Which space shuttle put the first American in space?

The first American in space was Alan Shepard, who flew aboard the Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft, also known as Freedom 7, on May 5, 1961. However, it's important to note that this mission was not part of the Space Shuttle program, which began in 1981. The first space shuttle to fly was Columbia, which launched on April 12, 1981, during the STS-1 mission.