Abraham lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He was born in Kentucky in 1809. His family was very poor. When Lincoln was a boy, he worked on his family's farm. He did not go to school. He taught himself to read and write. Later, Lincoln studied law and became a lawyer. After that, he became a politician.

Everybody liked Abraham Lincoln because he was intelligent and hardworking. Lincoln was very ambitious. He wanted to be good at everything he did. He said that he wanted to win the "race of life."

He was also kind and honest. People called him "Honest Abe". Lincoln became president in 1860. In 1861, there was a war between the North and the South of the United States. The people in the South wanted a separate government from the United States. The North wanted the United States to stay together as one country. Lincoln was the leader of the North. In the war, brother killed brother. The Civil War was four years long. The North won the Civil War. The war ended on April 9, 1865. Six days later, President Lincoln and his wife went to the theater. Inside the theater, a man went behind the president and shot him in the head. The man's name was John Wilkes Booth. He was a supporter of the South. Lincoln died the next morning.

Vocabulary

Complete the definitions. Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. When you always tell the truth, you are _______.

1. intelligent

2. honest

3. hard-working

2. When other people follow you, you are their _______.

1. brother

2. family

3. leader

3. When you want to be the best at everything, you are _______ .

1. honest

2. ambitious

3. kind

4. When you believe in an idea or an action, you are its _______ .

1. president

2. supporter

3. wife

5. When your job is to give advice to people about the law, you are a _____.

1. lawyer

2. politician

3. president

6. When you kill with a gun, you ________.

1. shoot

2. win

3. end

Comprehension

A. Looking for Main Ideas

Write complete answers to these questions.

1. Why did everybody like Abraham Lin­coln?

2. When did Lincoln become president?

3. Who won the Civil War?

B. Looking for Details

Circle Т if the sentence is true. Circle F if the sentence is false.

1. Lincoln was born in 1860. T F

2. People called Lincoln "Honest Abe." T F

3. The war started in 1860. T F

4. Lincoln was the leader of the North. T F

5. The war ended in 1865. T F

6. The Civil War was six years long. T F

7. Abraham Lincoln died in the war. T F

8. John Wilkes Booth killed Lincoln. T F

Martin luther king, jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a black clergyman from Atlanta, Georgia. When King was a child, he learned that black people and white people did not mix in public places. Black people sat in different parts of restaurants and movie theaters. Black people sat at the back of the bus. Black and white chil­dren went to different schools. This kind of separation is called segregation.

King loved to study. He was a good student and went to college at a young age. He was only fifteen years old. When he finished college, he began to fight segregation. He did not believe in violence. He believed in peace. He helped black people to protest in peace. They went on peace marches.

King also wanted equality for everybody. He wanted black and white men and women to have an equal chance in the United States. This is called the civil rights movement. In 1963, King was the leader of the civil rights march on Washington, D.C. Thousands of people listened to his famous speech. It be­gins, "I have a dream."

In 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr, was the youngest person to get the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is for people who try to make peace in the world. In 1968, an assassin killed King. He was only thirty-nine years old. His birthday, January 15, is a national holiday in the United States.