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Margaret Mitchell

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Margaret Mitchell was a famous American novelist and journalist.

Margaret Mitchell - Democrat and Chronicle (1936)
Margaret Mitchell - Democrat and Chronicle (1936)

She is best known for writing the novel Gone with the Wind. This book was set during the American Civil War. It was very successful and won two major honors. She won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1936. In 1937, she also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Margaret Mitchell 1941 on USS Atlanta (CL-51)
Margaret Mitchell 1941 on USS Atlanta (CL-51)

Even after she died, people found more of her work. They published her teenage writings and her newspaper articles in books.

Mitchell grew up in a very active family in Georgia. Her father, Eugene Muse Mitchell, was a lawyer.

Eugene Muse Mitchell
Eugene Muse Mitchell

Her mother, May Belle Stephens, was a leader for women's rights. May Belle helped women fight for the right to vote. She even led a suffrage rally where her daughter sat on a platform. This work was part of a big change in American history. The Nineteenth Amendment was passed when Margaret was nineteen years old. This gave women the legal right to vote.

As a young girl, Mitchell was known as a tomboy.

Little Jimmy-He Keeps Clean 1905
Little Jimmy-He Keeps Clean 1905

She loved to ride her pony every afternoon. Because she often wore boys' pants, people called her "Jimmy." This nickname came from a popular comic strip character. Her childhood was spent on Jackson Hill in Atlanta. She lived in a bright red Victorian house near her grandmother. Her grandmother, Annie Stephens, told her many stories about the past. These stories helped Mitchell learn about life during the Civil War.

Her family had a long history in the South. Her ancestors came from Scotland and settled in Georgia in 1777.

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

Her grandfather, Russell Crawford Mitchell, fought in the Confederate States Army. He was wounded in a battle called Sharpsburg. Later, he made a fortune by providing lumber to rebuild Atlanta. Her other grandfather, John Stephens, was also a captain in the army. He helped start a mule-drawn trolley system in Atlanta in 1881.

Peach Tree Street Atlanta 1907
Peach Tree Street Atlanta 1907

These family stories were part of her world.

Mitchell's life was full of many different roles. She was a writer, a journalist, and a member of many clubs. She even worked with the Red Cross during the war years.

Margaret Mitchell Christens USS Atlanta (CL-104) 1944
Margaret Mitchell Christens USS Atlanta (CL-104) 1944

Her famous book helped people imagine a very different time in history. Today, her life and her stories are still remembered. You can find her resting place in Oakland Cemetery.

MargaretMitchell-grave
MargaretMitchell-grave

Her work remains a major part of American literature.

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🖼️ Images & Media (11)
File:Eugene Muse Mitchell.jpg
Eugene Muse Mitchell.jpg
File:RuralHomePlantation.jpg
RuralHomePlantation.jpg
File:Little Jimmy-He Keeps Clean 1905.jpg
Little Jimmy-He Keeps Clean 1905.jpg
File:Peach Tree Street Atlanta 1907.jpg
Peach Tree Street Atlanta 1907.jpg
File:Flag of the United States.svg
Flag of the United States.svg
File:Army distinguished service cross medal.png
Army distinguished service cross medal.png
File:Crescent Apartments, Atlanta, Georgia.jpg
Crescent Apartments, Atlanta, Georgia.jpg
File:Margaret Mitchell - Democrat and Chronicle (1936).jpg
Margaret Mitchell - Democrat and...
File:Margaret Mitchell 1941 on USS Atlanta (CL-51).jpg
Margaret Mitchell 1941 on USS Atlanta (CL-51).jpg
File:Margaret Mitchell Christens USS Atlanta (CL-104) 1944.jpg
Margaret Mitchell Christens USS Atlanta...
File:MargaretMitchell-grave.jpg
MargaretMitchell-grave.jpg
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