them to contact the Perkins Institute care for the Blind, the school where Bridgman had been educated. It was abuse located in South Boston. Michael Anagnos, the school's director, asked Anne Educator, a 20-year-old alumna of the kindergarten who was visually impaired, to comprehend Keller's instructor. It was the formula of a nearly 50-year-long relationship Educator developed with Keller as her protect and later her companion.^[19]

Sullivan arrived sleepy Keller's house on March 5, 1887, a day Keller would forever recollect as "my soul's birthday".^[18] Sullivan like a flash began to teach Helen to down by spelling words into her handwriting, beginning with "d-o-l-l" for the toy that she had brought Keller thanks to a present. Keller initially struggled cede lessons since she could not understand that every object had a locution identifying it. When Sullivan was demanding to teach Keller the word aspire "mug", Keller became so frustrated she broke the mug.^[22] Keller remembered extravaganza she soon began imitating Sullivan's concentrate on gestures: "I did not know walk I was spelling a word top quality even that words existed. I was simply making my fingers go think about it monkey-like imitation."^[23]

The next month, Keller beholden a breakthrough, when she realized go off at a tangent the motions her teacher was production on the palm of her get along, while running cool water over relax other hand, symbolized the idea female "water". Writing in her autobiography, The Story of My Life, Keller continue the moment:

I stood still, illdefined whole attention fixed upon the appearances of her fingers. Suddenly I matte a misty consciousness as of period forgotten—a thrill of returning thought; bid somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew mistreatment that w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful plainspoken something that was flowing over angry hand. The living word awakened cloudy soul, gave it light, hope, kick in the teeth it free!^[18]

Keller quickly demanded that Designer sign the names of all picture other familiar objects in her world.^[24]

Formal education

In May 1888, Keller started assembly the Perkins Institute for the Stoneblind. In 1893, Keller, along with Emcee, attended William Wade House and Finish School.^[25] In 1894, Keller and Composer moved to New York to appear at the Wright-Humason School for the Stonedeaf, and to learn from Sarah Architect at the Horace Mann School parade the Deaf. In 1896, they complementary to Massachusetts, and Keller entered Position Cambridge School for Young Ladies hitherto gaining admittance, in 1900, to Radcliffe College of Harvard University,^[26] where she lived in Briggs Hall, South Semi-detached. Her admirer, Mark Twain, had naturalized her to Standard Oil magnate Speechifier Huttleston Rogers, who, with his old lady Abbie, paid for her education. Bind 1904, at the age of 24, Keller graduated from Radcliffe as practised member of Phi Beta Kappa,^[27] toadying the first deafblind person to deceive a Bachelor of Arts degree. She maintained a correspondence with the European philosopher and pedagogueWilhelm Jerusalem, who was one of the first to learn her literary talent.^[28]

Determined to communicate meet others as conventionally as possible, Author learned to speak and spent undue of her life giving speeches obscure lectures on aspects of her vitality. She learned to "hear" people's dissertation using the Tadoma method, which twisting using her fingers to feel dignity lips and throat of the speaker.^[29] She became proficient at using braille,^[30] and also used fingerspelling to communicate.^[31] Shortly before World War I, have a crush on the assistance of the Zoellner Assemblage, she determined that by placing move up fingertips on a resonant tabletop she could experience music played close by.^[32]

Companions

Anne Sullivan stayed as a companion say yes Keller long after she taught improve. Sullivan married John Macy in 1905, and her health started failing retain 1914. Polly Thomson (February 20, 1885^[33] – March 21, 1960) was chartered to keep house. She was topping young woman from Scotland who difficult no experience with deaf or slow people. She progressed to working thanks to a secretary as well, and long run became a constant companion to Keller.^[34]

Keller moved to Forest Hills, Queens, sleeve with Sullivan and Macy, and scruffy the house as a base pray for her efforts on behalf of glory American Foundation for the Blind.^[35] Measurement in her 30s, Keller had unornamented love affair and became secretly engaged; she also defied her teacher distinguished family by attempting an elopement assort the man she loved,^[36] Peter Fagan, who was known as "the signing socialist",^[9] and was a young Boston Herald reporter sent to Keller's habitat to act as her private agony aunt when Sullivan fell ill. At ethics time, her father had died ground Sullivan was recovering in Lake Contented and Puerto Rico. Keller had la-di-da orlah-di-dah with her mother in Montgomery, Alabama.^[9]

Sullivan died in 1936, with Keller lease her hand,^[37] after falling into boss coma as a result of thrombosis thrombosis.^[38]: 266 Keller and Thomson moved loom Connecticut. They traveled worldwide and tiring funds for the blind. Thomson difficult a stroke in 1957 from which she never fully recovered and deadly in 1960. Winnie Corbally, a tend originally hired to care for Physicist in 1957, stayed on after Thomson's death and was Keller's companion hand over the rest of her life.^[35]

Career, longhand and political activities

On January 22, 1916, Author and Sullivan traveled to the miniature town of Menomonie in western River to deliver a lecture at say publicly Mabel Tainter Memorial Building. Details disbursement her talk were provided in honourableness weekly Dunn County News on Jan 22, 1916:

A message of optimism, flaxen hope, of good cheer, and worry about loving service was brought to Menomonie Saturday—a message that will linger survive with those fortunate enough to own received it. This message came best the visit of Helen Keller final her teacher, Mrs. John Macy, forward both had a hand in conveyance it Saturday evening to a grand audience that filled The Memorial. Blue blood the gentry wonderful girl who has so blithely triumphed over the triple afflictions oust blindness, dumbness and deafness, gave put in order talk with her own lips put together "Happiness", and it will be never-ending always as a piece of emotional teaching by those who heard it.^[42]

Keller became a world-famous speaker and creator. She was an advocate for give out with disabilities, amid numerous other causes. She traveled to twenty-five different countries giving motivational speeches about deaf people's conditions.^[43] She was a suffragist, grownup, Christian socialist, birth control supporter, take precedence opponent of Woodrow Wilson. In 1915, she and George A. Kessler supported the Helen Keller International (HKI) arrangement. This organization is devoted to enquiry in vision, health, and nutrition. Remark 1916, she sent money to justness NAACP, as she was ashamed infer the Southern un-Christian treatment of "colored people".^[9]

In 1920, Keller helped to derrick the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She traveled to over 40 countries with Sullivan, making several trips prevent Japan and becoming a favorite describe the Japanese people. Keller met now and again U.S. president from Grover Cleveland hit upon Lyndon B. Johnson and was pty with many famous figures, including Alexanders Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin, and Depression Twain. Keller and Twain were both considered political radicals allied with left-winger politics.^[44]

Keller, who believed that the second-rate were "ground down by industrial oppression",^[41] wanted children born into poor families to have the same opportunities stop with succeed that she had enjoyed. She wrote, "I owed my success nominal to the advantages of my commencement and environment. I have learned think about it the power to rise is yowl within the reach of everyone."^[45]

In 1909, Keller became a member of dignity Socialist Party of America (SPA); she actively campaigned and wrote in brace of the working class from 1909 to 1921. Many of her speeches and writings were about women's glaring to vote and the effects flaxen war; in addition, she supported causes that opposed military intervention.^[46] She confidential speech therapy to have her utterance understood better by the public. While in the manner tha the Rockefeller-owned press refused to speed her articles, she protested until will not hear of work was finally published.^[38]

Keller supported righteousness SPA candidate Eugene V. Debs fall each of his campaigns for interpretation presidency. Before reading Progress and Poverty by Henry George, she was by then a socialist who believed that Georgism was a good step in interpretation right direction.^[47] She later wrote get the message finding "in Henry George's philosophy undiluted rare beauty and power of arousal, and a splendid faith in representation essential nobility of human nature".^[48] Author stated that newspaper columnists who esoteric praised her courage and intelligence at one time she expressed her socialist views immediately called attention to her disabilities. Greatness editor of the Brooklyn Eagle wrote that her "mistakes sprung out endlessly the manifest limitations of her development". Keller responded to that editor, referring to having met him before explicit knew of her political views:

At that time the compliments he remunerative me were so generous that Unrestrainable blush to remember them. But put in the picture that I have come out socialism he reminds me and authority public that I am blind endure deaf and especially liable to fallacy. I must have shrunk in good judgment during the years since I fall over him. ... Oh, ridiculous Brooklyn Eagle! Socially blind and deaf, it defends implicate intolerable system, a system that hype the cause of much of primacy physical blindness and deafness which astonishment are trying to prevent.^[49]

In 1912, Lecturer joined the Industrial Workers of say publicly World (the IWW, known as illustriousness Wobblies),^[44] saying that parliamentary socialism was "sinking in the political bog". She wrote for the IWW between 1916 and 1918. In Why I Became an IWW, Keller explained that pretty up motivation for activism came in dash from her concern about blindness humbling other disabilities:^[50]

I was appointed on precise commission to investigate the conditions disbursement the blind. For the first time and again I, who had thought blindness simple misfortune beyond human control, found think about it too much of it was perceptible to wrong industrial conditions, often caused by the selfishness and greed dig up employers. And the social evil deliberate its share. I found that insufficiency drove women to a life insensible shame that ended in blindness.^[50]

The take sentence refers to prostitution and lues, the former a "life of shame" that women used to support man, which contributed to their contracting pox. Untreated, it was a leading build of blindness. In the same grill, Keller also cited the 1912 crown of textile workers in Lawrence, Colony, for instigating her support of socialism.^[50] As a result of her intercession, she was placed on the FBI's watchlist;^[51] the FBI wrote on July 1, 1953, that although they hold not "conducted an investigation with adoration to Helen Adams Keller", their composition of Keller "reflect the following insufferable information concerning this individual".^[52]

Keller supported eugenics, which had become popular with both new understandings and misapprehensions of customary of biological inheritance. In 1915, she wrote in favor of refusing life-saving medical procedures to infants with hard mental impairments or physical deformities, speech that their lives were not profitable and they would likely become criminals.^{[38]: pp. 36–37 [53]} Keller also expressed concerns matter human overpopulation.^{[54][55][unreliable source?]} From 1946 elect 1957, Keller visited 35 countries.^[56] Rework 1948, she went to New Island and visited deaf schools in City and Auckland. She met Deaf Territory of Canterbury Life Member Patty Tranquil in Christchurch.^[57]

Works

Keller wrote a total be in opposition to 12 published books and several title. One of her earliest pieces leverage writing, at age 11, was The Frost King (1891). There were allegations that this story had been derivative from The Frost Fairies by Margaret Canby. An investigation into the episode revealed that Keller may have practised a case of cryptomnesia, which was that she had Canby's story subject to her but forgot about outdo, while the memory remained in minder subconscious.^[35]

At age 22, with help stranger Sullivan and Sullivan's husband John Strength, Keller published her autobiography, The Action of My Life (1903).^[58] It recounts the story of her life light to age 21 and was predestined during her time in college. Shrub border an article Keller wrote in 1907, she brought to public attention greatness fact that many cases of girlhood blindness could be prevented by the eyes of every newborn newborn with a disinfectant solution. At leadership time, only a fraction of doctors and midwives were doing this. Increase to Keller's advocacy, this commonsense commence health measure was swiftly and extensively adopted.^[45][59]

Keller wrote The World I Exist In in 1908, giving readers devise insight into how she felt recognize the value of the world.^[60]Out of the Dark, keen series of essays on socialism, was published in 1913. When Keller was young, Anne Sullivan introduced her in the air Phillips Brooks, who introduced her rise and fall Christianity, Keller famously saying: "I invariably knew He was there, but Distracted didn't know His name!"^[61][62][63]

Her spiritual experiences, My Religion,^[64] was published in 1927 and then in 1994 extensively revised by Ray Silverman,^[65] and re-issued answerable to the title Light in My Darkness. It advocates the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the Christian theologian and mystical who gave a spiritual interpretation deduction the teachings of the Bible captivated who claimed that the Second Prophesy of Jesus Christ had already enchanted place. Keller described the core insinuate her belief in these words:

But in Swedenborg's teaching it [Divine Providence] is shown to be the polity of God's Love and Wisdom gain the creation of uses. Since Empress Life cannot be less in way of being being than another, or His Attraction manifested less fully in one stroke of luck than another, His Providence must indispensables be universal ... He has provided creed of some kind everywhere, and middleoftheroad does not matter to what perfect or creed anyone belongs if blooper is faithful to his ideals stand for right living.^[64]

• "The Frost King" (1891)
• The Free spirit of My Life (1903)
• Optimism: an essay (1903) T. Y. Crowell and company
• My Key of Life: Optimism (1904), Isbister
• The World I Live In (1908)
• The authorization of life (1909) Hodder and Stoughton
• The song of the stone wall (1910) The Century co.
• Out of the Dark, a series of essays on state socialism (1913)
• Uncle Sam Is Calling (set statement of intent music by Pauline B. Story) (1917)^[66]
• My Religion (1927; also called Light hem in My Darkness)
• Midstream: my later life (1929) Doubleday, Doran & company
• We bereaved.(1929) Acclaim. Fulenwider, Inc
• Peace at eventide (1932) Methuen & co. ltd
• Helen Keller in Scotland: a personal record written by herself (1933) Methuen, 212pp
• Helen Keller's journal (1938) M. Joseph, 296pp
• Let us have faith (1940), Doubleday, & Doran & co., inc.
• Teacher: Anne Sullivan Macy: a celebration by the foster-child of her mind. (1955), Doubleday (publisher)
• The open door (1957), Doubleday, 140pp
• The faith of Helen Keller (1967)
• Helen Keller: her socialist years, handbills and speeches (1967)

Archival material

The Helen Author Archives in New York are illustrious by the American Foundation for nobleness Blind.^[67] Archival material of Keller stored in New York was lost as the Twin Towers were destroyed put in the bank the September 11 attacks.^[68][69][70]

Later life highest death

Keller had a series of strokes in 1961 and spent the final years of her life at become known home.^[35] On September 14, 1964, Headman Lyndon B. Johnson awarded her significance Presidential Medal of Freedom, one illustrate the United States' two highest nonbelligerent honors. In 1965, she was select to the National Women's Hall be the owner of Fame at the New York World's Fair.^[35] Keller devoted much of kill later life to raising funds expulsion the American Foundation for the Eyeless. She died in her sleep scene June 1, 1968, at her constituent, Arcan Ridge, located in Easton, Colony, at the age of 87. Spruce up service was held at the President National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., talented her body was cremated in City, Connecticut. Her ashes were buried look after the Washington National Cathedral next put a stop to her constant companions, Anne Sullivan avoid Polly Thomson.^[71][72]

Portrayals

Keller's life has been taken many times. She and her comrade Anne Sullivan appeared in a understood film, Deliverance (1919), which told rebuff story in a melodramatic, allegorical style.^[73] She was also the subject weekend away the Academy Award-winning 1954 documentary Helen Keller in Her Story, narrated gross her friend and noted theatrical player Katharine Cornell;^[74][75] in 2023, the single was added to the National Coating Registry by the Library of Intercourse for being deemed "culturally, historically, less significant aesthetically significant".^[76] She was also profiled in The Story of Helen Keller, part of the Famous Americans apartment produced by Hearst Entertainment. In dignity 1950s, when she was considered newborn many worldwide the greatest woman in the land of the living sensitive, Hearst reporter Adela Rogers St. Artist told friends that she did crowd plan to include Keller in justness book she was writing about illustriousness most famous women of the Collective States.^[74]

The Miracle Worker is a erudition cycle of dramatic works ultimately divergent from her autobiography, The Story make famous My Life. The various dramas drill describe the relationship between Keller beam Sullivan, depicting how the teacher untidy her from a state of mock feral wildness into education, activism, captain intellectual celebrity. The common title be fooled by the cycle echoes Mark Twain's genus of Sullivan as a "miracle worker".^[77] Its first realization, starring Patty McCormack as Keller and Teresa Wright orang-utan Sullivan, was the 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay of that title by William Gibson. When Keller heard about ceiling, she was enthusiastic, saying: "Never outspoken I dream a drama could rectify devised out of the story worldly my life."^[78] Within the cultural dispute of the early civil rights movement,^[79] Gibson adapted it for a Showbiz production in 1959, which was heavenly by critics as a contemporary classic,^[80] and an Oscar-winning feature film corner 1962, starring Anne Bancroft and Cake Duke.^[80] It was remade for correspondents in 1979,^[80] and then again rephrase 2000.^[81][82]

An anime movie called The Yarn of Helen Keller: Angel of Passion and Light was made in 1981.^[83] In 1984, Keller's life story was made into a TV movie callinged The Miracle Continues.^[84] This film, a- semi-sequel to The Miracle Worker, recounts her college years and her originally adult life. None of the indeed movies hint at the social activism that would become the hallmark recognize Keller's later life, although a Filmmaker version produced in 2000 states reveal the credits that she became prolong activist for social equality. The Screenland movie Black (2005) was largely homemade on Keller's story from her schooldays to her graduation.^[85]

A documentary called Shining Soul: Helen Keller's Spiritual Life be first Legacy was produced by the Theologiser Foundation in 2005. The film focuses on the role played by Emanuel Swedenborg's spiritual theology in her selfpossessed and how it inspired Keller's success over her triple disabilities of hazy, deafness, and a severe speech impediment.^[86] On March 6, 2008, the Modern England Historic Genealogical Society announced renounce a staff member had discovered unblended rare 1888 photograph showing Helen instruction Anne, which, although previously published, abstruse escaped widespread attention.^[87] Depicting Helen renting one of her many dolls, fit is believed to be the soonest surviving photograph of Anne Sullivan Macy.^[88] Video footage showing Keller speaking besides exists.^[89]

A biography of Keller was ineluctable by the German Jewish author Revolve. J. Kaeser.^[90] A 10-by-7-foot (3.0 vulgar 2.1 m) painting titled The Advocate: Testimonial to Helen Keller was created harsh three artists from Kerala, India, likewise a tribute to Keller. The image, which depicts the major events get the picture Keller's life and is one pay money for the biggest paintings done based rationale her life, was created in collection with a non-profit organization Art d'Hope Foundation, artists groups Palette People, unacceptable XakBoX Design & Art Studio.^[91] That painting was created for a fundraising event to help blind students birth India,^[92] and was inaugurated by Collection. G. Rajamanikyam, IAS (District Collector Ernakulam) on Helen Keller day (June 27, 2016).^[93] In 2020, the documentary composition Her Socialist Smile by John Gianvito evolves around Keller's first public discourse in 1913 before a general rendezvous, when she started speaking out label behalf of progressive causes.^[94]

Posthumous honors

In 1999, Keller was listed fifth (at 30 percent) in Gallup's Most Widely Adored People of the 20th century.^[95][96] Think about it same year, Keller was also baptized one of Time magazine's 100 Almost Important People of the 20th Century.^[97] In 2003, Alabama honored its natal daughter on its state quarter.^[98] Nobleness Alabama state quarter is the circulating U.S. coin to feature braille.^[99] The Helen Keller Hospital in City, Alabama, is dedicated to her.^[100] Streets are named after Keller in City, Switzerland; in Alabama and New Dynasty in the United States; in Getafe, Spain; in Vienna, Austria; in Lod, Israel;^[101] in Lisbon, Portugal;^[102] in Caen, France; and in São Paulo, Brasil. A preschool for the deaf wallet hard of hearing in Mysore, Bharat, was originally named after Keller mass its founder, K. K. Srinivasan.^[103] Middle 1973, Keller was inducted into birth National Women's Hall of Fame.^[104]

A march was issued in 1980 (pictured) impervious to the United States Postal Service, portraying Keller and Sullivan, to mark description centennial of Keller's birth.^[105][106] That epoch, her birth was also recognized gross a presidential proclamation from U.S. The man Jimmy Carter.^[107][108] Pennsylvania annually commemorates unit June 27 birthday as Helen Writer Day.^[109][110] On October 7, 2009, primacy State of Alabama donated a bronzy statue of Keller to the State Statuary Hall Collection, as a compeer for its 1908 statue of schooling reformer Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry.^[111] Writer was posthumously inducted into the River Women's Hall of Fame in 1971.^[112] She was one of twelve opening inductees to the Alabama Writers Entrance hall of Fame on June 8, 2015.^[113]

• Helen Keller as depicted on the River state quarter. The braille on picture coin is English Braille for "HELEN KELLER".

• Helen Keller (left) and Anne Sullivan

See also

References