edHelper.com
Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages and Disadvantages
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   high interest, readability grades 4 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.28

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    slavery, commander, command, ending, military, gain, easily, defend, attack, weakness, supplies, volunteer, freedom, goal, working, lines
     content words:    Civil War, Revolutionary War, Union Army, Robert E., When Virginia, Confederate Army, Abraham Lincoln, Bull Run

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

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

Advantages and Disadvantages
By Cathy Pearl 		  
1     When the Civil War started, both sides thought that they would win easily. They also thought they were fighting the war for the right reasons. The Union planned an aggressive attack against the South. They wanted to go to war to save the Union. At first, ending slavery was not a goal of the war.
 
2     The South planned on waiting until the North was sick of fighting. The South felt they were fighting to save their way of life. They compared the war to the Revolutionary War. Those in the South felt that they were fighting to gain their freedom.
 
3     Both sides in the war had strengths and weaknesses. The South had one big advantage. They planned to fight a defensive war. If the North did not come into the South, the South saw no reason to fight.
 
4     It is easier to defend land that a person knows well. Friendly people in the country would guide soldiers on roads that weren't on maps. Soldiers knew the forests well. They knew the best places to hide. The trees also helped to protect Southern soldiers when the Union Army invaded.
 
5     Families in the South had grown up around guns and horses. They knew how to hunt and live off the land. This helped them adjust to being soldiers. They were comfortable firing guns and knew how to handle them well.

Paragraphs 6 to 15:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper