Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Black History and Blacks in U.S. History Colonial America (1492-1776)

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

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Black Literature Leaders
Print Black Literature Leaders Reading Comprehension with Fourth Grade Work

Print Black Literature Leaders Reading Comprehension with Fifth Grade Work

Print Black Literature Leaders Reading Comprehension

Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 5
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.6

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		slave, devout, unjust, capacity, wealthy, slavery, scornful, newly, dealt, colonial, directly, impressive, writing, mankind, uneducated, gain
	content words:		Long Island, New York, Jupiter Hammon, When Jupiter, Evening Thought, Penitential Cries, Christmas Day, Miss Phillis Wheatly, Winter Piece, United States

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Black Literature Leaders By Jane Runyon

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¹     Many slave owners in colonial times believed in keeping their slaves uneducated. It was their belief that it was a waste of time to teach these newly arrived Africans how to read or write. They had no capacity to learn, anyway.
 
²     Some slave owners taught their slaves basic reading skills. It was their belief that they could turn these "heathens" into Christians. They wanted their "property" to be able to read the Bible. This was the way to their salvation. It would also civilize them.
 
³     Fortunately, there were slave owners with a much more open point of view. They believed that slaves could and should be educated. The Lloyd family of Long Island, New York, was one such family. Jupiter Hammon was born around 1711. He was sold to the Lloyd family as a very young boy. Jupiter was a slave for four generations of the Lloyd family. They sent Jupiter to school to learn to read and write.
 
⁴     Jupiter had much more freedom than many slaves. He could tend his own garden and sell the produce for spending money. When Jupiter was twenty-two, he purchased his own Bible from the Lloyd family. He was a devout Christian.

Paragraphs 5 to 12:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

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Black History and Blacks in U.S. History

Black History and Blacks in U.S. History

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Colonial America (1492-1776)

Colonial America (1492-1776)

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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

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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

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50 States

Fifty States Theme Unit

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Document Based Activities

Document Based Activities

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