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The United States Grows
(1865-1900)

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   high interest, readability grades 4 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.84

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    businessman, weaver, born, jobs, public, secretary, harsh, business, often, private, steel, thousand, life, during, support, died
     content words:    Andrew Carnegie, Thomas A., Pennsylvania Railroad, Civil War, Keystone Bridge Company, Great Britain, Carnegie Institute, World War, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow

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Andrew Carnegie
By Cathy Pearl 		  
1     Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland in 1835. His dad was a weaver. Carnegie was also expected to go into that business when he was old enough. But steam-powered looms were brought to Scotland. Hundreds of weavers lost their jobs. Carnegie's father was one of them.
 
2     Carnegie's mother went to work. She needed to support the family. She was also worried. She didn't think they would survive in Scotland. The family came to America and went to Pittsburgh in 1848.
 
3     Carnegie went to work in a cotton factory. He earned $1.20 a week. He also worked as a messenger boy in a telegraph office. He worked hard at his jobs. He always tried to learn as many new things as he could.
 
4     He met Thomas A. Scott in the telegraph office. Scott worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Scott really liked the young man. He hired Carnegie to be his private secretary. Carnegie was paid thirty-five dollars a month.
 
5     Carnegie worked his way up the ladder at this company. Again, he worked hard and learned everything that he could. Eventually, he took over the job that Scott once had.

Paragraphs 6 to 13:
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