edHelper.com
A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)

Abolitionists

Abolitionists
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.95

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    anti-slave, killing, rallying, membership, further, assault, abolish, violent, radical, political, moderate, reading, maintain, teaching, raid, founded
     content words:    American Anti-Slavery Society, William Lloyd Garrison, United States, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Josiah Henson, Uncle Tom, Frederick Douglass, Anti-Slavery Society, When Kansas, Bloody Kansas

Print Abolitionists
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Abolitionists  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Abolitionists
     Leave your feedback on Abolitionists  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Abolitionists
By Mary L. Bushong 		  
1     What does it mean to abolish something? It means to get rid of it, stamp it out, or destroy it. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a movement began among people from all walks of life. They were the Abolitionists, and they wanted to get rid of slavery.
 
2     One of the first groups of people to become vocal about the plight of slaves and the need to abolish slavery was the Quakers. Many were already involved in helping every slave who asked. They would provide food, shelter, and education, teaching them skills like reading and writing.
 
3     Since slavery had been common until the 19th century, many people did not have any real idea what the life of a slave was like. In 1833, the American Anti-Slavery Society was founded in Philadelphia. The group was led by William Lloyd Garrison. They pledged to abolish slavery in the United States, believing that it was against natural law.

Paragraphs 4 to 9:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper