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Madam C. J. Walker - From Rags to Riches

Madam C. J. Walker - From Rags to Riches
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.18

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    abusive, anti-lynching, businesswoman, dark-skinned, equality, estate, hypertension, industrious, legacy, aspect, extremely, motivate, opening, personally, directly, wealthy
     content words:    Minerva Breedlove, Moses McWilliams, John Davis, Charles Joseph Walker, Madam C., Madam Walker, Lelia College, Walker Hair Culturists, Sarah Breedlove Walker, United States

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Madam C. J. Walker - From Rags to Riches
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     December 23 was a big day for Owen and Minerva Breedlove. They were slaves on a farm near Delta, Louisiana. On this day, Minerva gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Sarah. Sarah joined an older sister, Louvenia, in this poor family. The family's time together was all too short. Sarah's parents both died of yellow fever when she was just seven years old.
 
2     Sarah and her sister stayed on the farm until Sarah was ten years old. They decided it was time to leave the farm. The illness and poverty there were too much for them to bear. The two girls moved across the river to Vicksburg, Mississippi. They were able to find work as maids in the city. Life was still not easy.
 
3     When Sarah was fourteen, she decided to get married. It was her way of escaping from her sister's abusive husband. Sarah married Moses McWilliams. She gave birth to her own daughter. She named her daughter Lelia. Just two years later, Sarah's husband died. She was left to make a living for herself and her little girl.

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