Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets World War I

John J. "Black Jack" Pershing World War I

---

John J. "Black Jack" Pershing
Print John J. "Black Jack" Pershing Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print John J. "Black Jack" Pershing Reading Comprehension


Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 6 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.29

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		expeditionary, so-so, stalemate, chairman, havoc, hailed, seniority, offensive, helping, discontent, rebellion, tactics, best, ranks, armistice, recruit
	content words:		John Joseph Pershing, West Point, United States Military Academy, Spanish-American War, African-American Tenth Cavalry, San Juan Hill, Russo-Japanese War, John J., Brigadier General, Helen Frances Warren

---

John J. "Black Jack" Pershing By Jane Runyon

---

¹     John Joseph Pershing was not a born military man. He was born in the small town of Laclede, Missouri, in September of 1860. He began his young adult life as a schoolteacher about nine miles from his home town. He heard about a chance to continue his education. He decided to pursue the opportunity. He and other young men took a test given in his state. The prize for the competition was an appointment to West Point, the United States Military Academy. He won the competition and joined the corps of cadets in 1882. He proved to be just a so-so student. He did, however, excel as a class leader. He was admired for his ability to lead. He was also feared for the intimidating ways he accomplished his goals.
 
²     After graduation, Pershing kept busy serving his country. First he fought in the West against the Sioux and Apache. He then became a college professor teaching military tactics for four years. He fought in the Spanish-American War in 1898. He earned the nickname "Black Jack" by leading the African-American Tenth Cavalry in the frontier and at San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War in 1898. He was sent to the Philippines in 1903, where he helped stop a rebellion of Moro natives. He was appointed as a military attaché to Japan during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. He observed the war and recorded what happened for the purpose of preserving history.
 
³     In 1906, John J. Pershing was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He received this promotion before 800 officers who had more seniority in the army. Most of these officers could not help but wonder if the promotion had something to do with his marriage to Helen Frances Warren. Her father just happened to be the chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee. Pershing had also formed a friendship with President Theodore Roosevelt. Both of these coincidences seemed to help his advancement through the ranks.

Paragraphs 4 to 7:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

---

Weekly Reading Books

Create Weekly Reading Books Prepare for an entire week at once!

---

Feedback on John J. "Black Jack" Pershing

Leave your feedback on John J. "Black Jack" Pershing   (use this link if you found an error in the story)

---

World War I

World War I

---

Social Studies

Social Studies

United States History and Theme Units         American Government         Ancient America         Ancient China         Ancient Egypt         Ancient Greece         Ancient India         Ancient Mesopotamia         Ancient Rome         Biographies         Canadian Theme Unit         Country Theme Units         Crime and Terrorism         Economics         European History: 1600s-1800s

Explorers         Famous Educators         Geography         Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series         History of Books and Writing         History of Mathematics         How Can I Help?         Inventors and Inventions         Middle Ages         Renaissance         World Religion         World War I         World War II         World Wonders

---

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

---

Document Based Activities

Document Based Activities

Copyright © 2025 edHelper