PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Alex Haley was born on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, New York .
Alex As A Boy
For the first five years of
Haley's life, Haley lived with his mother and grandparents in Hennings, Tennessee, while his father finished his studies.
Alex As A Teenager
1: At the age of 15 Alex Haley graduated high school.
2: He enrolled at Alcorn A&M College.
3: At the age of 17 he went to go join the coast guards as a seamen.
4: During Free time Alex Haley wrote short story's, letters, and articles.
Malcolm X
When he left the Coast Guard he wrote biographies. (Biographies tell stories about people’s lives). He was famous for writing the autobiography of an African American named Malcom X. This became a special book because only two weeks later Malcom X died. The book preserved or saved the memory of Malcom X’s life
Alex’s Great Idea
Alex went to London after Malcom X died. While he was there he went to the famous British Museum. He was impressed with the Rosetta Stone. The special stone told about an important family in Egypt. When he was a little boy his grandmother would tell him stories and legends about his family. Alex thought it would be a good idea to write about his own family.
Roots
Alex decided to write a book about his family called “Roots: The Saga of an American Family.” The book was based on Alex’s genealogy and discoveries about his family. It also told about the hard time the slaves had when they came to America. Some of it
is fact, or true, and some of it is fiction, made to explain the ideas better. The book became the number one national best seller! Millions of copies were sold in the 1970s. Alex Haley became a famous author and Tennessean. Later the book was made into a movie.The book explained how terrible many slaves were treated. When slavery was no longer allowed in America, Alex’s family became free citizens. It is a great lesson for Americans never to treat .
Henning, Tennessee
The Alex Haley House Museum
You can visit the Alex Haley Museum to learn more about Alex’s Roots.
Haley Heritage Square stands as a permanent tribute to our cultural diversity, integrity, and good-will for all humanity.
