Shirley Chisholm was a crucial figure in black politics and the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress. She defeated civil rights leader James Farmer on November 5, 1968, and served 7 terms in the House of Representatives until 1982. Additionally, she was the first woman and person of color to run for president. Chisholm is a model of independence and honesty and has supported several issues including civil rights, relief for the poor and women's rights. Shirley Chisholm was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Barbadian parents. When she was three years old, Shirley was sent to live with her grandmother on a farm in Barbados, a former British colony in the West Indies. He received much of his primary education in Barbados school. His ideals were perfect for the times. In the mid-1960s the civil rights movement was in full swing. Across the nation, activists worked for equal civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race. In 1964 Chisholm was elected to the assembly. During his time serving in the assembly, Chisholm sponsored fifty bills, but only eight of them passed. One of the successful bills she supported provided assistance for poor students to pursue higher education. Another provided employment insurance coverage for personal and household employees. Yet another bill struck down a law that caused New York's female teachers to lose their tenure (tenure) while on maternity leave. At the beginning of her career as a congresswoman, she took a stand on the issue of abortion (women's rights). to prevent the birth of a child) and supported a woman's right to choose. She also spoke out against the traditional roles of professional women (including secretaries, teachers, and librarians), arguing that women were capable of taking on many other professions. Black women especially, she believed, had been pushed into stereotypical roles, or conventional professions, such as maids and nannies. Chisholm supported the idea that they needed to escape, not only with government help, but also with personal effort. Her anti-war and women's liberation views made Chisholm a popular speaker at the college