Helen Keller was a social activist and author who became the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelors degree. A serious illness left Keller deaf and blind as an infant but that did not stop her from becoming one of the greatest and most inspirational people in American history. The Story of My Life, published in 1903, is an autobiography which details Keller's early life. The book is notable as it describes Keller's experiences with Anne Sullivan, her instructor and lifelong companion. The World I Live In, published in 1908, is a book which provides excellent insight into Keller's mind. Optimism is an essay Keller wrote in 1903 on how people need to focus more on the positives in life.
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller's teacher, Annie Sullivan, broke through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become known worldwide through the dramatic depictions of the play and film The Miracle Worker.
A prolific author, Keller was well traveled and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women's suffrage, workers' rights, and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes.
Keller devoted much of her later life to raising funds for the American Foundation for the Blind. On September 14, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Helen Keller the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States' highest two civilian honors.
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