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Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
Abolitionists and the Underground Railroad

Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
Black History and Blacks in U.S. History

Abolitionists and the Underground Railroad
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Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.68

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    housing, helping, personally, founding, span, fines, constitution, slavery, plight, public, beginning, death, runaway, freedom, slave, neither
     content words:    United States, Abolitionist Society, Underground Railroad, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman

Other Languages
     Spanish: Los abolicionistas y el "ferrocarril subterráneo"

Abolitionists and the Underground Railroad
By Mary L. Bushong 		  
1     When the founding fathers of the United States wrote the constitution, slavery was common. Things slowly changed in the Northern states until almost no one kept slaves. At the same time, slavery was also dying out in the Southern states at the beginning of the 1800's.
 
2     It cost money to feed and clothe many slaves. Sometimes the money made from the crops was not enough. All that changed when the cotton gin was invented. Suddenly, it was cheap and simple to grow cotton that could be sold for a big profit.
 
3     Land owners saw a chance to become very rich. They bought more land and slaves to grow more cotton. Many plantation owners did not take good care of their slaves though. Slaves were often starved, lived in poor housing, or were worked to death. As more Northerners became aware of their plight, two groups were formed; the Abolitionist Society and the Underground Railroad.

Paragraphs 4 to 10:
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Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
             Black History and Blacks in U.S. History

A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
             A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)

More Lessons
             Harriet Tubman Activities, Worksheets, Printables, and Lesson Plans

United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 

United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861) 		 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830) 		 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870) 		 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991) 		 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806) 		 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865) 		 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945) 		 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900) 		 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918) 		 
 
    World War II  
 

50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit

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      Document Based Activities



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