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The 1900's

He Walked Softly - Teddy Roosevelt

He Walked Softly - Teddy Roosevelt
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.14

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    self-imposed, Teedie, unbiased, economic, merely, presidency, presidential, oath, irrigation, politics, outstanding, wealthy, determination, tutor, bullet, death
     content words:    Teddy Roosevelt, United States, New York City, Civil War, Holy Lands, Harvard University, Dakota Territory, New York, Spanish-American War, Rough Riders

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He Walked Softly - Teddy Roosevelt
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     As a young teenager, Teddy Roosevelt and his family lived for a year in Germany. During that time, he had a tutor to make sure he kept his studies up. After a year with Teddy, the tutor declared that he would surely become a great professor, or even the President of the United States. How true those words became.
 
2     Teddy Roosevelt was not the same kind of president the United States was used to. Most presidents had come from rural or even log cabin backgrounds. They grew up on farms or in the woodlands of America. Teddy grew up in New York City. His father was a wealthy merchant. His mother was a Southern lady who still believed the South should have won the Civil War. Teddy was born on October 27, 1858. He was not a very healthy young man. His father believed his illnesses could be overcome with a great deal of outdoor exercise. In Teddy's case, it worked.
 
3     "Teedie," as he was called by his family, developed a strong interest in animals. He and his cousins set up a museum of natural history when he was seven. When he was nine, he wrote his first book on the history of insects.
 
4     Because of his father's wealth and business dealings, Teddy was able to travel the world at a young age. He visited Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Lands before he turned fifteen. These travels fueled young Roosevelt's desire to learn more about animals and made him stronger so that he could pursue his interests with more ease.
 
5     In 1875, Roosevelt entered Harvard University. It was here that he met the girl who would become his first wife, Alice. She and one of Roosevelt's professors convinced young Teddy to pursue politics instead of natural history in college. He and Alice were married in 1880. Alice died in 1884, on the same day that Roosevelt's mother died.

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