THIS BOOK BELONGS TO
BOOK 3
CREDITS
Naphtali Hoff, PsyD
Project consultant
Fraydel Sharf
Content Director
Deena Hoff
Project coordinator
WRITER TEAM
Yisrael Kaminetsky
Copywriter
Tamara Shane, MSpEd
Mrs. Leah Cohen
Curriculum Advisor
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Akiva Leitner
Project Manager
Mirko Zunic
Layout Director
This Month in History Book 3 ISBN 978-1-955773-27-0
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INTRODUCTION
Dear Educators and Students,
Welcome to the "This Month in History" series, an innovative educational resource from Lighthouse Curriculum. This engaging book has been thoughtfully designed to supplement your social studies and history lessons while also enhancing your students' reading and comprehension skills.
One of the key features of this series is its alignment with students' grade-specific reading levels. The book offers a captivating topic to explore each week, covering significant events and fascinating moments in history that occurred within the same month. By connecting these historical events to the present, we hope to foster a deeper understanding and relevance for students, making their learning experience more enjoyable and meaningful.
To further support students' development, each passage is accompanied by comprehension questions, exercises, interactive activities and new vocabulary words. These components have been carefully curated to encourage critical thinking, reflection, and knowledge retention.
We are proud to say that the "This Month in History" series has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from both educators and students alike. As you embark on this exciting journey through time, we look forward to witnessing the positive impact it has on your students. Our team is confident that this book will not only broaden their knowledge in social studies and history but also enhance their reading and reading comprehension skills.
Thank you for choosing Lighthouse Curriculum as your educational partner, and we wish you a captivating adventure through the pages of history. Let the journey begin!
Warm regards,
The Lighthouse Curriculum TeamDid you know?
• Germany surrendered in May of 1945, while Japan did not surrender until September.
• WWII had bizarre weapons, such as the German cannon that could shoot across the sea.
• The war lasted six years and one day. WWII began on September 1st 1939 and ended on September 2nd 1945.
▸ Adolf Hitler speaking in the Reichstag, the German government ▸ Warships burning during the attack on Pearl HarborWWII
World War II was one of the darkest times in human history. The entire world fought for six long years, from 1939 until 1945. It is estimated that 50 million people died.
After losing World War I in 1918, Germany was forced to pay a lot of reparations. Reparations are money a country pays to people or other countries take responsibility for what it did wrong. Paying these reparations made Germany very poor. People were starving, and money was worthless.
The Germans needed a leader to help their country and restore their national pride. Adolf Hitler promised to do these things and was voted into power with his Nazi party in 1933. In 1934, Hitler became the “Fuhrer” (leader) and dictator of Germany. That means Hitler had the power to make whatever laws he wanted.
Hitler looked to bring Germany back to power by taking over other countries. He took over Austria in 1938 and Czechoslovakia in 1939. These countries surrendered, or gave up without fighting.
On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany attacked Poland, starting the war. World War II consumed , or took over, the
reparationsmoney a country pays to take responsibility for what it did wrong consumed - took over allies - countries that help each other fight naval base - where the army keeps its warships
globe for the next six years. Italy and Japan were Germany’s allies. Allies are countries that help each other. These three countries were known as the Axis Powers and brought a lot of suffering to the world. Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France were the Allied Powers who fought against Germany.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. A naval base is where the army keeps its warships. This caused the U.S. to join the war. The U.S. became a major power within the Allied Powers fighting Germany.
Up until 1942 the Germans conquered almost every country they attacked. By 1943 the Allies began to beat the Germans. The British and Americans launched an attack on Italy forcing them to surrender. At the same time, The Russians kicked the Germans out of Russia and began pushing them back towards Germany.
On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies. May 8th is called “Victory in Europe” day. On September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered and the world was finally at peace.
▸ People dancing in the street to celebrate Victory in Europe dayQuestion REVIEW
1. In what year did World War II start?
a. 1939
b. 1934
c. 1993
d. 1945
2. When did the U.S. join the war?
a. 1939
b. 1941
c. 1945
d. They didn’t join
3. How long did World War II last?
a. Six years
b. Ten years
c. Nine years
d. Three years
4. Why did the Germans want Adolf Hitler as their leader?
5. Why did the German people need hope after World War I?
6. Who were the Axis Powers?
Fill in the events based on what you read in the article.
The British Air Force bombs Germany. Italy surrenders to the Allies. Russians push the German army back to Germany.
Japan surrenders to the Allies.
• There were 43,600 windows in the Twin Towers—over 600,000 square feet of glass.
• The World Trade Center was a group of seven buildings in Manhattan.
• There were 239 elevators and 17 escalators in the World Trade Center complex.
9/11
Before you board an airplane, you must go through a security check. You must empty your pockets, take off your shoes, and walk through a metal detector or scanner. All this security was added after 9/11 to prevent terrorism.
1 , A BOEING 767 CARRYING 81 PASSENGERS AND 11 CREW MEMBERS, DEPARTS FROM BOSTON.
The Twin Towers were the pride of New York City. When first built, they were the tallest buildings in the world. At 1,360 feet, the towers were the focal point of the New York skyline. The focal point is what your eyes are drawn to first. Around 50,000 people worked in each of their 110 floors of offices.
On September 11, 2001, the Islamic terrorist organization, Al-Qaeda, hijacked four passenger airplanes. To hijack a plane is to take control of it or force the pilot to fly as directed. The hijackers crashed two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. They crashed a third plane into the Pentagon. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the Department of Defense in Virginia. That is where decisions about war and security are made. The hijackers tried to crash the fourth plane in Washington, D.C. The passengers forced them to crash the plane in an empty Pennsylvania field instead.
3 , A BOEING 757 WITH 58 PASSENGERS AND 6 CREW MEMBERS, DEPARTS FROM WASHINGTON.
1 CRASHES INTO THE NORTH FACE OF THE NORTH TOWER (1 WTC) OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, BETWEEN FLOORS 93 AND 99. ALL 92 PEOPLE ON BOARD ARE KILLED.
3 CRASHES INTO THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE PENTAGON. ALL 64 PEOPLE ON BOARD ARE KILLED.
4 IS CRASHED BY ITS HIJACKERS IN A FIELD IN SOMERSET COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. LATER REPORTS INDICATE THAT PASSENGERS HAD LEARNED ABOUT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND PENTAGON CRASHES AND WERE RESISTING THE HIJACKERS. ALL 44 PEOPLE ON BOARD ARE KILLED IN THE CRASH.
FIVE STORIES OF THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE PENTAGON COLLAPSE DUE TO THE FIRE.
The planes were hijacked by 19 terrorists soon after takeoff, when the fuel tanks are still full. The crash into the Twin Towers created huge fires and thick black smoke. The impact, flames, and damage caused the buildings to collapse in less than two hours.
People watched the burning towers in disbelief. Burnt pieces of paper, from offices that had been in the tower, were seen all over the city. Tragically, 2,996 people died on 9/11, including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers, and 37 Port Authority police officers. They died while trying to help people leave the buildings.
The U.S. responded to the attacks by taking military action in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden, the Afghan leader of the terrorist group A-Quaeda, had planned the 9/11 attacks. President Bush ordered the American Army to find bin Laden and kill him. Ten years after the attacks bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan and was killed by American soldiers.The day of these attacks is now known as 9/11. There is now a memorial park in the World Trade Center complex. Two pools sit on the exact location of the towers. The name of every person who died in the attack is inscribed, or written, on bronze panels on the outside of the pools.
One World Trade Center, a new skyscraper of 1,776 feet, was built nearby. 1776 is the year America declared independence.
focal point - what your eyes are drawn to first hijack - to take control of something, usually an airplane Pentagonheadquarters of the Department of Defense, where decisions about war and security are made disbelief - shock
Question REVIEW
1. What happened to the third plane?
a. It crashed into the White House.
b. It crashed into the Pentagon.
c. It fell off the radar and got lost.
d. The passengers overtook the terrorists.
2. What is on the site of the Twin Towers today?
a. The rebuilt Twin Towers
b. A new skyscraper called One World Trade Center
c. Two memorial pools with the names of everyone who died listed
d. They left it empty
3. Where was Al-Qaeda based?
a. Iraq
b. Russia
c. Afghanistan
d. Iran
4. How did the terrorists know the fuel tanks would be full?
5. Did all the terrorists crash where they planned? Explain.
TALLEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD
This timeline shows when the tallest buildings in the world were built.
1. Have you heard of any of these buildings?
3. Which city has the largest amount of tallest buildings?
a. New York
b. Paris
c. Dubai
2. Where was the tallest building located in 1897?
d. None of the above
4. Which building became the tallest after the Twin Towers were destroyed??
a. Empire State Building
b. Sears Tower
c. Burj Khalifa
d. Singer Building
frames
• The original Constitution is in Washington, D.C. To preserve its quality, the document is stored at 67 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 percent humidity.
• Of the 55 delegates at the Constitution’s signing, only 39 actually signed it. The other delegates refused to do so because they wanted more rights for the American people to be included in the Constitution.
U.S. CONSTITUTION
“Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“The American government. Please lend us money; we need to pay the president.” That is how the government used to collect money before the Constitution was written.
When America became a country in 1776, the government did not have a good plan for running it. They wrote up a document called the Articles of Confederation which set up a government for the brand new nation. A confederation is a partnership between groups. Under the Articles of Confederation the government did not have the power needed to run a country. For example, the government did not have the power to collect taxes from the people.
Instead of collecting taxes for the government to run the country, the government had to keep borrowing money from France and other countries.
In 1787, 55 delegates, people sent by each state, gathered in Philadelphia to make up a new government. It took them two months to write up a document called the Constitution. Two of the Constitution’s signers, George Washington and James Madison, later became presidents. President James Madison wrote much of the Constitution. He is called the “Father of the Constitution.” Once the states approved the Constitution it became the new government of the United States.
The Constitution created a Federal Government to govern all the states. Each state has their own smaller government as well. The Federal Government is made up of three separate parts called branches. Dividing the government into three branches ensures that no part of the government becomes too powerful. Each branch has its own building in Washington DC.
The first branch, the legislative branch, is Congress. Congress is located in the U.S. Capitol Building, and it makes laws for the country. The American people elect the members of Congress.
The second branch, the executive branch, consists of the president and his cabinet of 15 advisors. The president, who lives in the White House, enforces the laws and makes sure people follow the laws passed by Congress.
The third branch, the judicial branch, is the court system. It is located in the Supreme Court Building. The courts decide what the law means when there are questions.
The first section of the Constitution is called the Preamble. Preamble is a fancy word for introduction. The Preamble explains the need for the Constitution. The writers wanted laws that would help people be safe and free. They also wanted peace from foreign wars. The Constitution starts with the phrase “We the People.” This shows that the citizens of the United States created this plan to govern themselves.
confederation - a partnership between groups legislative branch - Congress members who make the laws executive branchthe president and his cabinet judicial branchthe federal court system preamble - an introduction amendment - change or addition to the Constitution
The writers of the Constitution knew that amendments may be needed as the country develops. An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. Over the years, Congress added 17 more amendments to the Constitution. September 17 is known as Constitution Day. It is the birthday of the signing of the United States Constitution.
▸ Congress is located in the U.S. Capitol Building. ▸ Supreme Court BuildingQuestion REVIEW
1. What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation?
a. It was missing too many laws.
b. It did not give the government the power needed to run a country.
c. The laws were too similar to the laws of Great Britain.
d. None of the above.
2. Why are there three branches of government?
a. To ensure that no one is too powerful
b. There are a lot of jobs to fill
c. To collect taxes
d. To keep the country running smoothly
3. Which of the following presidents signed the Constitution?
a. John Adams
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. George Washington
d. James Monroe
4. What are the first ten amendments called?
5. How many people are in the president’s cabinet?
LOOK AT THE BILL OF RIGHTS
Look at The Bill of Rights below. Then answer the questions.
1. What freedom does the First Amendment give you?
a. Freedom of speech
b. The right to a fair trial
c. The right to remain silent to the police
d. The right to bear arms
2. Which of the following is part of the fifth amendment?
a. The right to property
b. The right to remain silent in court
c. The right to refuse to feed soldiers
d. None of the above
3. Which amendment gives power to the states?
a. Third Amendment
b. Fourth Amendment
c. Eighth Amendment
d. Tenth Amendment
4. Why do you think the first amendment is so important?
America’s Treasured Flag
World War II finally ended when Japan surrendered to the Allies. Surrendered means they gave up fighting. America was one of the Allies and the leading force in the fight with Japan. At the time of the surrender, a famous U.S. warship, the USS Missouri, was in Tokyo Bay, Japan. The United States wanted to hold a special surrender ceremony aboard their warship to mark the end of a very difficult war. However, something important was missing. U.S. Admiral Halsey, who led the navy on the warship, did not want the ceremony to take place without it. What was missing? Let’s travel back in time to find out all about it!
In 1853, almost 100 years before the end of World War II, U.S. President Fillmore sent Navy Captain Matthew Perry to Japan to demand that the Japanese open their ports to trade. The mission was a success, and Perry raised a U.S. flag outside of Japan’s port city. This flag became a treasured piece of history and was kept in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, near Washington, D.C.
The old flag was worn and grimy. It had a linen backing to support it. There were holes in the stripes, and the stars
Did you know?
• In 1777, the original flag only had 13 stars and 13 stripes corresponding to the number of American colonies at that time. Nowadays, the flag has 50 stars, corresponding to the 50 states, and 13 stripes, representing the original 13 colonies.
• George Washington’s seamstress Betsy Ross made the first flag.
were arranged unevenly. Still, Admiral Halsey wanted this original flag that had traveled to Japan in the past to be at the surrender ceremony aboard the warship in Tokyo Bay.
Admiral Halsey sent orders to a navy officer, Lieutenant John Bremyer, to travel with the flag immediately from Washington, D.C., to Tokyo Bay, some 9,000 miles away. Bremyer rushed to the new Washington National
▸ General McArthur of the US Army at the surrender ceremony.surrenderedgave up fighting cargo - goods that are transported by plane, train, or boat mast - the pole that holds the ship’s sails delicate - can be easily broken or damaged vantage - a spot with a good view of something
▸ Soldiers on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945
Airport with the flag. But the next plane going out was a cargo plane with no passenger seats! Cargo refers to goods that are transported by plane, train, or boat.
Bremyer had no choice but to wrap himself in a blanket and rest on a pile of mail sacks! He flew to San Francisco on the cold plane. Next, he boarded a navy passenger plane for the 12-hour trip across the Pacific Ocean to Pearl Harbor. Several plane trips later, he finally reached the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. There, he handed the flag over to Halsey’s helper.
On September 2, 1945, the USS Missouri steamed into Tokyo Bay and anchored in the same place where Captain Perry had been in 1853. The plan was to fly the flag from a mast, the pole that holds the ship’s sails. However, a note inside the bag said the flag was too delicate. Delicate means it can be easily broken or damaged. Instead, the flag was put in a framed glass case and placed on the ship’s bulkhead for everyone to see.
The ceremony aboard the USS Missouri was one of the most dramatic moments of the war. The gigantic gray battleship sat in Tokyo Bay. Hundreds of reporters and photographers were there. Sailors crammed every vantage point on board, trying to get a good view. A vantage is a spot with a good view of something. American officers and Japanese officials signed the surrender document marking the end of the war.
WORLDOFWARSHIPS.EUQuestion REVIEW
1. Why was the flag important for the World War II surrender ceremony?
a. It represented both Japan and the USA.
b. It had been present when another U.S. conflict with Japan ended.
c. It was being passed from one soldier to another during the World War II surrender ceremony.
d. It was new and represented a fresh start.
2. How did the flag get from Washington, D.C. to Tokyo?
a. It was mailed.
b. A soldier stored it in his luggage.
c. Lieutenant John Bremyer flew with it across the Pacific Ocean.
d. It was found in storage on the boat that had sailed to Tokyo Bay.
3. Why did the museum likely include the note about the flag’s condition?
a. They did not want people to view it.
b. They did not want it to get ruined.
c. They didn’t want Bremyer to let go of it.
d. They wanted everyone to understand its history.
4. Why do you think so many reporters and photographers were at the surrender ceremony?
5. What dramatic event took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945?
FAMOUS FLAG MOMENTS
There were other famous flag moments in U.S. history. Look at each picture. Choose the caption that best fits the picture. Write the number of the caption in the box below. Can you name any of the locations in the pictures?
1. Raising this flag gave hope and courage after a devastating terrorist attack on the U.S.
2. This flag symbolized the U.S. victory after capturing a strategic island during WWII.
3. This flag stood for independence, as it accompanied George Washington in battle.
4. Planting this flag symbolized American pride in reaching such a milestone!
STOCK MARKET CRASH
Do you own a business? Do you want to? What would your business do or sell? What if you could own a small part of a business right now while you were in school? That would be cool, wouldn’t it?
Imagine you want to start a soda company. Think about what you need. You need a factory building. You need machines and workers to make your soda. You also need trucks to deliver the bottles and cans to all the stores. Oh, and you need to buy those bottles and cans, too. All this costs a lot of money.
Did you know?
• The Stock Market is more than 400 years old.
• On Black Thursday, some brokers were selling stocks for less than the paper they were printed on.
• The term “Black Thursday” is often used to refer to the Stock Market Crash of 1929, but the term “Black Tuesday” is actually more accurate, as that was the day the market saw its biggest losses.
Where would you get the money from? The stock market. The stock market is where you can sell shares of your business. A share means a little tiny part of the company. Share is another way of saying stock. By selling small parts of the company, you raise money to run your business. If your soda business makes a lot of money, each shareholder gets some of the profit as a partial owner of the company. People who buy shares of companies are investors.
Many people put their money in a bank. That is a safe way to save and protect your money. Banks even give a small amount of interest. Interest is money the bank pays people who leave money with them. Banks use the money that people deposit to invest in stocks. The bank earns money from the investment, and gives a small part to the people. However, investing in the stock market is a way for people to make more money than they would by leaving their money in a bank. But stock markets are very risky, and you must be careful when investing.
On October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed. That means stocks lost a lot of their value because no one wanted to buy shares anymore. Everyone ran to the banks to get their money, but the banks had no money to give them. Banks make money by using people’s money to invest in different companies and in the stock market. When too many people want to take their money out at the same time, the banks fail. This day became known as Black Tuesday because of how terrible the crash was.
The ten-year period that followed is known as the Great Depression. People were very poor and desperately needed food, clothing, and shelter. One in four Americans could not find a job, and families lost everything they owned. Wall Street is the street in New York City where much of the financial industry is. The New York Stock Exchange, the major American stock market, is on Wall Street. This is where the stock market crashed.
The name Wall Street also refers to the financial industry in general. The financial industry consists of all the companies that work with money. They include banks and credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard.
Question REVIEW
1. Why do companies sell shares?
a. To raise money to run the business
b. To help people make money
c. They don’t want to run the company anymore
d. For office events
2. Where do companies sell shares?
a. Share markets
b. Money markets
c. Stock markets
d. Banks
3. People who buy shares are called .
a. Investors
b. Shareholders
c. A and B
d. None of the above
4. Why did the banks fail?
5. What were the years after the stock market crash called? Why?
6. Why do you think that the day the stock market crashed was called Black Tuesday?
WHAT STOCK SHOULD YOU BUY?
To help investors decide what stocks to buy, charts like this show how well a business is doing. This chart shows the stock prices of the top five beverage (another word for drink) companies.
1. Do you recognize any of these companies?
2. Which company is worth the most money?
3. Are there stock markets all over the world?
4. If you have $130 to spend on shares, which company or companies could you invest in?
Did you know?
Fisher Space Pens are used in work areas, warehouses, and job sites all over the world, and have even been used by U.S. Presidents.
Did you know that NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration? That’s a fancy way of saying they research space.
Did you know that Paul Fisher tried to run for president?
WIKIPEDIA ▸ The Apollo 7 taking off WIKIPEDIAFISHER SPACE PENS
How high can you jump?
The average 10-year-old can jump about 10 inches. No matter how high you jump you will come back down. The force that pulls everything down is gravity.
NASA is the government organization that explores space. They started sending people to space in 1961. The first astronauts - people who go to space - had trouble with their pens and pencils. When their pencils cracked in space, the pieces didn’t fall onto the floor. This is because there is no gravity in space. The cracked pencil pieces would float around the space shuttle. The astronauts had to be careful not to get the little pieces in their eyes, ears, or nose.
Pens also didn’t work. Without gravity, the ink didn’t flow out of the pen.
In 1965 Paul Fisher designed a pen that would work in space. Fisher’s company spent about one million dollars to create the space pen. His new pen had a special ink cartridge , or container, to push the ink out. It didn’t need gravity to write.
Space pens also contain glycol, a chemical that helps ink write in liquids. Fisher designed his pen to write on anything. It even writes on butter. NASA tested these pens in 1967. They bought 400 pens at $6 each for Project Apollo. Project Apollo was their upcoming trip to space.
On October 11, 1968, the space
gravity - the force that pulls everything down
astronautspeople who go to space cartridgecontainer glycol - a chemical that helps ink write in liquids orbit - to travel around something
shuttle Apollo 7 launched with three astronauts for an 11-day orbit of Earth. To orbit something is to travel around it. The Apollo 7 orbited the earth 163 times during the 11 day journey! This time the astronauts had space pens and were able to write.
In 1969, the Soviet Union also switched from pencils and bought 100 Fisher pens and 1,000 ink cartridges. Astronauts on the International Space Station still use Fisher Space Pens today. This is a station with people who live in space doing scientific research. One of the first space pens that astronaut Gene Cernan brought to space on the Apollo 7 was sold for $23,900 in 2008. More than 50 years later, the original Fisher Space Pens can be purchased for 79 dollars. That’s a lot for a pen, but it will write upside down for 100 years.
Question REVIEW
1. The space pens were first used on the space shuttle named .
a. NASA
b. Apollo 7
c. Apollo 1
d. Space Station
2. How much money did Paul Fisher’s company spend to make the space pen?
a. $1,000,000
b. $100,000
c. The government paid for it
d. None of the above
3. How many times did Apollo 7 orbit the earth?
a. 7
b. 11
c. 163
d. 365
4. Why couldn’t astronauts use pencils in space?
5. How is the space pen better than a regular pen?
6. What is the difference between NASA and the International Space Station?
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
Below is a list of scenarios. Circle all the scenarios that are caused by the force of gravity. Then add one of your own.
• The car coasts downhill even when you aren't pressing the gas pedal.
• A ball rolling across a flat surface slows down.
• A toddler slides down the park slide.
• Your sister's hair flies up when using a blowdryer.
• Two magnets stick to each other.
• You let go of a drinking glass, and it falls to the floor.
• A plane takes off into the sky.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
How did you get to school today? If you live near the school, you may have walked. Some of your classmates may have taken a bus or train. All these ways of going places have something in common. They are all types of transportation. Transportation means moving someone or something from one place to another place. Everything you see around you was transported from somewhere else.
Did you know?
• The USA’s first speeding ticket was issued in 1904 to Harry Myers for going 12 miles per hour.
• At over four million miles, the United States road network is the largest in the world.
• One out of every seven jobs in the United States is related to transportation.
▸ The New York State DOT building in Rochester, NY ▸ Cargo ships like this transport goods all over the world. The workers on these boats live on the ship most of the year. ▸ President Lyndon B. Johnson WIKIPEDIAMost people choose to live in cities with reliable transportation. Transportation helps people go from their homes to work or school. People also rely on transportation to go shopping or travel on vacations.
There are many methods, or ways, of transportation. Most people travel by car for shorter distances. For longer distances, people use buses, trains, airplanes, and even ferries. A ferry is a boat that transports people.
All businesses rely on transportation to bring goods for their customers. Goods is another word for products. Many goods are transported in trucks. Trains and boats are also used to transport goods.
Underground electricity, plumbing, water, and gas are also delivered by transportation. This is called pipeline transport. It is the long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas through a system of pipes. There are even maps of all the underground pipes and wires.
On October 15, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Federal Department of Transportation. Federal means that it belongs to all the states. The department’s first official work day was April 1, 1967. The Department of Transportation is often abbreviated as DOT.
The DOT has the important job of making transportation safe, smooth, and quick. It passes laws such as speed limits and seat belt laws to keep the roads safe. The DOT oversees all systems and regulations, or rules, of the other transportation methods too.
Each state also has a department of transportation. A state DOT builds and maintains the roads and highways in that state. The federal DOT is in charge of federal lands, such as national parks and military bases.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is an important division of the DOT. The FAA makes rules to ensure that air travel is safe.
This is what President Johnson said about the creation of the Department of Transportation:
transportationmoving someone or something methods - ways of doing something goods - products federalbelonging to all the states regulations - rules
“America’s history is a history of her transportation. Our early cities were located by deep water harbors and inland waterways; they were nurtured by ocean vessels. The railroad allowed us to move East and West. A thousand towns and more grew up along the railroad’s gleaming rails. The automobile stretched out over cities and created suburbia in America. Trucks and modern highways brought supplies to remote regions. Airplanes helped knit our nation together, and knitted it together with other nations throughout the world. And today, all Americans are really neighbors.”
▸ The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) MPRNEWS.ORGQuestion REVIEW
1. What is the Department of Transportation’s main job?
a. To make transportation safe, smooth, and quick
b. To pass laws about flying airplanes
c. To stop illegal deliveries
d. To make bus schedules
2. Which president created the DOT?
a. President John F. Kennedy
b. President Lyndon B. Johnson
c. President Abraham Lincoln
d. President Ronald Reagan
3. What department makes regulations for flying?
a. Federal Aviation Administration
b. Flight Safety Department
c. Federal Flight Administration
d. Federal Aviation Department
4. Which department builds highways?
5. How does the Department of Transportation keep the roads safe?
TAKING A TRIP IN NEW YORK STATE
This is a transportation map of New York State. The key on the left shows the different methods of transportation.
1. Which two interstate highways are close to Middletown?
a. 84 and 390 b. 390 and 90
c. 84 and 87 d. 86 and 88
2. Which highway should you take to get from Syracuse to Binghamton?
a. Interstate 81 b. Interstate 84
c. Interstate 87 d. Interstate 88
3. Can you travel from New York to Connecticut by ferry?
4. Along which highway are the Catskills?
a. Interstate 81
b. Interstate 84
c. Interstate 87
d. Interstate 88
Did you know?
• The last time a star was added to the flag was when Hawaii became a state in 1959.
Puerto Rico is an island country 1,000 miles southeast of Florida. An island is a piece of land surrounded by water. An island country is a country consisting of one or more islands. Almost four million people live in Puerto Rico’s 3,435 square miles.
PUERTO RICO
Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493. Columbus claimed the island for Spain. In 1508, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León started a permanent Spanish settlement. The settlers found gold in the rivers and named the island Puerto Rico, meaning “rich port” in Spanish. In the 1800s, plantations, or huge farms, in Puerto Rico were producing large amounts of sugar, coffee, and tobacco. These new work opportunities brought more people to the island. In 1800, 155,426 people lived in Puerto Rico. About 13,000 of these people were slaves. Slavery ended gradually and peacefully between 1866 and 1873.
Imagine discovering a hidden room in your house. Imagine it was filled with valuables worth a lot of money. That is what happened to Christopher Columbus, except that he found more than a room. Columbus discovered an entire part of the world no one knew existed before. Columbus first discovered South America in 1492. A year later, he discovered the island of Puerto Rico on his second trip to the new world of America.
The U.S. took control of Puerto Rico after winning the SpanishAmerican war in 1898. On October 18, 1898, American soldiers raised the United States flag in Puerto Rico, making it a territory of the United States. Territory is a word for land a country owns. One million people lived in Puerto Rico by this time.
Spanish is the primary language spoken on the island. Only a quarter of the population is fully bilingual, meaning able to speak two languages.
In 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship. Being a citizen means being a member of a country. This gave them the opportunity to travel to the States. Many Puerto Ricans left for jobs in large cities. As of 2022, over one million Puerto Ricans live in New York.
In 1947, the U.S. Congress allowed Puerto Ricans to vote for their own governor. In 1952, they approved a Puerto Rican constitution that made the island a U.S. commonwealth. A commonwealth makes all its own local laws, such as traffic laws.
Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income tax to the United States. Income tax is a portion of your money that the government takes to pay for the government to operate. Puerto Ricans also cannot vote for president even though they are U.S. citizens. They can only vote in the primary elections. The primary elections are when each party chooses a candidate to run for president.
plantations - huge farms used for planting territory - land a country owns bilingual - able to speak two languages citizen - a member of a country income tax - a portion of your money the government takes to pay for the government to operate
If Puerto Rico would become the 51st state of the United States, its residents, the people who live there, would begin to pay federal income tax. The new state would send two senators to the Senate. It would also send six voting members to the House of Representatives. These two parts of Congress write the laws of the United States. The people of Puerto Rico voted against becoming a state.
There are 50 stars on the United States flag, one for each state. Will Puerto Rico change its mind and give the flag a new star? Time will tell.
▸ Puerto Rico’s Capitol buildingQuestion REVIEW
1. Which country ruled Puerto Rico in 1876?
a. France
b. Spain
c. The United States
d. Russia
2. How did Puerto Rico become a commonwealth?
a. By choosing the name
b. By paying for the title
c. Congress approved their Constitution
d. By passing a law claiming the name
3. Why isn’t Puerto Rico a state?
a. The U.S. government does not allow them to be a state
b. They need to pay to be a state and don’t want to
c. Because islands cannot be part of the U.S.
d. Puerto Rico’s people voted not to be a state
4. Why did many people move to Puerto Rico in the 1800s?
EUROPEANS EXPLORE THE AMERICAS
This map shows the routes of European explorers who came to the newly-discovered Americas.
5. How did the U.S. take control of Puerto Rico?
6. Why do you think Puerto Rico chose to remain a commonwealth and not become a state of the U.S.A.?
Explorer’s Routes
Spanish (Columbus)
Portugese
French English Dutch (Hudson)
Look at the map, and write True or False next to each statement below.
1. France sent explorers to North America.
2. Columbus made one trip to the Americas.
3. The English explorers went to North America only.
4. Hudson traveled to South America.
KRISTALLNACHT
Home sweet home. Everybody enjoys going home after a long day at school or work. The Polish Jews of Germany had felt at home in Germany since the 1800s. Unlike Poland and Russia, no one bothered them for being Jewish in Germany. Kristallnacht was a message from Germany that it was their home no longer.
Jews had been moving from Poland to Germany since the 1800s. They moved to escape anti-Jewish laws, riots, and poverty. A riot is when people disturb the peace by acting violently. In 1938, there were 50,000 Jews with Polish citizenship living in Germany. Many had considered Germany their home for several generations.
After coming to power in 1933, Adolf Hitler passed laws keeping Jews away from public life. Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Germany. That means he had the power to make whatever laws he wanted. His laws meant Jews couldn’t have jobs, go to parks, or shop in many stores. Every few weeks, harsher laws were passed.
The Polish government did not want these Polish Jews to return from Germany. They passed a law that expatriates of five years were no longer citizens. Expatriates are people who move away from their home countries. This law came into effect on October 31, 1938. Approximately 50,000 Polish Jews living in Germany lost their Polish citizenship.
The Germans then deported meaning sent back, the Polish Jews to Poland. About 15,000 stateless Jews found themselves in a small Polish border town. People who are not citizens of any country are called stateless people. They lived in military stables in terrible conditions. The parents of 17-year-old Herschel
Did you know?
• For many years, the world believed that the riots of Kristallnacht were spontaneous, or unplanned. It was only later that records of instructions for the riots were discovered.
• The fine the Jews were forced to pay after Kristallnacht would be almost eight billion dollars in 2022.
WIKIPEDIAGrynszpan were among this group of stateless Jews. Grynszpan, who lived in Paris, felt the need to publicize the plight of the Jews in Germany.
On November 7, 1938, Herschel shot Ernst vom Rath, a German embassy official in Paris. Vom Rath died. To give Jews more reason to leave Germany, the Nazis planned a pogrom , or riot, against them. The shooting of vom Rath gave the Nazis an excuse to carry out the planned attacks. On November 9, 1938, Nazis and German civilians began attacking Jewish people. They targeted all Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues in Germany and Austria. The violence continued through November 10. The riot became known as Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, for the broken glass that covered the streets.
The Germans destroyed 1,350 Jewish synagogues. Firemen were told to allow the synagogues to burn. They were only there to stop the flames from spreading to other buildings. The Nazis sent 30,000 Jews to concentration camps on Kristallnacht. Gangs robbed and destroyed 7,000 Jewish businesses and thousands of Jewish homes. Most of Germany’s beautiful, old synagogues went up in flames.
The Nazis fined the Jews one billion Reichsmarks, Nazi Germany’s currency, to pay for the damages. The government also stole Jewish property and the insurance money owed to Jewish people. Some of the Jews understood that it was time to leave. Over 100,000 Jews fled Germany after Kristallnacht. It was still possible, though difficult, to flee until World War II broke out ten months later, on September 1, 1939.
riot - series of violent attacks expatriatespeople who move away from their home countries deported - sent back stateless - not citizens of any country pogrom - riot
The world was silent about Kristallnacht and the Nazis suffered no consequences for their horrible actions. The world’s silence proved to Hitler that no one cared about the Jews. Therefore, he came up with the plan to kill all the Jews of Europe. During the years of World War II, Hitler and the Nazis meticulously followed his plan and tortured, enslaved, and killed six million European Jews. This tragic event is known as the Holocaust.
▸ Jewish men arrested during Kristallnacht are led to a concentration camp.Question REVIEW
1. In what year did Kristallnacht take place?
a. 1991
b. 1912
c. 1938
d. 1941
2. How did the Polish government try to keep the Jews out of Poland?
a. They passed a law that expatriates of five years were no longer citizens
b. They paid for their tickets to America
c. They convinced Germany to allow them to stay
d. None of the above
3. Who was Ernest vom Rath?
a. A German embassy official
b. A German general
c. A French Embassy official
d. None of the above
4. Why did Jews move to Germany from Poland?
5. What did the world’s silence prove to Hitler?
CONCENTRATION CAMPS ON A MAP
The yellow dots are the concentration camps in Germany in late 1938 during Kristallnacht. Later, the Nazis took over Poland and opened camps there, as well. Polish concentration camps are marked by blue dots.
Look at the map and answer the questions.
1. How many concentration camps were there in Germany when Kristallnacht happened?
a. Five b. Six c. Ten d. Sixteen
Neuengamme
Oranienburg
Dachau
Flossenbürg
Mauthausen
2. Which concentration camp is closest to the border of Hungary?
a. Dachau
b. Flossenbürg
c. Mauthausen
d. Buchenwald
3. concentration camp is the closest camp to the border of Switzerland.
4. Have you heard of any of these concentration camps? Which ones?
5. Do you know someone that survived the camps?
Did you know?
• The 2003 blackout affected the largest amount of people of all American blackouts.
• The longest amount of time a blackout lasted was 328 days in Puerto Rico in 2017.
• Fortunately, a bright full moon lit up the cloudless sky over the entire blackout area.
NORTHEAST BLACKOUT
For many years, people lived happily without electricity. Instead of light bulbs, they used candles. They didn’t have all the conveniences that come with electricity, but they were still happy. Imagine if all electricity stopped working today. Would people today know how to live without it?
On November 9, 1965, shortly after 5 pm, the electricity began to flicker on and off. Power first failed in upstate New York near Niagara Falls. Four minutes later, the blackout spread to Boston, Connecticut, Vermont, and Canada. Next, the electricity in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and most of Brooklyn failed, too. A blackout is when all electricity stops working.
This blackout is called the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965. It left 30 million people in 80,000 square miles without power for up to 13 hours. At the time, it was the largest power failure in history. The blackout delayed millions of commuters. A commuter is a person who travels some distance to work on a regular basis. Thousands of people got stranded in office buildings and elevators. More than 800,000 riders were trapped in New York’s subways.
Without any traffic lights, traffic was a mess. Ordinary citizens volunteered on busy streets to keep traffic moving and help pedestrians, the people walking in the street. Many people stayed in Manhattan
▸ A thank you to New York citizens for helping each other stay safe
▸ New York before and after the power came back
overnight because of the traffic issue. People filled the streets and a spirit of camaraderie, friendship, filled the air. New Yorkers shared candles and flashlights, taking the opportunity to get to know each other.
Five thousand extra police officers went on duty to prevent looting. To loot is to steal. About 10,000 National Guardsmen also helped patrol the streets. The National Guard is a special part of the army that helps people in times of crisis, trouble, or danger. Power was restored to the blacked-out areas by morning. There were only five incidents of looting in New York City. It was the lowest amount of crime on any night in New York City’s known history.
In historic terms, it was not the area’s largest blackout. A blackout in 2003 affected 50 million people in the eastern parts of Canada and the United States. But the 1965 blackout was the first time so many people were affected and cities shut down. The 1965 blackout showed how dependent we are on power and that it’s almost impossible to live without it today.
The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 taught the importance of helping others in an emergency. When people help each other in a crisis, everyone stays safe.
blackout - when all electricity stops working commutersomeone who travels some distance to work on a regular basis pedestrianspeople walking in the street camaraderiefriendship loot - steal
Following the 2003 blackout, the government made changes to how electricity is delivered. Since 2003, electric companies have spent $20 billion upgrading the power infrastructure. Power infrastructure means the things that bring electricity to you. This includes wires, poles, and power plants. These upgrades will hopefully ensure no more blackouts happen.
Question REVIEW
1. What is the National Guard’s job?
a. To provide airport security
b. To help people in times of crisis
c. To guard the border
d. To help the army in a war
2. How did everyone stay safe during the blackout?
a. By helping each other
b. By staying indoors
c. By looting
d. By calling the police
3. When did the biggest blackout happen?
a. 1965
b. 2001
c. 2003
d. 2010
4. Where did the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 start?
5. Why did commuters get stranded?
POWER PLANTS PROVIDE ELECTRICITY
Electricity can be powered by different forms of energy, such as water, coal, or even wind energy. The power plant near Niagara that failed at the start of the Blackout of 1965 was a hydropower plant like the one in the top picture.
Look at both power plant models and answer the questions below:
1. What do you think the transmission lines in both plants are for?
a. To supply the plant with energy
b. To bring power to customers
c. To count how much electricity the plant makes
d. To count how much electricity cities need
2. Both plants use a .
a. Turbine
b. Condenser
c. Steam
d. Trash rack
3. In both plants, is an important part of the process. (Water / Coal / Trees)
4. Next to which type of landform are both power plants located?
When Germany lost World War II, the winning countries divided up Germany between themselves and took control of the country. The winning countries were the United States, Great Britain, France, and the USSR. The USSR was also called the Soviet Union. Berlin, the capital city of Germany, was part of the area that the USSR received. However, since it was an important city, the winning countries decided to divide it, too. West Berlin was given to the United States, Great Britain, and France, and East Berlin was given to the USSR.
In 1949, the U.S., Britain, and France joined their areas of Germany, including West Berlin, to form a new country, West Germany. The
BERLIN WALL
Visiting relatives in a different city is an exciting experience. Your family might drive for many hours or take a short flight. Either way, no one is stopping you from leaving your city. People who lived in Berlin, Germany, while the Berlin Wall stood were not even able to travel within their own city.
Did you know?
• The Great Wall of China is a massive wall built to protect China. It stretches over 13,000 miles and is the longest wall in the world.
• The walls of ancient Rome were constructed using concrete, a material that was lost and rediscovered during the Middle Ages.
• The walls of the Kumbhalgarh Fort in India are the second-longest continuous walls in the world after the Great Wall of China.
• The walls of the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia were so effective that the city was never successfully attacked.
USSR’s area of Germany, called East Germany, included East Berlin. The USSR kept its part of the country separate from the other parts.
Besides East Germany, the USSR controlled most of the countries of Eastern Europe. The rulers of the USSR were a series of dictators. A dictator is a ruler with total power over a country. People ruled by a dictator are not free to do what they want; they can only do what the government says. Many people wanted to leave the USSR to live in free countries. About 15 million people left East Germany for other countries between 1945 and 1950.
To stop people from moving out of East Germany, the USSR built a wire fence along the border. In 1961, it built a concrete wall to separate East Berlin from West Berlin.
protestsgatherings of people objecting to something object - argue democratically elected government - a government chosen by the citizens monumentstructure built in memory of an important person or event
Bright floodlights and watchtowers also guarded the border.
The concrete wall the USSR built was called the Berlin Wall. It was 102 miles long and 12 feet tall. Only people with special permits were able to cross the Berlin Wall. The wall created a prison for East Berlin’s citizens. Border guards had permission to shoot anyone trying to leave. Between 1961 and 1989, 136 people died trying to escape from behind the Iron Curtain. The Iron Curtain was a symbol of separation between the USSR and the free West.
In the 1980s, protests for freedom began in the USSR. Protests are gatherings of people objecting to something. To object is to argue. On November 9, 1989, thousands of East Berlin citizens marched to the Berlin Wall. They protested for the freedom to travel out of East Berlin to the rest of the world. People began climbing the wall. People from West Berlin were waiting on the other side to help them. People started knocking the wall down with sledgehammers. The police were unable to stop so many people from tearing down the wall.
Over the next year, the USSR fell apart. Most of the USSR’s countries declared independence and had democratically elected governments. A democratically elected government is a government chosen by the citizens. East and West Germany were officially reunited in 1990. Small parts of the wall still stand in Berlin as historical monuments. A monument is a structure built in memory of an important person or event. Other parts of the wall are in museums all over the world.
▸ The wall is torn downQuestion REVIEW
1. What was the purpose of the Berlin Wall?
a. To stop people from moving out of East Germany
b. To make sure everyone paid a tax when entering the USSR
c. To stop German spies during World War II
d. To stop invading armies from entering Berlin
2. What country ruled most of Eastern Europe?
a. USA
b. Great Britain
c. USSR
d. East Germany
3. In what year did the USSR fall apart?
a. 1945
b. 1950
c. 1961
d. 1990
4. Why do you think the border was called The Iron Curtain?
5. Why were people unhappy living in the USSR?
FOUR FAMOUS WALLS AROUND THE WORLD
Walls were the original way for a country to protect itself. This chart shows four famous walls.
Each of the following statements is false. Cross out the incorrect word and write a different word(s) on the line that will make the sentence true.
1. The Great Wall of China is the shortest wall in length.
2. Hadrian’s Wall is approximately ten times longer than the Berlin Wall.
3. Germany’s wall was built before China’s.
4. Turkey has the oldest walls in the world.
Did you know?
• During stressful meetings, Kennedy liked to doodle sailboats.
• JFK apparently wrote a spy book, but he never released it.
• JFK donated his entire presidential salary to charity.
PRESIDENT JFK
How would you act if you were president of the U.S.? Would you be very businesslike and serious?
President John F. Kennedy was one of the most liked presidents. His relaxed style made the crowds trust him and vote for him.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often called JFK, was the 35th president of the United States. He was born in 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, a neighborhood in Boston. His grandfather was the mayor of Boston and a U.S. congressman. John F. Kennedy served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1944. He commanded a unit of patrol, or guard, boats during World War II.
In 1946, Kennedy ran for Congress and won. Congress is part of the legislative branch of the U.S. government and consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Kennedy joined the House of Representatives in January 1947 at the age of 29. There he helped pass laws to benefit the American people. JFK became known for his casual, or relaxed, style. He won reelection to the House of Representatives in 1948 and 1950. In 1952, JFK was voted into the Senate. Senators represent their entire state. Kennedy was a senator until he ran for president.
Kennedy announced that he was running for president on January 2, 1960. A person running for a position is a candidate. Kennedy chose Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas as his running mate. Kennedy faced a difficult battle against the other candidate, Richard Nixon. Nixon had been vice president for two terms under the popular president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
When candidates run for president, they have debates. A debate is an argument. Presidential debates are arguments candidates have with each other so voters know their opinions. The debates for this election were the first ones ever available for people to follow. Kennedy’s performance in the public debates won him the support of millions of Americans. He won the election and was the youngest man elected president. He was 43.
John F. Kennedy gave his first speech as president on January 20, 1961. The first speech a president gives is called an inaugural address. The most famous quote from JFK’s speech is, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” That means that sometimes people need to pitch in to help their country. In 1961, Kennedy approved a secret mission to help the Cuban people overthrow the Cuban
patrol - guard casual - relaxed candidatesomeone running for a position debate - argument inaugural address - the first speech a president gives deploymove into position to attack
dictator, Fidel Castro. Cuba is a small country 50 miles south of Florida. Castro was an ally of the USSR, the United States’ opponent. He was a harsh leader to the Cubans, who did not like him. The mission was named Bay of Pigs for the bay where it took place. The Bay of Pigs mission was not successful.
Another issue JFK dealt with in his short presidency was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, the USSR deployed missiles in Cuba. To deploy missiles means to move them into position to attack. These missiles were able to hit the U.S. with nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are very powerful bombs that create huge explosions. The U.S. warned the Soviet Union to remove the missiles. At first the Soviet Union refused. The U.S. and the USSR came close to nuclear war. The crisis lasted 13 days. It ended when both countries agreed to remove all missiles from near the other country. The USSR agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba. The U.S. agreed to remove the missiles they had near the USSR in Turkey. This event is called the Cuban Missile Crisis.
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was on a trip to Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was riding downtown in a convertible car when Lee Harvey Oswald shot him. Kennedy died soon after arriving at the hospital. JFK had two brothers who were also politicians. Bobby Kennedy headed the Justice Department, which is in charge of the court system. Bobby was killed while running for president in 1968. Edward, better known as Ted, was a Massachusetts senator. He served in the Senate from 1962 until his passing in 2009.
▸ Bobby, Edward and John Kennedy WIKIPEDIA ▸ Lee Harvey Oswald ▸ President Kennedy moments before being shot WIKIPEDIA ▸ Image of plans for the Bay of Pigs mission ▸ Soviet medium-range ballistic missile WIKIPEDIA WIKIPEDIAQuestion REVIEW
1. How long did the Cuban Missile Crisis last?
a. One month
b. 45 days
c. 35 days
d. Two months
2. Where did the U.S. have missiles deployed near the USSR?
a. Poland
b. Finland
c. Turkey
d. Germany
3. Richard Nixon was vice president to which president?
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. Lee Harvey Oswald
c. Harry Truman
d. Lyndon Baines Johnson
4. Why do you think the U.S. government would help overthrow Cuba’s dictator?
5. When did JFK deliver his inaugural address?
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
In every presidential election, there are two kinds of votes, the popular vote and the electoral vote. Together they determine who wins the election and becomes president. The candidate who gets 270 or more electoral votes becomes the president of the United States.
Look at the results of the presidential election of 1960. Then answer the questions below.
1. Which candidate won the election of 1960?
2. What does running mate refer to?
a. The person who becomes vice president if the candidate wins
b. The person who becomes the senator if the candidate wins
c. The person who has the most electoral votes
3. Which state had the most electoral votes?
a. New Jersey (NJ)
b. Texas (TX)
c. California (CA)
4. Why do you think Nixon won the electoral votes in California?
SADDAM HUSSEIN
Iraq is a country in the Middle East with a rich history. Some of the world’s oldest cities are in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was the leader of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. He was a powerful leader who both helped and hurt his country.
Tikrit, Iraq, on April 28, 1937, into a poor family of shepherds. In 1957, Hussein joined the government. He became a powerful person and made many decisions for the country. In 1979, Saddam Hussein became the president of Iraq.
Saddam Hussein wanted to make Iraq wealthy. He built many oil refineries that brought a lot of money and jobs to Iraq. An oil refinery is where oil is cleaned and made into gasoline for cars. He also built schools, and many people became educated under his rule. He strengthened the army and brought many inventions to the country to help farms. The country became wealthy, and Hussein built himself more than 100 palaces!
Did you know?
• In 1982, someone tried to kill Saddam Hussein but failed and escaped.
• Saddam Hussein was also an author who wrote a few books.
▸ Saddam Hussein’s illustration from Iraq’s national currency
Saddam was very cruel to people he thought did not like him. He created a vast, or large, group of secret police and controlled the people of Iraq with cruelty. He killed more than two million innocent people, and many people lived in fear.
In 2002, United States President Bush accused Saddam Hussein of owning weapons of mass destruction. These are weapons that are very powerful and put civilians in danger. Anyone not in the army or police department is a civilian. It is illegal for a country to own weapons of mass destruction according to UN regulations. The U.S. said that Hussein was a danger to the entire world. The UN sent a team to look for illegal weapons in Iraq. They did not find any.
oil refinery - where oil is cleaned and made into gasoline for cars vast - large weapons of mass destructionweapons that are very powerful and put civilians in danger civilian - anyone not in the army or police department invaded - attacked
In 2003, the U.S. military invaded , or attacked, Iraq and overthrew Hussein’s government. On December 13, 2003, U.S. soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a small hole nine miles outside the city of Tikrit. In 2005, he was put on trial in Iraq for his cruelty toward the people of Iraq. Hussein was found guilty, and he was hanged in 2006.
Some Iraqis were loyal to Saddam Hussein and angry at the United States for overthrowing him. These Iraqis fought against the American soldiers who had been sent to Iraq, killing thousands of them. Many Americans argued that getting involved in Iraq was a mistake. To this day the US has troops (soldiers) stationed in Iraq to help keep the country stable.
▸ Saddam Hussein in court during his trial ▸ Saddam Hussein after being captured ▸ A statue of Saddam Hussein is taken down after his government is overthrown. WIKIPEDIAQuestion REVIEW
1. What did Saddam Hussein build in Iraq to help the country become wealthy?
a. Schools
b. Hospitals
c. Oil refineries
d. Mosques
2. Why are weapons of mass destruction illegal according to the UN?
a. They are too heavy for soldiers to use.
b. They are not powerful enough to cause harm.
c. They are only dangerous to animals.
d. They put civilians in danger.
3. How old was Saddam Hussein when he joined the government?
a. 34
b. 51
c. 20
d. 18
4. Why do you think Saddam Hussein wanted Iraq to be wealthy?
5. Why might President Bush have thought Iraq had weapons of mass destruction?
OPEC AND THE PRICE OF OIL
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a group of 13 countries who own most of the world’s oil. It was started in 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq, to make sure the countries sell oil at the same price. The following chart shows some of the major OPEC countries. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.
1. Why do you think the prices might have changed from 2016 to 2021?
2. List the countries in order of the amount of oil they own, from most to least.
3. Why do you think all the countries sell their oil for the same price?
a. To prevent competition
b. To make as much money as possible
c. To help smaller countries sell oil
d. To help car companies
4. How many barrels of oil did Algeria sell in 2017?
TOURO SYNAGOGUE
Germany, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, India, Iraq, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. These are just some of the locations of the Jewish Diaspora. A diaspora is when people live in different places around the world instead of their homeland. Homeland is another word for the country they are from.
In 1658, 15 Spanish and Portuguese Jews moved to Newport, Rhode Island, and established , or started, a Jewish community. Rhode Island is the smallest state in the U.S. and is in the northeast of the country. The small community grew over the years. For more than 100 years, the community did not have a synagogue. Services were held in private homes.
On December 2, 1763, the Jewish community of Newport dedicated the Touro Synagogue. To dedicate a synagogue means to begin to use it as a place to pray. The Touro Synagogue is the oldest surviving synagogue in the United States. The synagogue was named for Isaac Touro, its first officiating chazzan and leader.
Did you know?
• The Touro Synagogue is a symbol of religious freedom for all Americans, not just Jewish Americans.
• The Touro Synagogue’s first congregation was Sephardi. Since the late 1800s, the synagogue’s congregation has been mostly Ashkenazi.
▸ Judah Touro, son of first chazzan Isaac ▸ The letter George Washington sent to the Touro Synagogue. Can you read Washington’s handwriting? WIKIPEDIAWhen the American Revolution broke out in 1776, the British occupied , meaning took over, Newport. The American Revolution was the war for independence from Great Britain. The Jews of Newport fled to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. The British tore down most of the buildings in the area for firewood. They used the large synagogue as a hospital, saving it from destruction. Isaac Touro remained behind to watch over the synagogue. In October 1779, the British troops left Newport, and many of the Jewish families returned.
In August 1790, President George Washington visited the city of Newport. The synagogue’s caretaker, Moses Seixas, wrote a letter of support to George Washington from the community. Washington replied with a letter to the community. He promised the government’s support of freedom of religion and that Jews would always be welcome in America. The synagogue publicly reads the letter Washington sent to Newport’s Jewish community every year.
By 1815, most of the Jewish families had moved to new Jewish communities in other cities. Eventually, in the 1850s, the synagogue ceased, or stopped, having services.
Abraham and Judah Touro were the sons of Isaac, the synagogue’s first chazzan. When Abraham Touro died in 1822, he left $10,000 to the State of Rhode Island for the synagogue’s maintenance. When Judah Touro died in 1854, he also left $10,000 for the maintenance of the synagogue. He also left $3,000 for building repairs and $10,000 for the property to become a public park.
diaspora - when people live in different places around the world instead of their homeland establishedstarted occupied - took over ceased - stopped
Ashkenazi Jews arrived in the 1880s, and the synagogue reopened in 1883. It is still in use. In 1946, Touro Synagogue became a National Historic Site. That means that it is an important part of American history. The synagogue gets over 30,000 visitors each year.
Question REVIEW
1. When was the Touro Synagogue dedicated?
a. 1658
b. 1763
c. 1776
d. 1815
2. Who wrote a letter to George Washington?
a. Isaac Touro
b. Moses Seixas
c. Abraham Touro
d. Judah Touro
3. Who left money for the maintenance of the Touro Synagogue?
a. Isaac Touro
b. Abraham Touro
c. Judah Touro
d. Both B and C
4. How was the Touro Synagogue saved from destruction during the American Revolution?
5. What did George Washington promise in his letter to the Jewish community in Newport?
6. Why do you think the Touro Synagogue gets so many visitors each year?
FOUR FAMOUS SYNAGOGUES
Below is a chart of some famous synagogues. First fill in the missing information based on the article and your general knowledge. Then answer the questions.
Which synagogue am I?
a. I am located in North America. I was named after a person.
b. I am not located in North America, and I was built most recently.
c. I am 33 years older than the National Historic Site.
d. My location hasn’t changed, but my building has. I am located in Israel.
congregation actually began in 1654, but they only built their first building in 1730. Since then, the synagogue has moved a few times. Although the original Shearith Israel was built before the Touro Synagogue, the Touro Synagogue hasn’t changed buildings, giving it the title of “oldest surviving synagogue in the United States.”
Churva was destroyed and rebuilt a few times in the same exact location.
PEARL HARBOR
Did you ever see two people arguing? The best thing to do is to stay away until everyone calms down. Arguing is almost never a good idea. Countries sometimes argue with each other, too. Most countries try to make sure that arguments do not turn into wars. But a country can sometimes be forced into a war.
At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. remained neutral. To remain neutral means not choosing sides in a fight. Although they did not join the fighting, they did help the Allied forces with supplies. President Roosevelt did not want to join the war but was finally forced into it in December 1941.
Japan, Germany, and Italy were called the Axis powers. The Axis powers wanted to conquer, or take over, the entire world. The only thing stopping Japan from taking many parts of Asia was the United States Naval Base
Did you know?
• The actual date of the attack on Pearl Harbor, depends on which time zone you are in
• The waters in Pearl Harbor are very shallow.
• Japan lost only 29 aircrafts and five small submarines in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. A naval base is where the army keeps its warships and planes. Hawaii is made up of a few islands in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan. Hawaii became a state in 1959. In 1941 Hawaii was not a state yet but a U.S. territory.
The Japanese were nervous that the U.S. would stop them from taking over parts of Asia. They decided to damage the U.S. Navy so it would not be able to fight. With the U.S. Navy unable to stop them, they would be able to take over more territories in Southeast Asia.
On December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base. The United States did not know that Japan wanted to attack them, and they were caught off guard. The people at the naval base were not at all prepared for the attack. The attack lasted a little under two hours and killed 2,400 Americans. The Japanese capsized , meaning sunk, eight American battleships and damaged more than ten others. They also destroyed over 180 planes and damaged 150 more.
Although the Japanese caused considerable damage to the U.S.
neutral - to avoid choosing sides in a fight
conquer - take over
capsized - sunk
irreparable - not fixable
torpedo - a bomb that works underwater
Navy, they did not destroy it. Only three of the ships were irreparable, or not fixable. All the others were repaired and used later during the war.
Half the victims of the attack were from just one ship. The USS Arizona was sunk by Japanese torpedoes, killing 1,177 crewmen. A torpedo is a bomb that works underwater. That is the largest number of people that ever died on a U.S. ship.
Most people knew the U.S. would declare war on Japan after such an attack. The next day, December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Less than an hour later, Congress voted and declared war on Japan.
In response, Japan’s allies, Italy and Germany, declared war on the United States a few days later. Japan’s allies were Germany and Italy, called the Axis powers. The United States was at war.
▸ USS Nevada on fire WIKIPEDIA WIKIPEDIAQuestion REVIEW
1. Who were Japan’s allies in World War II?
a. The United States and Britain
b. Germany and Italy
c. France and China
d. Russia and India
2. How did the United States’ involvement in World War II change after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
a. They declared war on all of the Axis powers.
b. They remained neutral but increased their support of the Allied powers.
c. They stopped supporting the Allied powers.
d. They declared war on Japan, causing the Axis power to declare war on them.
3. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
a. To take over the United States
b. To damage the U.S. Navy
c. To become allies with Germany
d. To gain control of the Pacific Ocean
4. How did the United States originally respond to World War II?
5. When did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?
SPOTLIGHT ON FAMOUS U.S. WARSHIPS
Below is a chart about three famous U.S. warships. A warship is a ship equipped with weapons and is used in war at sea. Warships move faster than regular ships and are designed in a way that they are not damaged easily.
Read each statement. Circle the correct answer:
1. All three ships were used during WWII. (true / false)
2. You can visit the USS Missouri ship if you’d like. (true / false)
3. The USS Arizona was used before WWII. (true / false)
4. The USS Arizona lasted for more than 40 years. (true / false)
5. Write your own true / false question. (true / false)
Did you know?
• The name ‘Poor Richard’ was adapted from a different British almanac called ‘Poor Robin.’
• Richard is a German name meaning ‘powerful’ in English.
• A copy of Poor Richard’s almanac from 1733 was found and sold in an auction for $556,500!
• The first almanac printed in America was in the year 1725. It was written by Nathanael Ames and was called “The Astronomical Diary and Almanac.”
POOR RICHARD’S ALMANAC
Do you want to be healthy, wealthy, and wise? If you do, you might want to read Poor Richard’s Almanac. An almanac is a small book with calendars and other important information. The advice in Poor Richard’s Almanac will help you reach your goals.
“Early to bed and early to rise keeps a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” is just one of the tips Poor Richard has to offer.
Poor Richard’s Almanac, also known as Poor Richard, was a yearly manual published by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was an expert in many different fields, including science, politics, and writing. This made him the perfect person to write about many different topics. He started publishing Poor Richard in 1732, and the first one was available on December 19 of that year. It became popular and was published for 25 years, selling 10,000 copies a year.
Benjamin Franklin published the almanac under the pen name Richard Saunders. A pen name is a name authors use when they don’t want to use their real name. The almanac contained a calendar of important dates, as well as recipes, medical advice, and other useful information. It also had tips for farmers.
Books were expensive in the 1700s, making education impossible for most people. Franklin used the almanac to share his knowledge and educate people. Franklin wanted Poor Richard to help people improve
almanac - small book with calendars and other important information
pen name - a name authors use when they don’t want to use their real name
proverbs - wise sayings
key figuresomeone very important contributionshelp someone gives
▸ This is an almanac from 1852. It is called Poor Richard’s Penny Almanac, probably to sound similar to Franklin’s original.
their lives. He also offered his opinion on current events.
The most popular feature of the almanac was Poor Richard’s sayings. These were wise and memorable phrases printed in each edition. Franklin hoped the sayings would inspire people to work hard and help each other with the money they made. Most of these wise sayings, or proverbs, were not Franklin’s originals. He gathered them from his wide reading and travels.
Franklin published the final edition of the almanac in 1758. He included a section with many of the proverbs from the earlier issues. Many of them are still popular today.
Franklin was also a key figure in the United States becoming independent from England. A key figure is someone very important. He helped write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Franklin died in 1790, at the age of 84. He is one of the most important people in American history. In 1914, Congress put his face on the hundred-dollar bill to honor him and his contributions, meaning the help he gave to the United States.
Sayings from the almanac: A penny saved is a penny earned. Haste makes waste. By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Question REVIEW
1. When did Benjamin Franklin publish the final edition of Poor Richard’s Almanac?
a. 1732
b. 1758
c. 1790
d. 1801
2. Who was the intended audience for Poor Richard’s Almanac?
a. Farmers
b. Educated individuals
c. The general public
d. Politicians
3. Which of the following is the main reason Benjamin Franklin wrote Poor Richard’s Almanac?
a. To entertain people
b. To make money
c. To educate people and help them improve their lives
d. To spread religion
4. What was the name of Benjamin Franklin’s almanac?
5. How do you think education improves people’s lives?
6. Why is Franklin considered to be one of the most important people in U.S. history?
WISE WORDS OF RICHARD
Poor Richard’s almanac had many wise sayings. Below are some sayings. Match the saying to its meaning.
A “Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do.”
B “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.”
C "Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you."
D “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
E “You do not find a happy life. You make it.”
When you notice someone having a hard day, try to cheer them up. Even just giving them a smile can make a difference.
Every person’s life has things that are good and things that are challenging. You are the one who can choose what to focus on and can choose to live a happy life.
Be yourself! You have strengths that make you special.
Even if you are not successful in one area, you can be successful in other areas.
Looking at the positive will make you live a happier life.
PANAMA CANAL
Did you know that most items you use were once on a boat? Items that are shipped from other countries come by boat. It takes a long time for a ship to travel across the ocean. But what if there were shortcuts in the water? Meet the Panama Canal.
The country of Panama is an isthmus is a narrow strip of land with ocean on both sides that connects two larger areas of land. Panama connects North America and South America. On one side of Panama is the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side is the Pacific Ocean.
Panama is only 48 miles wide, but using a boat to go from the Atlantic Ocean side of Panama to the Pacific Ocean side was 8,000 nautical miles. Nautical miles are the way boats measure distances. A nautical mile is a little longer than a regular mile. The reason it was so far away is because there was no waterway through Panama. A waterway is a pathway in the water for boats. The boats had to go around the entire continent of South America to get to the other side of Panama.
Did you know?
• Some people say isthmuses when talking about more than one isthmus, and some people say isthmi.
• You can take your own private boat through the canal for $800-$3,200.
• 35 to 40 ships pass through the Panama Canal each day.
• Some ships are specifically built to make sure they fit through the Panama Canal. These ships are called Panamax ships.
On January 1, 1880, the French first attempted to build a canal through Panama. A canal is a man-made waterway that is used for transportation. Farmers sometimes make small canals for water to reach their fields. Those are called irrigation canals. This canal was meant for boats, but the Panama Canal project stopped when many of the workers got sick and died.
In 1904, the United States started building the canal again. It finally opened in 1914. Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States at that time. The canal was a huge success, and ships immediately started using it to save time and money.
The Panama Canal stretches 48 miles across the country of Panama. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and allows ships to travel between them. The canal saves ships from another 8,000 nautical miles of travel. The quicker routes also lower shipping prices.
The U.S. was in charge of the canal zone until 1979. From 1979 to 1999, the canal was controlled by both the U.S. and Panama. The Panama government started to control the canal independently in 1999. The Panama Canal became so busy that it was too small to meet the number of ships that needed to travel through it. In 2007, an expansion project began. Expansion means making something bigger. The expansion cost 5.5 billion dollars and took about ten years to finish. The expansion included deepening and widening the entrances to the canal. Before the expansion, the canal could only handle ships holding up to 5,000 containers. After the expansion, it could handle ships carrying up to 14,000 containers. About 14,000 ships use the canal each year. It takes each ship an average of ten hours to travel the Panama Canal.
isthmus - a narrow strip of land with ocean on both sides that connects two larger areas of land
nautical miles
- the way boats measure distances waterway - a pathway in the water for boats canal - a manmade waterway that is used for transportation expansionmaking something bigger
When a ship wants to use the Panama Canal, its crew has to pay a toll. Toll money is used to improve roads and bridges. The amount of the toll depends on the size of the ship and what it is carrying. In 1928, a man named Richard Halliburton paid the lowest toll ever, 36 cents. The highest toll, $375,600, was paid in 2010 by a cruise ship. The Panama Canal is an important source of income for the country of Panama. It makes 2.6 billion every year from tolls. Some of this money goes to maintaining the canal and making sure it runs smoothly. The rest of the money helps the country of Panama. The canal is one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. It improved the shipping industry and helps us every day.
1. What country was in charge of the Panama Canal until 1979?
a. Panama
b. France
c. The United States
d. Canada
2. What was the main reason for the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2007?
a. To make space for more and larger ships
b. To make it easier for ships to travel
c. To help the ships cross more quickly
d. To fix parts of the canal that were not working well
3. How much does it cost to cross the Panama Canal?
a. One thousand dollars
b. It depends on the size of the ship and what it is carrying
c. It is free for all ships
d. It depends on the country that owns the ship
CONTINENTS
4. When did the United States start building the Panama Canal, and when did it open?
5. Why do you think the United States wanted to get involved in the building of the canal?
Here is a map of the world. Use the hints below to find the locations on the map. Write the names of the continents in the boxes.
Continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica
Hints:
• Australia is southeast of Asia.
• Asia is the largest continent.
• Europe is east of the Atlantic Ocean and west of Asia.
• Africa is the continent that touches three oceans.
• Antarctica is south of the Southern Ocean.
• North America and South America are to the west of the Atlantic Ocean.
FDIC
Where would you keep your money if there were no banks? You could dig a hole in a secret place and keep it there, but then paying for things would mean a lot of work. When banks opened for business, people finally had a good place to keep their money safe.
Did you know?
• The FDIC insures $9 trillion of deposits in almost every bank in the U.S.
In 1929, the stock market crashed, causing thousands of bank failures. When a bank fails, people can’t get their money. This scared people, and they stopped depositing their money in banks. To deposit money is another way of saying to put money in a bank.
In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed the Banking Act of 1933. Franklin Roosevelt, usually called FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States. The Banking Act created a government agency called the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This agency goes by the abbreviation FDIC. The FDIC started on January 1, 1934.
The FDIC is an insurance company for banks. This means that it makes sure people get their money back if a bank fails, meaning goes out of business. Knowing they will definitely get their money back helps people feel safe about keeping money in banks. After the creation of the FDIC in 1934, people started keeping their money in banks again.
If your bank fails, the FDIC will reimburse, meaning repay, the amount that was in your account up to $250,000. They only cover, meaning pay for, one account per person per bank. If you want to keep more money safe, you can put some in another bank, and the FDIC will protect that money, too. This is called deposit insurance coverage, which is a fancy way of saying it protects your bank account.
The FDIC also makes sure that banks follow proper business practices, such as only lending money to people who can pay it back. If it finds a bank following bad practices, the FDIC can stop the bank. Bad practices is the business way of saying an idea that is not good for the business. The FDIC can give the bank a fine and can even force the bank to shut down.
The FDIC does not receive any money from the government. Instead, the FDIC charges all banks a premium. A premium is money a person or business pays for insurance. The premium payments ensure that the FDIC will have the money to cover the cost if the bank fails.
The FDIC is in Washington, DC, and has 7,000 employees , or workers, in six offices around the United States. Since the start of the FDIC, not a penny has been lost to bank failures.
deposit - to put money in a bank reimburse - pay back
cover - pay for premium - money paid for insurance employeesworkers
Question REVIEW
1. What is the FDIC?
a. An insurance company for banks
b. A security agency
c. The USA’s main bank
d. An agency that makes sure businesses follow proper practices
2. Why did the FDIC start?
a. To help people make money after the stock market crashed
b. To create jobs
c. To make people feel safe about keeping their money in banks
d. To keep the banking business fair
3. How is the FDIC supported?
a. The government supports it.
b. It charges banks a premium.
c. It invests in the stock market.
d. It receives private donations from citizens.
4. Why did people trust the banks after the FDIC began?
5. What is the maximum amount of money the FDIC will reimburse if a bank fails?
MONEY METHODS AND BANK ACCOUNTS
Circle the correct answer based on the charts.
THERE ARE TWO MAIN TYPES OF BANK ACCOUNTS
CHECKING ACCOUNT
SAVINGS ACCOUNT —ALSO CALLED A CD
• An account where people keep the money they plan on using soon
• They can use their money by writing checks or using a debit card.
An account used mostly for long-term savings
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO GET YOUR MONEY
1. I put aside my extra money at the end of each month. I am saving up to buy an electric bike at the end of the year. What account would I put the money into?
• Savings account • checking account
2. I owe my friend $100. He wants me to give him the money, but not in cash. How can I give him the money?
• Go to the ATM • give him my debit card
• give him a check
CHECK
ATM — AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE
DEBIT CARD— ALSO CALLED A BANK CARD
A contract you write telling the bank to pay a specific amount of money from your bank account
A machine that holds cash from your bank. You can take out money from this machine using your bank card and password.
A card that allows you to pay in stores with money taken directly from your bank account
3. I am about to pay for my groceries. I do not have any bills or change with me, and the store does not accept checks. How am I going to pay?
• ATM • debit card • cash
4. I am now old enough to have my own bank account! I want an account that I can use on a day-to-day basis. What type of account should I open?
• Savings account • checking account
Did you know?
• Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau, opened in 1940 and was the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps.
• By the end of April 1945, the Nazis had initiated death marches from Flossenburg, Sachsenhausen, Neungamme, Magdeburg, Mauthausen, Ravensbrueck, and from several of the Dachau sub-camps.
• In all, an estimated 200,000-250,000 concentration camp prisoners were murdered or died on the forced death marches that were conducted throughout the last ten months of World War II, 25% to a third of them Jews.
▸ These tracks were used to transport Jews to Auschwitz.
AUSCHWITZ DEATH MARCH
The Holocaust was one of the darkest events in human history. Millions of people, mostly Jews, were murdered by the Nazis. The Holocaust took place during World War II. The Auschwitz concentration camp was one of the main places the Nazis used to murder their victims.
The Auschwitz concentration camp was a series of more than 40 concentration camps in Poland during World War II (1939-1945). The Nazis created this camp to hold and exterminate, to kill, Jews. The Nazis also killed other people they considered undesirable in Auschwitz.
Auschwitz was first used in 1940 to hold Polish soldiers captured by the Nazi army. The Nazis forced these prisoners to create a sign for the entrance to the camp. The sign reads in German words “Arbeit Macht Frei.” This means “Work sets you free.” This was a deception, a trick, because the Nazis did not plan on ever freeing their prisoners, no matter how much they worked.
The Nazis began transporting, or moving, people to Auschwitz in 1942. The people who arrived in Auschwitz were either killed in gas chambers or forced to perform hard work. Most of those forced to work died of starvation, disease, or execution by the Nazi guards. The Nazis killed over one million people, mostly Jews, in Auschwitz.
In January 1945, the Russian army was winning over the German army and was approaching
exterminate
- kill
Auschwitz. The Nazis tried to destroy evidence of their crimes. They forced Jewish prisoners to dismantle, to take apart, the gas chambers. They also incinerated , meaning burned, many documents. The Russian army was so close that there was only time to take the roof off some of the gas chambers and take apart some of the cremation ovens. These were ovens the Nazis used to burn the bodies of those who died in the gas chambers.
On January 17, 1945, the Nazis ordered the camp’s evacuation. Evacuation means removing people from a certain place. About 60,000 prisoners were forced to march hundreds of miles deeper into Nazi-controlled territory. The prisoners were given little or no food, water, or shelter. Anyone unable to walk with the group was shot. During the death march, about 15,000 people died because of the harsh winter conditions or were killed by guards. The Russian army liberated, or freed, about 7,500 prisoners that the Nazis left in Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.
Question REVIEW
1. How did prisoners at Auschwitz die?
a. In gas chambers
b. From starvation and disease
c. Execution by the Nazi guards
d. All of the above
2. What happened to the prisoners of Auschwitz during the evacuation in January 1945?
a. They were freed by the Russian army.
b. They were forced to march deeper into Nazi-controlled territory.
c. They were moved to a different concentration camp.
d. They were given food and shelter.
3. How many people died in Auschwitz?
a. Over 100,000
b. Over 1,000,000
c. Over 10,000
d. Over 100
4. What was Auschwitz?
5. Why did the Nazis give orders to evacuate Auschwitz on January 17, 1945?
MATCH THE MEMORIAL
A memorial reminds people of a person or an event. Many Holocaust memorials were built to make sure the Holocaust would never be forgotten. Label the memorial pictures 1-4. Choose from the labels in the word box. Then match each memorial to the message it is trying to convey.
1. Cattle car
2. Shoes on the Danube Bank
3. Kindertransport - The Arrival
4. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
a. This memorial is in honor of the many Jews who were told to remove their shoes and then killed by the river.
b. This memorial is in honor of 10,000 Jewish children who were transported to Britain to escape persecution in Germany and Austria.
c. This memorial is in honor of the millions of Jews transported from all over Europe to the extermination camps.
d. This memorial gives an understanding of what a concentration camp really was.
IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
Traveling to other countries can be fun. It can be interesting to learn how people live in different parts of the world. If you need help while visiting another country, one of the places you can go is the embassy. Many countries send representatives to other countries to help their citizens who are visiting there. These representatives work in the embassy.
The Shah was the ruler of Iran for many years. Shah means king in Persian. In 1979, the people of Iran overthrew the Shah. The new ruler was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He was a very religious leader and made Islamic law the official law of Iran. Most of Iran supported Khomeini’s takeover of the country.
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. These students were supporters of Khomeini. They were angry at the U.S. for supporting the deposed Shah of Iran. To be deposed means to be removed from a position of power.
The students took the embassy workers as hostages. A hostage is a prisoner who is kept until certain demands are met. The U.S.
Did you know?
• Iran leaders called the American embassy the “Den of Spies.”
• Leaders of the American embassy in Iran told President Carter their lives would be put in danger if he supported the Shah. President Carter didn’t listen.
• Six American diplomats were not captured, as they hid in the home of Canadian diplomat John Sheardown.
• In the year 2000, the released hostages and their families tried unsuccessfully to sue Iran for its act of terrorism.
• The U.S. embassy building in Iran is no longer used as the U.S. embassy building.
• As of 2022, there is no U.S. embassy in Iran.
government tried to negotiate for their release. To negotiate is to try to make a deal. The Iranian government refused to free the hostages for a long time. This event is called the Iran hostage crisis.
The Iranians held the hostages for 444 days. They were often blindfolded and kept in solitary confinement. That means they were forced to be alone without seeing or talking to anyone. The Iranians threatened to kill some of the hostages. The hostages tried to maintain their mental and physical health by doing exercise. They became friends and gave each other emotional support during this difficult time.
deposedremoved from a position of power hostage - a prisoner who is kept until certain demands are met negotiate - try to make a deal rescue - save strainedweakened
On April 24, 1980, President Jimmy Carter ordered a military operation to rescue, or save, the hostages. The operation involved a team of soldiers flying into Tehran in helicopters. The mission failed when a helicopter crashed, killing the eight American soldiers on board. Carter failed to win a second term as president.
On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan became president of the United States. The hostages were released minutes after he became the new president. Iran finally accepted a deal that earned it a lot of money. The hostages were flown to West Germany, where they were greeted by President Reagan. The American people rejoiced their safe return and welcomed them home in celebration. Many parades were held across the country.
The Iran hostage crisis strained, or weakened, relations between the U.S. and Iran, and the two countries are still enemies.
▸ President Ronald Reagan ▸ Hostages after their release ▸ Arriving home to the U.S. WIKIPEDIA WIKIPEDIA BRITANNICAQuestion REVIEW
1. What was the Iran hostage crisis?
a. A war for independence in Iran
b. Students in Iran took American embassy workers hostage in 1979.
c. A war between Iran and the United States in 1979
d. A disagreement between Iran and the United States about oil prices in 1979
2. How long were the hostages held captive?
a. 365 days
b. 444 days
c. 180 days
d. 90 days
3. Why did the military operation to rescue the hostages fail?
a. One of the helicopters crashed.
b. The Iranians found out about the plan.
c. The plane ran out of fuel before they got there.
d. They couldn’t find the hostages.
4. What did the U.S. government do to try to free the hostages?
5. Why did the Iranian students storm the American embassy and take hostages?
6. Why do you think Jimmy Carter lost the presidency to Reagan?
THE U.S. EMBASSY AT YOUR SERVICE
1. Which of these services do you think a U.S. embassy provides? (Circle 3)
a. Passport assistance
b. English lessons
c. Help obtaining visas for non-U.S. citizens traveling to the USA
d. Alerts and messages to U.S. citizens foreign countries
e. Medical treatment
2. Imagine you are in a foreign country and need to find the American embassy. Where are you most likely to find it? (Circle 2)
a. Near a farm
b. In the capital city
c. By the ocean
d. In the suburbs
e. Next to the airport
3. Which of the following symbols might you find on the U.S. embassy’s building in Canada? (Circle 3)
Did you know?
• More than 90% of the coal mined in the United States is used for electricity.
• For coal to burn well, it has to be fairly dry.
• Coal is mined in 27 states.
• In 2022, 22% of the United States’ electricity came from coal.
• In 2022, the United States had 136,000 people employed in the coal industry.
▸ Scrip was fake money that was only accepted in the coal town.
COAL MINES
How do your parents keep your house warm during the winter? A long time ago, it was much harder to heat a home. People who lived near the woods had to spend a lot of time and energy chopping down trees to burn for heat. But for city people who didn’t live near the forest, something else was needed.
C, or dug, from the earth. are materials in nature that humans use. Coal is used for electricity and heat. Companies also use coal when making plastic, tar, fertilizers, and some medicines.
Starting in the 1700s, people in cities used coal for heat because they didn’t have easy access to firewood. In the 1800s, many coal-powered machines were created. Many coal mining companies were started in the United States to meet the additional need for coal.
Coal mining in the 1800s and 1900s was a difficult job. The miners worked extremely for very low wages, or pay. Conditions in the coal mines were very dangerous and uncomfortable. The workers worked 14-hour shifts in the dark mines. When a worker got injured, he was replaced and sent home with no way to support himself or his family. Sometimes the machines would start a fire, killing miners.
The mine owners didn’t listen to any complaints about working conditions. They knew there were plenty of other people who needed jobs. The mine owners often owned the entire town where the workers lived, too. They owned all the houses, schools, and stores. These towns were known as coal patch towns. Coal miners in coal patch towns were paid in scrip instead of money. Scrip was fake money that was only accepted in the coal town. This meant they could only shop in the stores in the coal patch town. These stores always had very high prices.
By 1925, the mine owners were earning more than $100,000 a day in profits. Even though they were making a lot of money, they lowered the workers’ wages in September 1925. The workers had had enough. About 150,000 miners went on strike at 828 coal mines in Eastern Pennsylvania. A strike is when people stop working until the owners meet their demands. The owners lost a lot of money every day that no one worked. Many violent fights broke out between the workers and the owners.
The strike lasted six months and ended on February 12, 1926. The miners and owners agreed on slightly improved wages and working conditions.
mined - dug natural resources - materials in nature that humans use wages - pay coal patch towns - towns owned by the mine owners strike - when people stop working until the owners meet their demands.
Today, there are many laws about mining conditions. These laws keep miners safer than they were in the 1800s and 1900s. However, accidents can still happen, and coal mining is still a dangerous job.
Question REVIEW
1. How were coal miners paid in coal patch towns?
a. In scrip
b. In money
c. In company stock
d. In goods from the company store
2. What was the result of the coal miners’ strike in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1925?
a. The closure of all coal mines in Eastern Pennsylvania
b. Improved wages and working conditions
c. No change in wages or working conditions
d. Increased profits for the mine owners
3. Why were the prices in the stores in the coal patch towns very high?
a. The stores were poorly managed and did not know how to set fair prices.
b. The stores were far away, so they had to charge more for shipping.
c. There were no other stores to shop in.
d. The workers were paid in fake money that was only accepted in the coal town, so the store owners could charge high prices without losing business.
4. In the 1700s, How did people in cities use coal?
A CLOSER LOOK AT MINING METHODS
Below is a picture of the two types of coal mining: underground and surface mining. Answer the following questions based on the picture.
2. What do you think the rock spoil is from?
a. Piles of rocks that were always there
b. Rock found when mining for coal
c. Dirt created when burning coal to make energy
d. Rock from carving out space for the elevator
3. Why are elevators needed?
1. What do you think is the difference between the coal elevator and the miner’s elevator?
a. The speed that they can move
b. Their size
c. What they are used for
d. Their color
IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1917
Imagine waking up one morning and not knowing a word of English. All of a sudden, you forgot every word. You try to get breakfast, but you can’t read what anything says. It all looks like jumbles of letters you have never seen before. You try to ask someone for help, but no one knows what you’re saying. This is how immigrants live all the time.
Immigrants began moving to the United States in the 1800s. An immigrant is someone who comes to live in a new country. There were very few laws keeping people out of the U.S. Anyone who wanted to live there was welcome to come.
By the 1900s, most of the world’s immigrants were moving to the U.S. In 1907 alone, 1.3 million immigrants passed through New York’s Ellis Island. Ellis Island was one of the main entry points for immigrants.
Did you know?
• Another name for the Immigration Act was the Asiatic Barred Zone Act.
• The president didn’t want to pass the Immigration Act, but Congress overrode his decision and passed it.
• A few months after the act was passed, an exception was made for Mexican agricultural workers, miners, and Mexicans working in the railroad industry. These exemptions continued until 1921.
• The first three immigrants who came to Ellis Island were Annie Moore, a teenager from Ireland, with her two younger brothers.
A lot of Americans thought that too many people were coming to America. They felt that certain people should not be allowed to come. They didn’t want immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia. Many Americans thought that people from these areas were inferior to them. To think someone is inferior means to believe they are worth less than oneself.
On February 5, 1917, Congress passed the Immigration Act. The act was a series of new laws limiting immigration. The new law required immigrants aged 16 or older to display the ability to read in any language. The law also added an
eight-dollar tax on every adult immigrant to enter the country. Eight dollars was a large sum, or amount, in those days.
The new laws also required ships to provide detailed information about all immigrants on board. This included their name, age, physical description, nationality, destination, occupation, and if the passenger was able to read. Doctors checked every immigrant and decided who to allow into the county.
These laws slowed the number of people able to come to the U.S. They targeted poor and uneducated people. Over time, more laws were passed restricting, or stopping, even more people from immigrating.
Today, there are many laws that limit immigration into the U.S. There is also a long waiting list to immigrate to the United States.
immigrantsomeone who comes to live in a new country inferior - worse sum - amount restrictingstopping aliensnoncitizens from a foreign country naturalizedbecome citizens
People who are not citizens may still live in the U.S. Noncitizens from a foreign country are called aliens. They have the same freedoms and rights as U.S. citizens but cannot vote in elections. Aliens need a Green Card to live in the United States. A Green Card is a document that says someone is allowed to live and work in the U.S.
Getting a Green Card is also the first step in becoming a citizen. After someone has a Green Card, they can apply to become a citizen. Because it is so hard to become a U.S. citizen, less than a million people are naturalized, or become citizens, each year.
Question REVIEW
1. How do aliens differ from U.S. citizens, and what rights do they have?
a. Aliens are not allowed to live or work in the United States.
b. Aliens are not allowed to buy property.
c. Aliens have the same freedoms and rights as U.S. citizens but cannot vote.
d. Aliens do not have any rights or freedoms in the United States.
2. What is a Green Card?
a. Proof that someone is allowed to live and work in the U.S.
b. A card that allows someone to vote in elections
c. A card that allows someone to travel freely between countries
d. A card that allows someone to become a U.S. citizen
3. Which of the following is true about immigration to the United States in the 1800s?
a. Most immigrants to the United States came from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.
b. There were few laws limiting immigration to the United States.
c. Americans thought that people from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia were superior to them.
d. The United States did not permit immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.
4. How did the Immigration Act of 1917 impact immigration?
CHART IT: IMMIGRATION TO THE USA FROM 1870-1900
Below is a map showing immigration to the United States between the years 1870-1900. Fill in the chart based on the map. Then answer the questions.
1. Angel Island is on the (east coast/west coast) of the United States.
2. Why do you think so many people wanted to immigrate to the United States?
Did you know?
The iron lung was used in hospitals to help polio patients breathe.
Polio is a highly contagious disease that affects the nerves and muscles. It can cause people to become paralyzed or even die. Paralyzed means that they lose the ability to move parts of their body. There is no cure for this disease once a person has been infected.
POLIO VACCINE
In the early 1900s, there were many outbreaks of polio. Many new medicines were created for many different illnesses in the 1900s, but polio seemed impossible to cure. Most victims of polio were children, but some adults also contracted, or caught, the disease. The most famous victim of polio was the young politician Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He contracted polio in 1921 and his legs became paralyzed from the disease. In 1933, Roosevelt became president of the United States.
Whenever I have to go to the doctor, I get a little nervous. I really don’t like getting shots. I always think they’re going to hurt. But once I get them, I realize they don’t really hurt as much as I thought they would. Another word for a shot is a vaccine. Vaccines are medicines that protect you from dangerous illnesses. One vaccine you get as a baby is the polio vaccine.
In 1938, President Roosevelt helped start an organization to find a cure for polio. This organization was called the March of Dimes. In the late 1940s, the March of Dimes enlisted, or hired, Dr. Jonas Salk to research the virus. To research something is to learn everything about it. Salk found that there were three types of polio and a vaccine would need to kill all three. Salk realized that a chemical called formalin killed all three viruses. Salk developed his vaccine from
dead polio viruses he killed with formalin. In 1954, he announced that he had a vaccine for polio.
On February 23, 1954, children from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania received Dr. Jonas Salk’s vaccine. These children were the first people to get the vaccine. When the vaccine was effective in protecting people from polio, more and more people got vaccinated. The vaccine was very successful, and there were 70% fewer cases of polio that year.
A few months after people started getting the vaccine, there was a sudden outbreak of polio in vaccinated children. People became nervous to use the vaccine. Jonas Salk realized that one laboratory was not making the vaccines correctly. He stopped using that laboratory and made sure the rest of the vaccines were made correctly.
By August 1955, four million people had been vaccinated. Cases of polio in the U.S. dropped from approximately 28,985 in 1955 to about 15,000 in 1956. By 1959, 90 other countries were using Salk’s vaccine.
vaccine - shot contractedcaught enlisted - hired research - to learn everything about something immunizedprotected
In 1962, Dr. Albert Sabin invented a liquid medicine to be taken orally, that also immunized, or protected, against polio. It soon became more popular than Salk’s vaccine, as it was cheaper to make and easier for people to take. There have been many improvements to these vaccines, and every country decides on which method to use.
Using vaccines made polio cases in the United States very rare. In 2015, there were less than 100 new cases around the world.
Question REVIEW
1. Why was polio a scary disease?
a. There’s no cure and it’s contagious.
b. No one knew where it came from.
c. It is caused by an insect bite.
d. The medicine is very expensive.
2. Which of the following is NOT true about Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine?
a. It was the first vaccine developed for polio.
b. It was successful in reducing the number of polio cases.
c. It was made from dead polio viruses killed with formalin.
d. It was the only vaccine developed for polio.
3. Why is it important to follow the directions when making a vaccine?
a. Because a small mistake makes the vaccine take longer to work
b. Because a small mistake can make the vaccine dangerous
c. Because a small mistake gives the vaccine a bad taste
d. Because a small mistake can cause a lot of waste
4. When were the first injections of the new polio vaccine given?
POLIO PEAKS: CASES AND DEATHS FROM 1910-1980
Below is a chart showing the number of polio cases and deaths in the USA between 1910-1980. Circle true or false for each of the following statements.
3. By 1980, there were no reported cases of polio. (true/false)
4. There were around 10,000 deaths from polio in the year 1930. (true/false)
1. The number of polio cases peaked in the year 1916. Peaked means it reached the highest number of cases. (true/false)
2. In the year 1940, there were more cases of polio than the number of deaths from polio. (true/false)
5. At its peak, there were more than 50,000 cases of polio. (true/false)
Did you know?
• The Grand Canyon is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
• The Grand Canyon is one of the most visited national parks in the United States. About 5.9 million people visit each year!
• Rock squirrels found in the Grand Canyon have bitten many visitors who came too close, trying to feed them.
• It would take between two-three weeks to raft from one end of the canyon to the other.
GRAND CANYON
Do you think water can break rocks? That doesn’t sound possible, but with enough time, water can drill through stones. That’s exactly what happened when the Colorado River hit rock walls and carved out the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon is in northwestern Arizona. It is an enormous gorge stretching 277 miles. A gorge is a deep, narrow valley with steep sides. Surrounding the Grand Canyon is almost 2,000 miles of wilderness. This area near the canyon has the nation’s cleanest air.
The Grand Canyon was created by the mighty Colorado River.
ColoradoRiver
The river’s powerful waters flowed through the walls of rock, creating the canyon. The canyon ranges in width from four to 18 miles and is 6,000 feet at its deepest. More than 1,500 plant species, or types, and over 500 animal species live in the Grand Canyon. Many of them are in danger of going extinct. When all
of a specific species is killed out, it is extinct. Some animals don’t live anywhere in the world except near the Grand Canyon. Fish and plants also grow along the canyon’s waters and beaches.
In 1540, Francisco de Coronado, a Spanish explorer, discovered the canyon. No one else explored the canyon for 300 years because of how remote it was. Remote means far from where people live. Finally, on May 24, 1869, John Wesley Powell led the first Colorado River journey. Major Powell was a major in the United States Army. He and ten other men traveled in small boats to explore the entire gorge, which he named the Grand Canyon.
For many years, congressmen tried to turn the entire area into a national park. National parks are areas of land set aside by the government to be protected and preserved. This means that the land cannot be used in ways that ruin it, such as mining or cutting down trees. Many people did not want it to be a national park, and it was not protected for a long time.
In the 1870s and 1880s, copper and other valuables were discovered in the canyon. Many mining companies began to mine in the canyon and surrounding areas. Mining the rocky area was very expensive and did not make money. Instead, many companies began building railroads, hotels, and other
for tourists. Amenities are things that make a place more convenient or enjoyable.
On February 26, 1919, Congress established Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It is one of the natural wonders of the world. Over five million visitors are awed by the Grand Canyon National Park each year. It is a sight unlike any other in the world.
Question REVIEW
1. Why do you think people in the 1870s and 1880s were against the Grand Canyon being a national park?
a. They wanted to explore it more.
b. They wanted to mine the area for profit.
c. They wanted people to be allowed to visit.
d. They wanted to open hotels in the area.
2. Which river created the Grand Canyon?
a. Mississippi River
b. Missouri River
c. Snake River
d. Colorado River
3. Who discovered the Grand Canyon?
a. Francisco de Coronado
b. Major John Wesley Powell
c. Theodore Roosevelt
d. Lewis and Clark
4. Explain how the Grand Canyon was formed.
5. Why do you think visitors are awed when they visit the Grand Canyon?
SIGNS AND SIGHTS AT THE GRAND CANYON
There are many signs near the Grand Canyon to help visitors. Some signs tell visitors where they can find places to stay or other amenities they may need. Other signs are to warn travelers to be aware of animals. What do you think the following signs mean?
1. This sign ____.
a. Warns people to beware of animals
b. Tells animals to be careful crossing the road
c. Tells people that there are no animals for ten miles
d. Warns that the next ten miles are only for people
2. This sign ____.
a. Tells people to stay away from this area
b. Warns people to be careful while in this area
c. Warns people to watch the rocks fall down
d. Tells people to run through the area very quickly
3. This sign ____.
a. Points out a scary view
b. Points out a beautiful view
c. Marks a hiking trail
d. Points out a dangerous area
4. What do you think these signs mean?
SLAVE AUCTION
Have you ever felt forced to do something you really didn’t want to do? Maybe you’ve had to do a chore you didn’t like. Now imagine feeling like that all the time and not being able to say no, ever. That’s what it was like for African slaves in the United States until 1865.
For many years, England ruled the United States which then included 13 English colonies. These 13 colonies later became the first 13 states of the USA. In the 1500s, settlers in the 13 colonies brought the first African slaves to America. During the 1600s and 1700s, the number of slaves in the colonies grew. Enslaved Africans rarely tried to escape because they had nowhere to go.
Slavery was very important to the colonies in the South. The South refers to the colonies of Maryland and south of
Did you know?
• A slave’s workday usually started before dawn and ended after sunset. Slaves were given Sunday as a day off from work.
• Many slaves would sing and dance for fun during their day off.
seldom - rarely abolish - end outlawedforbade
Maryland. Plantations in the South grew tobacco, rice, and cotton and needed a lot of people to work the fields. Slaves were forced to do this work in the sun for many hours with no rest. By the mid-1700s, half the people in the South were African slaves. Slavery was not as important to the Northern colonies. People in the North worked in factories or on smaller farms and did not need slaves as much. There were some slaves in the North but fewer than in the South. Many Southerners became wealthy from the cotton produced by their slave labor.
Some slaves worked on farms and plantations. They lived in tiny shacks near the fields. These slaves were grateful to have some privacy away from their masters. House slaves had less privacy, sometimes living in tiny spaces near the kitchen. Some slaves were forced to sleep in the stables with the animals. Slaves had no rights and had to obey their master’s every request at all times. Slaves were often beaten and whipped. They were bought and sold as property and African families were seldom—or rarely—able to live together. Children were usually sold as soon as they could work. Most never saw their parents again.
Pierce M. Butler owned two plantations in Savannah, Georgia. In 1859, Butler was in debt and decided to sell the 436 slaves he owned. On March 3, 1859, Butler held the biggest slave auction that ever took place in the United States. At auctions, people offer different amounts of money for the item and the highest offer wins. Pierce advertised his auction for several weeks, and people came from all over to buy slaves. Before the auction, the buyers checked the slaves’ teeth and muscles. All the slaves were sold, and many families were separated that day. The auction was called The Weeping Time for the sadness of the slaves who would never see their families again.
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, there was a movement to end slavery in the United States called the abolitionist movement. People wanted to abolish, or end, slavery in the United States. Abolitionists said it was wrong to treat people as if they were property. They wanted all slaves to be freed and given the same rights as everyone else. The debate, or argument, over slavery eventually caused the Civil War in 1861. The North, called the Union, fought the South, called the Confederacy. In 1865, the Union won and outlawed, or forbade, slavery in the United States.
▸ Cotton plantationQuestion REVIEW
1. What crops were slaves forced to grow on Southern plantations?
a. Wheat, corn, and soybeans
b. Tobacco, rice, and cotton
c. Apples, peaches, and pears
d. Wheat, barley, and oats
2. What were the abolitionist movement’s main arguments?
a. That slavery wasn’t fair but was necessary
b. That slavery was wrong and that all slaves should be freed and given the same rights as other citizens
c. That slavery should only be allowed in the Southern colonies
d. That the slaves should decide the future of slavery
3. What was the movement to end slavery in the United States called?
a. The Abolitionist Movement
b. The Freedom Movement
c. The Emancipation Movement
d. The Liberty Movement
4. Why do you think slaves lived in tiny shacks near fields?
5. Why do you think the buyers checked the slaves’ muscles?
SLAVES FOR SALE
This is a real advertisement for a slave auction.
Are the following statements true or false?
1. The main things that decided a slave’s value were height and age.
2. People selling slaves did not tell anyone if the slave was disabled.
3. Slaves with disabilities were cheaper than other slaves.
4. Only some slaves knew how to make spirit barrels.
5. Most slaves knew how to make shoes.
6. What do you think ‘cotton hand’ meant?
Did you know?
• The revolution in March was called the February Revolution. Russia was using an old-style calendar at that time, and for them, the month was February.
• Tsar Nicholas II became tsar at age 26.
• Lenin died in January 1924, only a few years after he brought communism to Russia.
• China and North Korea are communist countries to this day.
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Some people enjoy reading or playing board games. Imagine if you had to ask the government permission to buy a book or a game. Let’s read about the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a country with laws similar to that.
For hundreds of years, the Tsars ruled the Russian Empire. Tsar means emperor in Russian. Tsar Nicholas II was the emperor in the early 1900s. Many people in Russia were not happy living under Tsar Nicholas II. His unfair government made life difficult for anyone who wasn’t rich, and people wanted a change.
On March 8, 1917, workers in the city of Petrograd (now called St. Petersburg) went on strike in protest of the Tsar. The protests quickly spread to other cities. The protesters demanded a change in the country’s leadership. The Tsar was unable to control the protests, and he was forced to abdicate, or give up, the throne. These protests, called the March Revolution, were the first part of the Russian Revolution.
A temporary government was formed to take the Tsar’s place. This new government was not able to improve the lives of Russia’s citizens. Russia needed a leader to help them. They found that leader in Vladimir Lenin.
Vladimir Lenin was the leader of a group called the Bolshevik Party. Lenin and the Bolshevik Party wanted to establish a communist government. In a communist government, the state owns and controls all of the country’s resources. They own
abdicate
all the land, factories, and businesses. The state also supplies everyone with all they need, such as food, housing, education, and healthcare.
Lenin spread the idea of communism throughout Russia. In November of 1917, the Bolsheviks started the second part of the revolution. This part was a war. They won the revolution, and Lenin became the new leader of Russia. Lenin implemented communism in Russia. To implement means to put into effect. The government abolished private land ownership and took control of the factories.
Russia was the first communist country in the world. Russia under the communists was also called the USSR. That stands for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Most people refer to the USSR as the Soviet Union.
The people of the Soviet Union soon found out that communism was not actually a good idea. People in Russia were not free to live the way they wanted. Because the government owned everything, people couldn’t do anything the government didn’t allow. Millions of Russians in the USSR suffered from hunger or government harassment, meaning bother. The USSR often punished small crimes very harshly. People were sent to labor camps in a freezing part of Russia called Siberia, where many died. Over the years, the Soviet government killed millions of its own citizens.
The Communist regime , or government, ruled Russia until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
▸ Working in the freezing weather of SiberiaQuestion REVIEW
1. Why do you think the USSR punished small crimes harshly?
a. So people would be scared of the government
b. To keep people safe from crime
c. They needed people to work in Siberia
d. To get rid of people the government did not like
2. What was the Soviet Union also known as?
a. The USSR
b. The Russian Empire
c. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
d. The Red Army
3. What caused the Russian Revolution?
a. The Russians were not happy with the Tsar.
b. The Russians wanted more money.
c. The Russians wanted Lenin to lead Russia.
d. The Russians wanted better schools.
4. Who was the leader of the Bolshevik Party? What type of government did he want in Russia?
5. Why do you think many Russians wanted communism?
TEMPERATURE IN TIKSI, SIBERIA
Below is a chart showing the average monthly temperature in Tiksi, a city in northern Siberia, from the years 1991-2020. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.
Tiksi - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
1. What is meant by min and max in this chart?
4. Imagine that the minimum temperature in October would be 10 degrees. What would be the mean for that month?
a. 10 degrees
b. 15 degrees
c. 20 degrees
2. What is the coldest month of the year? How low can the temperature go?
a. February, -23 degrees
b. August, 40 degrees
c. December, -25 degrees
d. February, -30 degrees
3. What does ‘mean’ refer to?
a. Highest temperature
b. Lowest temperature
c. Average temperature
d. Any temperature between the minimum and maximum
d. 13.7 degrees
5. How does the temperature in July on the east coast of the United States compare with the temperature in July in Tiksi?
BLOOD BANKS
For many years, doctors tried to figure out how to save people’s lives using blood that wasn’t their own. In the 1600s, doctors figured out how to save animals with blood from a different animal. They tried to use animal blood to save people, but that didn’t work. It took a long time for blood transfusions and blood banks to become available in most hospitals.
In the 1800s, Dr. James Blundell performed the first successful blood transfusion, saving a woman’s life. A blood transfusion is a medical procedure where one person’s blood is transferred, or put into, another person’s body. This helps people who do not have enough blood of their own. Most blood transfusions in the 1800s were not successful, and many people
Did you know?
• Donating blood once can save up to three lives.
• Only 1% of the population has ABblood type.
• Around five million people in America need blood transfusions each year.
• Approximately 20,000 units of blood a day are used for transfusions in the United States.
In 1901, Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian biologist, discovered that there were different blood types. A biologist someone who studies the human body. He realized that the donor’s and recipient’s blood must be compatible. A donor is someone who gives and a
recipient receives. To be compatible means to be able to work together. This discovery made blood transfusions a lot safer. A, B, AB, and O are the four main blood types.
Even though blood transfusions were safe, it was hard to find blood, and many people died. Blood does not remain safe for a transfusion for very long. Dr. Bernard Fantus, a Chicago physician, or doctor, read an article explaining how a Russian laboratory stored blood. He realized that following their example would not be complex, or difficult. Fantus safely stored blood for ten days in his laboratory.
On March 15, 1937, Dr. Fantus started a blood bank at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. This was the first blood bank in a hospital. Many other hospitals also started blood banks. People donated blood, which was stored in the hospital’s blood bank until a patient needed a transfusion. Soon, nearly every hospital had a blood bank.
Not everyone is able to donate blood. Only healthy adults who weigh more than 110 pounds can give blood, but not more often than every two months. It takes ten minutes to donate one pint of blood. Blood is removed through a needle, similar to a blood test. Blood banks test all donated blood to make sure it is free of any diseases and store it by blood type. As of 2022, blood banks can store blood for 42 days.
Countless lives have been spared, meaning saved, by donated blood.
Question REVIEW
1. Who can donate blood?
a. Most healthy adults who weigh more than 110 pounds
b. All healthy people of any weight
c. People older than two years old
d. People of any age who weigh 110 pounds
2. How often can someone donate blood?
a. Once a month
b. Every two months
c. Once a year
d. Only when needed
3. How did the discovery of blood types make blood transfusions safer?
a. It made long-term blood storage possible.
b. It helps doctors know if donated blood is compatible with the patient.
c. It made it easier to use donated blood in an emergency.
d. It helped lessen diseases in donated blood.
4. Why do you think blood does not last long outside of a blood bank?
THE BASICS OF BLOOD
When a person donates blood, they donate whole blood. The whole blood is then taken and divided into its different components or parts. Each part of the blood has its own job in the body. When giving a blood transfusion, specific parts of blood will be used based on the patient’s needs. Below is information about different blood parts. Using the chart, answer the questions below.
1. Which part of the blood has the longest storage life?
a. Plasma
b. White blood cells
c. Platelets
d. Red blood cells
2. Can you think of one example when a person might need a blood transfusion?
3. What are two differences between red blood cells and white blood cells?
Did you know?
• A married person cannot attend West Point.
• All students at West Point are between the ages of 17-23.
WEST POINT
To be a leader in the army is a big responsibility. Soldiers must follow their superior’s every order, and a small mistake can mean a team member’s death. Superior is another word for leader. Such leaders need special skills. The United States Military Academy at West Point teaches potential leaders these skills
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He had the idea to start a military school to train young men to lead in the army. On March 16, 1802, he established the United States Military Academy at West Point, usually called West Point.
West Point is 50 miles north of Manhattan in a fort that was built at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. A fort is a walled area an army uses as a base while defending their land. At the start of the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), it was called Fort Arnold to honor its commander, Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold was a general in the United States Army fighting for independence from Britain. In 1780, Benedict decided to betray the U.S. and sent a letter to the British that he wanted to surrender the fort to them. A British courier, or messenger, was found with a return message
for Arnold, and his plan failed. He escaped and became a general in the British Army.
To enter the West Point Academy, one must have excellent grades. A nomination from a member of Congress, the vice president, or the President of the country is also required. A nomination is when someone is recommended for a position or opportunity.
West Point is a tough school with a strict code of conduct. The students are called cadets. The cadets learn science, math, and engineering and go through rigorous, or extremely tough, military training. Cadets must maintain good grades to remain in West Point. To maintain something is to keep it up. After four years, graduates join the army with the high rank of lieutenant. West Point accepts about a thousand new cadets each year.
Students at West Point do not pay any tuition and even get $900 every month. In exchange, students must serve in the army for five years. Some stay longer and have long careers in the army. Many famous people are West Point graduates, such as Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower, who became presidents. Other famous generals from West Point include Robert E. Lee, William Tecumseh Sherman, and George Patton. Many other famous people studied in West Point.
Question REVIEW
1. What is the goal of West Point?
a. To train soldiers to fight in the army
b. To train people to make new weapons
c. To train new army leaders
d. To train future U.S. presidents
2. Who was the commander of Fort Arnold?
a. George Washington
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Robert E. Lee
d. Benedict Arnold
3. How many students are there in West Point?
a. About 1,000
b. About 2,500
c. About 4,000
d. About 5,000
4. Name two generals who attended West Point.
5. Why do you think a nomination from a congress member is required to study in West Point?
6. Why do you think a military school like West Point teaches math and science?
DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WEST POINT CADET
Below is a typical daily schedule for a West Point cadet. Look at the schedule and answer the questions below.
1. What is the total amount of class time or study time the cadets have each day?
a. 9 hours, 10 minutes b. 4 hours, 10 minutes c. 3 hours d. 8 hours, 15 minutes
2. On what day of the week must all cadets eat supper at West Point?
Sunday
(optional except on Thursday)
jobs
activities Study time Taps (a tune played in the army to signal bedtime)
3. What do you think the cadets do at 4:00 pm?
a. Learn in class b. Enjoy free time
c. Athletics d. Study
4. Most schools do not set a time for lights out. Why do you think there is a set bedtime in West Point?
INCOME TAXES
Running a country costs a lot of money. There must be smooth roads to drive on, schools to learn in, and hospitals to go to when people are sick. Countries also need police to help keep everyone safe from crime. Those are just some of the expenses countries have.
▸ Paying taxes in 1920
Did you know?
• An average American will pay $480,000 in taxes throughout their life.
• Taxes are not a new idea. There are documents that show that people were taxed as far back as in Ancient Egypt.
▸ U.S. Constitution document
In 1789, the Constitution gave Congress the power to charge taxes. The government began taxing imports to support the federal government. Imports are products people bring to the country to sell. For a long time, this raised enough money for the country.
In 1894, Congress tried to pass the first yearly income tax. Income is money a person makes from their job. Income tax is the money paid to the government on these earnings. Charles Pollock was a Massachusetts citizen who did not want to pay this new tax. He brought his case against paying taxes to court. His case went to the Supreme Court for judgment. The Supreme Court agreed with Pollock and ruled that the income tax went against the Constitution and could not be made a law. The only way to pass a tax on people’s income would be to change the Constitution.
The people who wrote the Constitution included a way to change parts of it. These changes are called amendments. Amendments can also add new rules to the Constitution. It is very hard to approve an amendment. As of 2022, Congress voted on more than 10,000 amendments, but only 27 were ratified. To ratify a law or amendment means to make it official.
In 1913, Congress ratified the 16th Amendment to the Constitution.
This amendment gave Congress the ability to charge a yearly income tax. The first tax rates ranged from 1% to a top rate of 6%, depending on how much someone made each year. The highest income tax rate from 1918 until 1921 was 77%. This was to help pay for World War 1. This high rate was only for people making a million dollars or more. This tax is usually called federal income tax because it goes to the United States federal government.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 was a law that lowered most people’s tax rates. Over the years, there have been many different rates, but the rates have always been progressive. A progressive rate means a rate that depends on a person’s income. Charging everyone the same amount is called a flat rate .
Besides federal income tax, many states also charge their own income taxes. Some states have a flat tax rate, while others have a progressive tax system. As of 2022, there are eight states that do not charge any additional state income tax.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is in charge of collecting federal income tax. After the year ends, everyone who works fills out forms of how much money they made that year. Everyone also has to figure out how much they owe in taxes. Anyone who doesn’t pay the taxes they owe can get penalties. Penalties are punishments. Most penalties from the IRS are extra charges for paying taxes late, but the IRS can jail people if they refuse to pay their taxes.
The deadline for filing and paying this personal income tax is April 15. Most people do not like paying these taxes, but they are an important part of running the country.
Question REVIEW
1. Which best describes a progressive tax system?
a. The tax rate is the same for everyone.
b. The tax rate depends on the income.
c. The tax rate depends on the state.
d. The tax rate depends on how many children a person has.
2. What is the deadline for filing and paying personal income tax in the U.S.?
a. January 1
b. April 15
c. December 31
d. October 31
3. Who is responsible for collecting federal income tax in the U.S.?
a. The Department of Finance
b. The Internal Revenue Service
c. The Department of Treasury
d. The Federal Reserve
4. Why do you think the IRS doesn’t tell people how much money they owe in income tax?
5. Do states also charge income taxes?
INCOME TAX INFORMATION
A 1040 form is used to calculate how much income tax a person owes. Every working person fills out the form then sends it in to the IRS. Below is some of the information that was included on the 1040 form used in 1913. Until 1954, the deadline was March 1 of each year. In 1954, April 15 became Tax Day.
Form 1040 Income tax
The penalty for failure to have this return in the hands of the collector of internal revenue on or before March 1 is $20 to $1,000.
Name
Address
Return of Annual Income of Individuals
Name City, Town, or Post Office of State of Income on which the tax is to be calculated. $
When the income shown above exceeds $20,000, the additional taxes must be calculated as per the schedule below.
1 percent on amount over $20,000
2 percent on amount over $50,000
3 percent on amount over $75,000
4 percent on amount over $100,000
5 percent on amount over $250,000
6 percent on amount over $500,000
Total tax liable to pay $
Look at the 1040 to answer the questions.
(Hint: exceeds means more than)
1. How much tax did someone who made $15,000 in 1913 have to pay?
a. 1%
b. 2%
c. 3%
d. Nothing
2. In 1913, what was the highest penalty for paying taxes late?
3. Why do you think people went to the post office to file their taxes?
LINCOLN’S ASSASSINATION
Many leaders throughout history have been assassinated, or killed. Some were good leaders and some were bad leaders. The first United States president to be assassinated was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a very good leader. He freed the slaves and led the country through the Civil War. But some people who did not want slavery to end hated Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. When he was running for office, he made it clear that he was very against slavery. When he won, seven southern states seceded from the U.S. To secede separate from a country or organization. Later, another four states joined them. They called themselves the Confederate States of America. They were also called the Confederacy. This caused the American Civil War (1861–1865) between the Confederacy and the states loyal to the U.S. The states that were loyal were known as the North because almost everyone in the North was against slavery.
John Wilkes Booth was an actor who supported the Confederacy. Booth hated Abraham Lincoln for his anti-slavery opinions. In 1865, Booth and his accomplices planned to kidnap Lincoln and bring him to Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. An accomplice is someone who helps another person commit a crime. They planned to take him on March 20, 1865. President Lincoln’s plans changed at the last moment, and the
By April 1865, the Confederate armies were almost completely destroyed. The South was certain to surrender in the next few days. Booth decided to kill the president instead of kidnapping him. Booth and his friends plotted, or planned, the assassination of President Lincoln. They hoped the assassination would throw the North into confusion, which would help the South fight and overpower them.
They chose the evening of April 14, 1865, knowing that President Lincoln was going to be watching Northern actors
secede - separate from a country or organization accomplicesomeone who helps another commit a crime plotted - planned conspiratorsthe people who planned the crime succumb - to die from injuries
Did you know?
• At six foot, four inches, Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president.
• Lincoln was the first president to be born outside of the original thirteen colonies.
• Lincoln was the first president to wear a beard.
put on a play in Ford’s Theatre. On April 9, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Grant, the general of the North. The Civil War was over. The conspirators, meaning the people who planned the crime, chose to continue their attack anyway.
At around 10 pm, Booth went to Ford’s Theatre. He entered Lincoln’s private seating box and shot him in the back of the head, seriously wounding him. After shooting Lincoln, Booth jumped onto the stage and yelled, “The South is avenged!” This meant that he felt killing Lincoln was payback for ending slavery. Then he escaped Washington, D.C. on horseback with a broken leg.
The injured president succumbed to his wounds the next morning at 7:22 am. To succumb means to die from injuries. He was the first United States president to be assassinated.
The United States Army searched for Booth and found him on April 26. The soldiers entered the barn where he was hiding. Booth was killed by a bullet, but it is unclear if he shot himself or if a soldier killed him. The Army arrested eight accomplices; four were hanged and four were jailed.
Lincoln’s body was transported by train to Springfield, Illinois for burial. Along the journey, every time the train stopped, thousands of Americans lined the tracks to pay their respects to their beloved president.
▸ Lincoln’s box in Ford’s Theatre ▸ Ford’s TheatreQuestion REVIEW
1. On what date did Lincoln die?
a. April 13, 1865
b. April 14, 1865
c. April 15, 1865
d. May 4, 1865
2. Why did some states separate to start their own country?
a. They did not want to end slavery.
b. They wanted to end slavery.
c. They wanted the capitol to be in their own states.
d. They did not like the name United States.
3. What was Booth’s original plan?
a. To kill Lincoln
b. To kidnap Lincoln
c. To meet Lincoln
d. To injure Lincoln
4. When and how did the Civil War end?
5. Why do you think Booth continued with his plot even though the South surrendered?
FIVE FAMOUS CIVIL WAR BATTLES
Below are some famous battles that took place during the Civil War. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.
Each of the following statements is false. Cross out the incorrect word and write (a) different word(s) on the line that will make the sentence true.
1. The South had more victories than the North.
2. General Grant led the South in two battles.
3. The Battle of Gettysburg lasted as long as the First Battle of Bull Run.
CHERNOBYL DISASTER
Imagine leaving your house and, instead of seeing your neighbors, the entire city is empty. That’s how the city of Chernobyl looks. The streets are completely quiet and empty. Fifty thousand people used to live in the city, but now only animals live there.
Did you know?
• An area close to Chernobyl absorbed so much radiation that the trees turned red and died. This area was nicknamed ‘Red Forest.’
• An amusement park was scheduled to open near Chernobyl in May 1986, but it never opened.
In 1970, the USSR began building a nuclear plant in the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl. A nuclear plant is where electricity is produced using nuclear reactions. These reactions are very powerful and create a lot of electricity. Creating nuclear energy is very dangerous, and nuclear plants are built very carefully. In 1977, they finished building the first reactor. That is the machine that makes the electricity. By 1983, four reactors were running in the plant.
On April 26, 1986, scientists were running a routine safety test on reactor four. Reactor four was in a large concrete building with a heavy dome roof. The test did not go as planned, and the reactor exploded. The explosion was so strong that it lifted the roof, which fell into the building. A second explosion followed a few seconds later. The second explosion was much stronger than the first, and the reactor began to melt. Two people died in the explosions.
The explosion created a huge fire that burned for more than a week. The destroyed reactor released dangerous radiation into the air. Radiation is a type of energy that can be safe or dangerous. X-rays use safe amounts of radiation for doctors to see inside your body, but it is dangerous to be exposed to a
lot of radiation. To be exposed to something means to have contact with it. High doses of radiation can cause many deadly diseases. The amount of radiation in Chernobyl was equal to hundreds of atom bombs. An area with too much radiation is called a contaminated area.
The Soviet government did not tell Chernobyl’s residents they were in danger for a few days. They also tried to hide the disaster from the world. After a few days, other countries found radiation in the air. The radiation reached as far as Italy and Sweden. The USSR had no choice but to publicize, or announce, that there had been a nuclear disaster in Chernobyl.
contaminated area - an area with too much radiation expose - have contact with reactor - a machine that makes electricity decay - break down publicizeannounce
Scientists estimate that 4,000 people died of diseases caused by radiation from Chernobyl. Cleaning the area of the disaster was a huge job. As of 2022, Chernobyl is still unsafe for people to live in. The 20-mile area around the nuclear plant is called the exclusion zone. Only people with special permission may enter this area. The top layer of earth was removed to clean the area. A large covering was placed over the remains of the reactor to keep more radiation from leaking. The cover was built in a hurry and began to decay, meaning break down, immediately. In 2019, a steel dome replaced the old broken cover. The new cover cost almost two billion dollars. It is tall enough to cover the Statue of Liberty and wide enough to cover the U.S. Capitol building.
▸ In 2011, Ukraine opened Chernobyl to tourism. People can tour the wildlife now living there, as well as the abandoned town.
The Ukrainian government estimates that Chernobyl will be safe for people around the year 2320. Other organizations say that it will be much later than that. In 2019, Ukraine began giving short tours of the reactors. They said that being there for a short time exposes a person to safe amounts of radiation equal to an x-ray.
▸ Steel dome over the exploded reactor WIKIPEDIAQuestion REVIEW
1. What caused the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant?
a. There was a routine safety test on the reactor.
b. The reactor was being fixed
c. There was a fire in the control room
d. There was a terrorist attack on the plant
2. Why was the covering on the remains of the reactor replaced?
a. It was too small to cover the reactor.
b. It was too heavy and collapsed.
c. It was too expensive to maintain.
d. It was decaying.
3. What was the purpose of removing the top layer of earth in Chernobyl?
a. To create a foundation for the steel dome
a. To bury the remains of the reactor
b. To clean the area and reduce the radiation levels
c. To create a new exclusion zone
4. How do you think the people in Chernobyl and all over the world felt toward the USSR government after radiation was discovered in the air?
5. Would you feel safe visiting the site of the Chernobyl explosion? Why or why not?
STEPS TO TAKE IN A NUCLEAR EMERGENCY
It is important for nuclear facilities to be prepared in case of an emergency. These are some of the main steps of how a country might respond to a nuclear emergency.
STEPS WHAT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS HOW LONG IT TAKES
Step #1: emergency response Evacuating people from affected areas
Step #2: prevent radiation from spreading Building a wall (usually of sandbags) around the affected area
Step #3: decontamination Removing the earth of contaminated areas
Step #4: Long-term testing
Testing the amount of radiation in the area even after it is considered safe for people
Workers wear special hazmat suits that keep out radiation.
Workers wear special hazmat suits that keep out radiation.
Workers wear hazmat suits and use special machines to limit their contact with radiation.
This is a precaution to make sure the areas remain safe.
A few hours to a few days
A few weeks
A few weeks to many years
Can be needed for hundreds of years
1. Why do you think these steps can sometimes take longer than other times?
2. Why might a country test the radiation after an area was considered safe for people?
3. Based on this chart, what step do you think the Chernobyl disaster is up to?
DACHAU’S LIBERATION
The Final Solution was one of the most evil plans in history. The Nazis killed people in death factories called concentration camps. The first concentration camp was in a German town called Dachau. It was the prototype, or model, for the rest of their camps.
Adolf Hitler became the ruler of Germany in 1933. Hitler’s political party was the National Socialist party, more often called the Nazi party. Dachau opened in March 1933, a few months after Hitler came to power. Dachau was the first concentration camp the Nazis opened. Dachau was the model for their many concentration camps. That means that the other camps were built and run the same way as Dachau.
Did you know?
• Dachau is located in southern Germany.
• Between 1933-1945, Germany and its allies set up over 44,000 camps or similar types of places.
• There were 30 barracks for the prisoners in Dachau. At least 28,000
Dachau was run by the SS, a murderous group of Nazis who were very loyal to Hitler. They were in charge of all the concentration camps. The SS was also responsible for killing enemies of Nazi Germany, including all Jews.
The early prisoners of Dachau were people who disagreed with the Nazis’ political views. These are called political prisoners. Following Kristallnacht, the Nazis sent over 10,000 Jews to Dachau. When World War II (1939-1945) began, even more political prisoners were sent to Dachau. The next time Jewish prisoners were sent to Dachau was in 1942.
Dachau’s prisoners, who were not all Jewish, were held in barracks in the main camp. There were also smaller labor, or work, camps nearby where the prisoners were forced to work. Some prisoners were sent to work on construction sites or in nearby factories. There were also places for the Nazis to stay. Guard towers surrounded the entire camp.
In 1942, Hitler began the Final Solution. This was the
blueprint, or plan, of how the Nazis would murder every Jew in areas they controlled. The Nazis planned to deport every Jew to concentration camps to work and be killed. The Nazis deported Jews from all over Europe to Dachau. The conditions in Dachau were much worse for the Jewish inmates than for the other prisoners. An inmate is a prisoner. Most Jewish prisoners died within a few weeks of arriving at the camp.
The Nazis starved the Jews and tortured them in many ways. German doctors did horrific painful experiments on Jewish prisoners in Dachau.
By 1945, the American Army was getting closer to Dachau. On April 24, 1945, the Nazis forced thousands of Jewish prisoners on a death march. The prisoners were forced deeper into Nazi territory. The Nazis shot anyone too weak to keep up. Thousands also died while marching. Two days into the march, the American Army found them and liberated them.
The U.S. Army liberated Dachau on April 29, 1945, and found over 30,000 prisoners in the camp. These prisoners were almost dead, so the Nazis did not force them on the death march. The American Army fed the prisoners and brought doctors to treat them. Thousands more died from diseases and malnourishment after liberation. Someone who is weak from not eating healthy food is malnourished. Some American soldiers were very upset by what they saw in Dachau. These soldiers killed some of the Nazis in revenge for the terrible acts they had committed.
In October 1945, the U.S. Army began using the camp as a prison for the Nazis. Some of the Nazis were put on trial and killed, but many remained free or escaped. In the 1950s, Dachau became a memorial site. Thousands visit to keep the memory of Nazi Germany’s victims alive.
Question REVIEW
1. Why do you think the Nazis made Dachau’s conditions much more difficult for the Jews?
a. To punish the Jews for crimes they committed
b. They were trying to kill the Jews.
c. They believed that Jews were inferior and deserved to be treated poorly.
d. So the other prisoners would be scared to rebel
2. What was the Final Solution?
a. A plan to deport and kill every Jew in Nazi-controlled areas
b. A plan to conquer the Soviet Union
c. A plan to develop new military equipment
d. A plan to conquer the entire Europe
3. What was the purpose of the death march from Dachau in April 1945?
a. To evacuate prisoners before the Allied forces arrived
b. To punish prisoners for attempting to escape
c. To transport prisoners to other concentration camps
d. To kill as many prisoners as possible before they could be liberated
4. Why were some Jews left in Dachau instead of being forced on the death march?
5. Why was Dachau an important concentration camp?
A LOOK AT LIBERATION
Fill in the blank boxes in the chart. Then answer the questions below.
1. Pick two concentration camps and compare the number of survivors.
3. What might have affected how many survivors were left in each camp at liberation?
2. During which month and year did many liberations take place?
4. Which camp was liberated by the British Army?
a. Buchenwald
b. Bergen-Belsen
c. Majdanek
d. Ravensbruck
Did you know?
• In 1884, the USDA made a law that animals who were sick could not be used as food.
• The USDA has around 100,000 employees.
• In 1946, the National School Lunch Act was established, where students would receive nutritious lunches at school for very reduced prices.
• The USDA spent around $230 billion in the year 2022.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Eating candy for every meal sounds like fun. It would also make a person very weak. Candy does not provide nutrition. Nutrition is food that gives the body healthy energy. For proper nutrition, people need to eat food that is healthy and safe. Some foods may be nutritious but are not safe and can make a person sick. How do you know if your food is safe and nutritious? The United States Department of Agriculture helps with that.
On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln founded the United States Department of Agriculture. Better known as the USDA, this department’s job is to help agriculture and human nutrition. Agriculture is another word for farming. In 1862, more than half the people in the United States were farmers. Lincoln told the USDA to help farmers grow food that would be safe for the citizens of the US. The department passed many laws to make sure farmers were growing food properly.
The USDA is not only responsible for farming. They also make sure other foods are safe. A special department of the USDA, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, known as FSIS, makes sure other foods like meat, chicken, and
fish are safe to eat. These foods can spoil very easily. The FSIS creates guidelines on how these items should be prepared and packaged in a way that is safe to eat. Eating foods that are contaminated with bacteria can cause serious illness. Bacteria are dangerous germs that can grow in food that is handled incorrectly. When food is contaminated it is made impure or unclean, no longer safe to eat. The FSIS inspects the processing plants to make sure they are up to code—meaning they meet the guidelines. FSIS stands for Food Safety and Inspection Service.
In 1939, the USDA started the Food Stamp Program. People who cannot afford enough food for their families can receive help to buy groceries. This is part of improving human nutrition, one of the jobs Lincoln gave the department. The USDA wanted to make sure all families were receiving the proper nutrition they needed. In 2008, the Food Stamp Program was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In 2018, SNAP spent 57 billion dollars helping 40 million people.
The USDA buys food from other countries and sells food to them, too. USDA also focuses on developing new ways to help the food industry.
nutrition - eating the right foods agriculturefarming contaminatedmade impure or unclean, no longer safe to eat bacteriadangerous germs code - guidelines
The USDA has been sued many times for making bad decisions that did not help the American people. Some of the people in charge of the USDA made many decisions to help themselves. Some USDA leaders took bribes, hired inexperienced friends, or only helped certain farmers. A group of Congress members is in charge of making sure the USDA is doing its job.
Question REVIEW
1. What is the main responsibility of the USDA?
a. Helping agriculture and human nutrition
b. Providing education and training to farmers
c. Developing new technologies for the food industry
d. Inspecting processing plants for safety regulations
2. What does FSIS stand for?
a. Farm Safety and Inspection Service
b. Federal Safety and Inspection System
c. Food Safety and Inspection Service
d. Food Services and Inspection Support
3. Which of the following statements about the Food Stamp Program is true?
a. It was eliminated in 2008.
b. It helps families in need buy groceries.
c. It was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 2018.
d. It provides free lunch for children in school.
4. How might someone know if they were not getting enough nutrition?
THE HEALTHY AMERICAN DIET
In 1991, the USDA published its first suggestions for healthy eating. This chart suggests a healthy diet for most Americans. Study the chart and answer the following questions.
GRAINS
Make half your grains whole
• Eat at least 3 oz. of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day
• 1 oz. is about 1 slice of bread, about 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice, cereal, or pasta
VEGETABLES
Vary your veggies
• Eat more dark-green veggies like broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens
• Eat more orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes
• Eat more dry beans and peas like pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils
FRUITS
Focus on fruits
• Eat a variety of fruit
• Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit
• Go easy on fruit juices
MILK Get your calcium-rich food
• Go low-fat or fat-free when you choose milk, yogurt, and other milk products
• If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources such as fortified food or beverages
For a 2,000-calorie diet, you need amounts below from each food group.
Eat 6 oz. every day Eat 2 1/2 cups very day Eat 2 cups every day
1. Name a food that belongs to two different food groups.
2. Name three vegetables that most people should eat daily.
MEAT & BEANS
Go lean with protein
• Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry
• Bake it, broil it, or grill it
• Vary your protein routine - choose more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds
Get 3 cups every day; for kids aged 2 to 8, it’s 2 Eat 5 1/2 oz. every day
3. How many slices of bread should a person eat per day?
4. Why do you think people should not drink a lot of fruit juices?
Did you know?
• The Freedom Rides started in the month of May and continued until November, lasting for seven months.
• The total number of Freedom Riders was estimated to be around 436 people.
• Women were also part of the Freedom Riders.
• One of the original Freedom Riders, John Lewis, later became a congressman in the U.S. government.
▸ Newspaper headlines about an attack on Freedom Riders
FREEDOM RIDERS
Some people do not like change. It can be hard to get used to new ideas. When the slaves were freed, most Southerners (people in the South) did not know how to deal with such a big change. They were very angry at losing their slaves who worked in their fields and businesses.
After the Civil War, most Confederate leaders in the South were arrested. The Northern army became the temporary government.
High-ranking officers of the army became the governors of the Southern states. These governors appointed fair people to help lead the states. Freed slaves, also called freedmen , were also appointed to these new governments. The soldiers also stayed in the South to help the governors.
Most of the people who lived in the South owned slaves before the war. They did not want to treat their former slaves as equals. The Southern citizens discriminated against the former slaves. To discriminate means to treat some people worse than others.
In 1877, President Rutherford
B. Hayes told the army to leave the South. He thought the South was ready to elect their own fair government. This made the white citizens very nervous. They wanted a government that would pass laws limiting the rights of blacks. The Southerners created gangs to scare blacks from voting.
Most black people did not vote. They knew that the gangs would kill them if they did. This meant that the entire new government hated the freed slaves. The new Southern government passed laws making African Americans secondclass citizens. These laws were called the Jim Crow laws. They segregated—meaning separated — blacks and whites in schools, public transportation, restrooms, and all other public facilities. African Americans were forced to use black-only restrooms. African Americans were also often attacked or killed by gangs for no reason at all.
freedmen - freed slaves discriminate - to treat some people worse than others segregatedseparated offense - crime ordinances - laws
In the 1960s, a group of Americans became very upset about the Jim Crow laws. They decided to protest the Jim Crow laws of segregation. On May 4, 1961, the group traveled to the South. The group consisted of seven African American and six white people. They all used the wrong restrooms while in the South. This was a serious offense, or crime, in the South.
The people who went on this trip became known as the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders were attacked in many places by angry Southerners. After the first Freedom Ride in May, many more people joined the Freedom Riders. In many places, the police let Southern gangs attack the freedom riders. In other places, the police arrested the riders for breaking Jim Crow ordinances, or laws. The Freedom Riders publicized the situation of African Americans in the South, and many people joined the fight for equality. It took some time, but in 1964 Congress made all Jim Crow laws illegal by passing the Civil Rights Act.
Question REVIEW
1. What was the main goal of the Freedom Riders?
a. To travel to the South
b. To protest the Jim Crow laws
c. To use the wrong restrooms
d. To get arrested
2. When was the first freedom ride?
a. May 4, 1877
b. May 4, 1964
c. May 4, 1961
d. May 29, 1954
3. What were the Jim Crow laws?
a. Laws that separated African Americans from whites in public facilities
b. Laws that granted equal rights to African Americans
c. Laws that allowed African Americans to vote
d. Laws that protected African Americans from discrimination
4. How did white Southerners take control of the government?
FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM: ORDER OF EVENTS
Below is an outline of the events leading up to the Freedom Ride and what happened afterwards. Number the events to show the order in which they happened.
1865: Slavery ended.
Freedom Riders protested the Jim Crow Laws.
President Lincoln was assassinated.
Congress made Jim Crow laws illegal .
1961: Jim Crow laws were passed
Slaves were brought to America
5. Why do you think Southerners did not like African American people?
1861: The Civil War began
They tried to set up fair governments in the South
The North left the Southern government
6. Why do you think some of the Freedom Riders were white?
Abraham Lincoln became the president
Slave auctions were often held
Did you know?
• Clara’s full name was Clarissa Harlowe Barton.
• When the Red Cross was first started, its name was International Committee for Relief to the Wounded.
• As of 2022, there are almost 20,000 people who work for the ICRC.
• The ICRC exists in over 100 countries.
Bravery is a great quality to have. Many people do not know how brave they really are unless there is a time that their bravery is needed. Many soldiers are given awards for bravery in battle. Clara Barton was not a soldier, but she was very brave in battle, too. Maybe even braver than the soldiers she helped.
Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts. Barton was the youngest of five children. From a young age, Barton was known for her kindness. When Clara was eleven years old, her brother David became very sick. Clara took care of him for two years until he got better. Clara discovered that she enjoyed helping others.
During the Civil War (18611865), Barton collected medical supplies for the soldiers. In 1861, Barton placed an ad in a Massachusetts newspaper asking people to donate supplies. She received a lot of supplies in response. She stored the supplies in her house before bringing them to the front. The front is where the soldiers fight the war. It is the most dangerous place for a civilian to be because
▸ Headquarters building of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C
they have no way to protect themselves. A civilian is someone who is not a soldier. Barton distributed supplies to healthy soldiers to use if they got wounded. She also helped take care of injured soldiers and even helped with medical operations near the front. She also brought food to wounded soldiers. Barton helped soldiers on both sides of the war equally.
She became known as the Angel of the Battlefield for her frequent timely assistance. Timely means that her help came exactly when it was needed.
After the Civil War, Clara traveled overseas and learned about the International Red Cross. This organization helped wounded soldiers during wars. On May 21, 1881, Clara founded an American branch of the International Red Cross. The American Red Cross provides assistance in times of emergency such as war, hunger, and natural disasters. It runs a major blood donation program that supplies hospitals with blood. The Red Cross also offers many health courses such as CPR, and lifeguarding.
the front - where soldiers fight the war timely - coming exactly when it is needed lecturesspeeches essentialextremely important
Barton was the first president of the American Red Cross. She traveled across the country giving lectures, or speeches, and raising money for the organization. Barton also worked to improve training for nurses, believing that they were essential, meaning extremely important, to the success of the Red Cross.
Barton died on April 12, 1912, at the age of 90. In 1975, Her final home in Maryland became a memorial to her and her important work.
Question REVIEW
1. How did Clara Barton raise money for the American Red Cross?
a. By collecting donations from people
b. By selling items she owned
c. By traveling across the country and giving lectures
d. By working as a nurse and donating her earnings
2. What did the International Red Cross do in 1865?
a. Helped wounded soldiers during wars
b. Provided assistance in times of disaster
c. Ran a blood donation program
d. Provided health courses, such as CPR and lifeguarding
3. What was Clara Barton known as during the Civil War?
a. The Angel of the Battlefield
b. The Nurse of the War
c. The Red Cross Lady
d. The Nurse and Chef
4. Why do you think Clara Barton helped soldiers on both sides of the war?
ASSISTANCE BY THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
The American Red Cross provides assistance in times of wars, natural disasters, and health emergencies. They also offer life-saving training courses.
Questions:
1. The Red Cross helped during the Covid-19 pandemic. Which of the following do you think the Red Cross was not involved in during the pandemic?
a. Testing people to see if they were sick
b. Providing vaccines to civilians
c. Giving loans to those who lost their jobs
d. Ensuring quarantine
2. Which is NOT a natural disaster?
a. Ebola virus
b. Hurricane
c. Tornado
d. Volcano
3. Which of the following do you think the Red Cross provides during a natural disaster, such as a flood?
a. Shelter
b. Food
c. Medical Care
5. Do you think Clara Barton was braver than a fighting soldier? Why or why not?
d. All of the above
4. Name two wars in which the Red Cross may have assisted.
5. How do you think the Red Cross helped civilians in these wars?
6. Why were nurses essential when the Red Cross opened?
THE HINDENBURG
Do you like helium balloons? You need to be careful to hold their strings very tightly so they don’t fly away. Helium floats in the air. Imagine a helium balloon that can carry a person. Airships are huge balloons with a lot of helium in them that can carry a lot of people.
German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin invented the first rigid airship in the 1890s. A rigid airship is a large balloon that can be used for air travel. The top part of the balloon is filled with helium, which lifts it into the air. Engines move the ship forward and backward. The rest of the balloon has room for people. Airships are able to hover in one place and can travel up to 80 miles per hour. To hover
Did you know?
• There were 62 survivors of the Hindenburg disaster.
• The Hindenburg had a very lightweight piano on it. The piano was designed specially for the Hindenburg.
• The Hindenburg was carrying around 17,000 pieces of mail when it caught on fire. 176 pieces of mail actually survived the accident and were delivered a few days later.
means to remain in one place in the air. Although airplanes were faster, many people preferred airships, which were smoother and quieter. Zeppelin started a company building his airships. Airships became known as zeppelins.
In 1931, the Zeppelin Company began building a luxurious, or very fancy, airship called the Hindenburg. The ship was named for German President Paul von Hindenburg, who had died two years earlier. The Hindenburg was over 804 feet long, making it the largest airship ever built. The Hindenburg had luxury cabins that held 50 people. A crew of another 56 people worked on the ship. The ship had a lounge and dining room for the passengers.
The Hindenburg began flying in March 1936. The Hindenburg made its first transatlantic flight from Germany to the United States on May 3, 1936. Transatlantic means across the Atlantic Ocean. Over the next year, the Hindenburg made 17 trips from Germany to the Americas. A ticket to America on the Hindenburg cost $720 and took three days.
On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg was attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station
in New Jersey. When the ship was a little under 300 feet from the ground, it caught fire and crashed to the ground, killing 36 people.
hover - remain in one place in the air luxurious - very fancy transatlanticacross the Atlantic Ocean embargo - when a country refuses to sell something to another country blimp - airship
The disaster caused a significant decline in the use of airships for transportation. The cause of the disaster was a spark that ignited the gas that filled the airship. The Hindenburg was designed to be filled with helium, but a U.S. embargo on helium forced the Germans to use flammable hydrogen instead. Materials that burn easily are flammable. When a country refuses to sell something to another country, it is called an embargo.
In 1939, World War II started, and travel to Europe stopped. By the time the war ended in 1945, airplanes had improved and people stopped using airships for travel. Airships are still used for a variety of other purposes. Goodyear is a famous tire company that owns airships for advertising. It flies the Goodyear Blimp near crowded events. A blimp is an airship. Goodyear’s blimps are often also used to take photos or videos of events from the air. In 2021, a Swedish company said that it was building airships that will bring people to the North Pole.
Question REVIEW
1. What is the purpose of helium in an airship?
a. To power the engines
b. To cool the passengers
c. To steer the airship
d. To lift the airship into the air
2. What was the cause of the crash of the Hindenburg in 1937?
a. A mechanical failure
b. A lightning strike
c. A spark ignited the flammable hydrogen gas
d. A terrorist attack
3. Why did the Hindenburg use hydrogen instead of helium?
a. There was a U.S. embargo on helium.
b. Helium has a bad smell when it burns.
c. Hydrogen was cheaper.
d. They thought hydrogen was safer.
4. Why might the U.S. have made a helium embargo?
5. Why do you think an airship is good for taking pictures and videos from the air?
6. Name two ways an airship is different from an airplane.
CHOOSE THE AIRCRAFT
Since the airplane was invented in 1903, many other types of air travel have been invented, including rocket ships, helicopters, blimps, and hot air balloons. Which type of aircraft would be used in each of the following situations? Choose from the words. One of the words will be used twice.
airplane helicopter blimp rocket ship hot air balloon
1. To rescue an injured person
2. To put a satellite in orbit
3. To fly transatlantic
4. To take a ride in a park
5. To tour the Grand Canyon
6. To advertise your new company
Did you know?
• The smallest barcodes ever made were attached to the wings of bees to track their habits.
• Around five billion barcodes are scanned each day throughout the world.
• The U.S. Army uses 2-foot long barcodes to keep track of the boats that are in storage at West Point Academy.
• Airlines and trains have their own type of barcode called the Aztec.
▸ First food to ever be scanned with a barcode
▸ Barcode on an apple sticker
▸ Hospital bracelets with matching barcodes
BARCODES
How many items are in your house? Do you remember every single one? Most people would not be able to remember that many items. People who own stores need to know every single item they sell and their prices. It’s a good thing that computers can help with that.
Until the 1960s, groceries and other stores had to keep track of their inventory with pen and paper. Even though cash registers were invented in 1883, many stores did not have them yet. Instead, the workers had to add the prices of every order with pen and paper. This made paying for groceries very slow. It also made it difficult for stores to keep track of their inventory. The items a store sells are the store’s inventory.
One day in 1948, Bernard Silver, a student at Drexel Institute of Technology, overheard a grocery store owner talking about wanting to make grocery shopping quicker and easier. The store owner wanted there to be a way for a computer to see what product was being bought and its price. The computer would then calculate, or figure out, how much money a person owed for their shopping trip. This would make shopping quicker and keeping track of inventory easier.
Norman Joseph Woodland, another student at Drexel Institute of Technology, developed a system that allowed computers to quickly scan a product and ring it up. Each product would get a barcode. The barcode was bars and spaces of different thicknesses. Each bar represents numbers. The computer reads the numbers and shows the price stored for that code. Woodland got the idea from Morse code which uses beeps to mean letters.
On June 26, 1974, at 8:01 am the first barcode was scanned at a grocery store in Troy, Ohio. The product scanned was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Barcodes quickly became standard, meaning common, in all stores. Each product has its own code, which is also called its UPC. UPC stands for Universal Product Code.
Over time, the barcode technology improved. When Woodland first invented the barcode system, he only used bars and spaces. Later, new barcodes using other shapes too were invented. By using many shapes, these barcodes can hold a lot more data than the originals. Data is information. Each store chooses what information they tell the computer about each product. The computers also got better at reading the codes.
Eventually, barcodes spread to every industry, or type of business. When a baby is born, the mother and baby get bracelets with matching barcodes. All store shipments and orders are tracked with barcodes.
Question REVIEW
1. How do computers know what product is being scanned?
a. By the color of bars and spaces
b. By the thickness of bars and spaces
c. By the color of the numbers on the package
d. A code is typed into the computer
2. What is the meaning of UPC in barcode technology?
a. Universal Product Code
b. Unique Product Classification
c. Universal Product Classification
d. Uniform Product Code
3. What do you think became possible with the invention of barcodes?
a. The ability for people to do self-checkout
b. The ability to gather data on other stores
c. The ability to buy better products
d. The ability to pay with a credit card
4. Why do you think it’s important for stores to keep track of their inventory?
5. From where did Woodland get the idea of barcodes?
TAKING INVENTORY AND STOCKING UP FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR
It is the last day of preschool. All the students have left. The school now needs to take inventory of what supplies they have so they can prepare for next year. Unfortunately, they do not use a barcode system, so they have to take inventory the old-fashioned way, using pen and paper.
Here’s a chart of what’s left at the end of the school year:
Read the statement, then decide which of the choices is necessary by looking at the items and amounts in the chart.
1. Each classroom will need 10 paintbrushes for next year.
a. Order more (how many? _______ )
b. They have exactly enough
c. Put some in storage (how many? _______)
2. Each classroom needs 6 packages of construction paper for the coming year.
a. Order more (how many? _______ )
b. They have exactly enough
c. Put some in storage (how many? _______)
3. For next year, the nursery class needs 29 chairs, JK needs 20, and SK needs 26.
a. Order more (how many? _______ )
b. They have exactly enough
c. Put some in storage (how many? _______)
THE WATERGATE SCANDAL
Crime does not pay. Some people think that doing something illegal will help them. They don’t remember that most criminals get caught and go to jail. Sometimes, people in positions of power, such as policemen, think that they will get away with doing a crime. But even powerful people get caught. The Watergate scandal is the story of a U.S. president who tried to get away with crime but failed.
There are two main political parties in the United States: the Republicans and the Democrats. Each party has one candidate who runs for president. Richard Nixon was the 37th president of the United States. He became president in 1969 and was known for being very suspicious of people.
Nixon was a Republican and was up for re-election in 1972. He was willing to do whatever it took to be president for
a second term. Nixon set up the Committee for the Re-election of the President, known as the CRP. The CRP was made up of high-ranking officials close to the president. The purpose of this committee was to help Nixon win the elections.
The CRP hired people to break into the main offices of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC. This committee is in charge of the Democrat Party and is usually called the DNC. On May 28, the people hired by the CRP broke into the DNC offices in the Watergate building complex. The CRP wanted to hear the DNC’s conversations so they could ruin their plans. They planted, or placed, listening devices in the offices and left without being caught.
When the CRP tried listening in on the DNC, they realized that the equipment needed repairs. They planned a second break-in attempt to fix the devices for June 17, 1972. The police caught and arrested five people for burglary but did not know their connection to the Republicans. Breaking into a building against the law is called a burglary.
Did you know?
• James McCord, one of the burglars, had previously worked for the FBI.
• President Nixon loved to go bowling in his spare time.
• President Nixon knew how to play many instruments, including the violin and accordion.
On November 7, 1972, President Nixon won re-election with more votes than almost any other president. On May 17, 1973, Congress began investigating the break-in to DNC headquarters. Congress soon realized that the CRP planned and paid for the burglary. The news connecting the president’s committee to the break-in shocked the country. Nixon denied knowing about the break-in. This was the beginning of the Watergate scandal. Doing something that makes everyone angry is called a scandal.
planted - placed burglarybreaking into a building against the law scandal - doing something that makes everyone angry impeach - remove someone from their position resigned - quit
During the investigation, Congress discovered that Nixon recorded all conversations in the Oval Office. That is the main office where the president works. Congress demanded to listen to the tapes. Nixon argued that he had executive privilege and did not need to release the tapes. Executive privilege means a president has a special right to privacy. The Supreme Court ruled that he must release the tapes, which he finally did in 1974. The tapes revealed that Nixon knew and approved the plan to break into the DNC.
In February 1974, Congress voted to investigate the president directly and decide if there was a reason to impeach him. Congress voted to impeach Nixon—just four votes were against the impeachment. To impeach a president means to remove him from his position. On August 8, 1974, Nixon resigned, or quit, instead of being impeached. He was the first president to resign from office. As of 2023, no other president has resigned.
After Nixon resigned, Vice President Gerald Ford became the president. One month later, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he might have done while president. A president can pardon people for crimes, which means that they will not get in trouble for them. Before resigning, Nixon’s presidency was very successful and helped the American people, but his legacy is forever ruined by the Watergate scandal.
Question REVIEW
1. Why do you think the president has executive privilege?
a. For secrets that help keep the country safe
b. Because it is difficult to be the president
c. To protect him from Congress
d. To stop newspapers from talking to him
2. What is the name of the main office where the president works?
a. The White House
b. The Cabinet Room
c. The Oval Office
d. The Situation Room
3. What happened to Nixon after his resignation?
a. He was arrested for crimes committed while in office.
b. He was forced to leave the United States.
c. President Gerald Ford pardoned him.
d. He was granted a full pardon by the Supreme Court.
4. Why do you think Nixon won re-election with so many votes?
REPUBLICAN VS. DEMOCRAT
There are two main political parties in the United States: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Below is a chart with basic information about each party. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.
REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT
CONSERVATIVE
LIBERAL
Beliefs
Conservative beliefs mean that the government supports traditional values and is not excited about change. They think that individuals and businesses should have more freedom to make their own decisions and that the government should not interfere as much.
Liberal beliefs mean that the government helps make sure everyone has what they need, such as food, housing, and healthcare. They also believe in protecting the rights of all people, including minorities and people with different lifestyles.
Logo Elephant Donkey
Colors Red Blue
Economy Government should be less involved Government should be very involved
Taxes Lower taxes
Higher taxes
Military More money towards the military Less money towards the military
Health care They believe in private healthcare.
They believe in providing public healthcare at affordable rates.
Below are some former US presidents and a bit of information about them. Based on the information, circle which party they must have belonged to.
1. Obama instituted Obamacare, whose main goal was to make healthcare accessible to more people. (Democrat/ Republican)
2. George W. Bush increased military spending for two wars. (Democrat/ Republican)
3. Theodore Roosevelt likely had a picture of an elephant in his campaign office. (Democrat/ Republican)
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt passed the New Deal, which helped people with jobs and money after the Great Depression. (Democrat/ Republican)
GUANTANAMO BAY
Can a small island make a big difference in the world?
Guantanamo Bay is a tiny patch of land that measures only 45 square miles, but it’s an important part of the past and present.
Did you know?
• Most people call Guantanamo Bay “Gitmo” for short.
• The USS Maine weighed over 6,000 tons and cost over $2 million to build.
• It is very expensive for the U.S. to keep prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay prison. It costs the US $29,000 per prisoner for each day they are kept there!
In 1492, Spain took control of almost the entire South America. One of their colonies was an island called Cuba. An area ruled by a country far away is that country’s colony. Cuba is an island 90 miles south of the United States and 4500 miles from Spain. In 1898, the people of Cuba wanted to declare independence from Spain. The U.S. decided to help the Cubans, knowing that Cuba would do more business with the U.S. than Spain.
The U.S. had a warship near Cuba called the USS Maine. On February 15, 1898, an accident on the ship caused an explosion that killed 250 American sailors. Many Americans thought that Spain bombed the ship and demanded that the U.S. fight Spain. The U.S. Navy was the largest and strongest in the world, and everyone was sure they would win a war in the water. The navy is the part of the army that fights in the water.
On June 10, 1898, the U.S. Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to help the Cubans fight against Spain. The U.S. Marines are a special part of the navy. They successfully captured Guantanamo Bay. Since Spain was not prepared to fight a war so far from home,
they surrendered to the United States after a short time. The entire war only lasted ten weeks.
To end the war, the two countries signed the Treaty of Paris. Spain agreed to give up all their colonies near the U.S. The treaty, or agreement, also allowed the U.S. to build a permanent naval base in Guantanamo Bay. In 1959, Cuba became a communist country, making it the only U.S. base in a communist country.
Naval bases can be very large and home to many people. About ten thousand people live on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. This includes the families of the soldiers, too. The base is like a small town with restaurants, parks, and stores for everyone who lives there.
In 2002, President George W. Bush opened a prison on the base called the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He sent over 700 terrorists to the detention camp, meaning prison. As of 2023, only 34 prisoners remain. Most of the prisoners were released after serving prison time, and some were moved to other prisons.
Since 1959, Cuba has demanded repeatedly, or many times, that the U.S. return Guantanamo Bay to them, but the U.S. does not plan on leaving the base.
colony - An area ruled by a country far away navy - the part of the army that fights in the water detention camp -prison treatyagreement repeatedly - many times
▸ Treaty of Paris WIKIPEDIA ▸ Houses on the Guantanamo Bay Naval BaseQuestion REVIEW
1. Why did the U.S. help Cuba in 1898?
a. Cuba asked them for help
b. The U.S. wanted to do business with Cuba
c. Spain bombed a U.S.warship
d. The U.S.wanted to take control of the island
2. Who was the president when the Guantanamo Bay detention camp opened in 2002?
a. George H.W. Bush
b. Bill Clinton
c. George W. Bush
d. Barack Obama
3. What did Spain agree to in the 1898 Treaty of Paris?
a. Spain would give up all their colonies near the U.S.
b. The U.S.would give up control of Guantanamo Bay
c. Spain would do more business with the U.S.
d. The U.S.would give Cuba to Spain
4. What led to the war between the United States and Spain?
5. Why do you think it is hard to fight a war far from your country?
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE U.S. NAVY
Here is a chart showing some of the different roles in the U.S. Navy. Look at the chart and answer the questions below
Questions:
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
ACTIVE DUTY
RESERVES
These people work in the navy full time. These people usually live on the base.
They work part-time in the navy. They are called to come help when the country is in a time of war or emergency. The rest of the time, they are regular civilians.
1. Which of these people does not fight in a war?
a. Officers
b. Active duty
c. Civilians
d. Reserves
2. Which of these people help the navy in times of emergency?
a. Officers
b. Reserves
4. There are different levels of people within which role?
5. What is one difference between people in active duty and those in the reserves?
CIVILIANS
Non-military people responsible for the paperwork and logistics within the navy.
OFFICERS
Supervisors who are responsible for everything that happens in the navy. There are different levels of officers, such as lieutenant or captain.
c. Active duty
d. Civilians
3. Who is responsible for everything that happens within the navy?
a. Officers
b. Reserves
c. Active duty
d. Civilians
Did you know?
• Around 100,000 Native Americans were forced from their homes. Around 15,000 died during the move to the west.
• The Trail of Tears was around 1,200 miles long.
• In Indian Reservations, the Native American only have to follow federal laws but not state laws.
• In 2012, about 2.5 Native Americans lived in the U.S., while only 1 million of the them lived on Indian Reservations.
INDIAN CITIZENSHIP
Do you know anyone who is new to their city? Moving to a new place can be tough, especially starting at a new school. It’s important to be welcoming and show new kids around. Long ago, when new people came to America, the Native Americans helped them, but sadly the newcomers didn’t always treat them kindly.
When Columbus discovered America in 1492, many Europeans decided to move there. The Native Americans living in America were mostly peaceful people who helped the new settlers. People whose families are from a certain place are natives of that area. Settlers are people who live in places other than where their families are from. The European settlers did not understand the natives’ culture, meaning way of life, and began taking their land. As more Europeans came, the natives were slowly forced to move deeper west into the American continent.
When the United States became a country in 1776, there were many battles between the natives and the settlers. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act.
This law gave the U.S. permission to force the rest of the natives to move west of the Mississippi River. They were told to move or be forced to leave by the army. Many tribes, or groups, left peacefully on their own. Others refused to leave the land they owned and lived on for so many years.
Over the next few years, the United States Army forced the natives from their homes. The army forced the natives to walk more than five thousand miles through terrible weather and floods without enough food. Thousands of natives died on the way. The route they walked is called the Trail of Tears. The government gave them land with very few resources, making it difficult for them to support their families. These areas are called Indian Reservations. Most people on the reservations became very poor.
On June 2, 1924, Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act. Before this, very few natives were granted, or given, U.S. citizenship. Native men had to serve in the U.S. army to become a citizen. They were often instructed to spy on their own people. The Indian Citizenship Act granted automatic citizenship to all natives. The United States said that the law was to give Native Americans the right to vote. Many natives saw the law as an attempt to force them to give up their rights as natives. They believed that the U.S. stole their land.
As of 2023, there are over three hundred Indian reservations. These reservations are in western states such as Arizona, California and Utah. Most Native Americans live in American cities and not on reservations. The natives on the reservations do not have to pay taxes, and some even have their own court systems. However, most are very poor, and many Native Americans still do not like the U.S. government.
Question REVIEW
1. What was the Indian Removal Act, and when was it passed?
a. A law passed in 1776 that gave Native Americans the right to vote
b. A law passed in 1830 that gave the U.S. permission to force Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River
c. A law passed in 1924 that granted automatic citizenship to all Native Americans
d. A law passed in 1865 that abolished slavery
2. What was the route that many Native Americans were forced to walk called?
a. The Trail of Tears
b. The Road to Freedom
c. The Path to Prosperity
d. The Journey to Hope
3. Why were some Native Americans unhappy with the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924?
a. They believed it forced them to give up their rights as Native Americans
b. They did not agree with the requirements to become a citizen
c. They wanted the U.S. government to pay them before they became citizens
d. They wanted to pay taxes on the reservations
4. Why do you think there were battles between the Native Americans and the United States?
A SUMMARY OF THE INDIAN ACTS
Over the years, the U.S. government passed a number of laws (acts) having to do with the Native Americans who lived in America before the European settlers arrived. At first, the law seemed to go against the natives, but as time went on, efforts were taken to restore peace and grant Native Americans rights. Look at the chart and answer the questions below.
1. What did the Indian Reorganization Act help the Native Americans do?
a. Move west of the Mississippi River
Indian Removal Act 1830 Andrew Jackson
Indian Citizenship Act 1924 Calvin Coolidge
Indian Reorganization Act 1934 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Indian Child Welfare Act 1978 Jimmy Carter
Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act
1990 George W. Bush
It gave the U.S. permission to force the natives to move west of the Mississippi River.
It granted automatic citizenship to all natives.
It helped the natives have more control over their communities.
It made sure that Native American children are taken care of properly and kept with their families and communities.
It protects the burial places of Native American people. It also returns Native American cultural items to their rightful owners.
b. Become citizens of the United States
c. Have more control over their communities
d. Protect their burial places
2. What was the main goal of the Indian Child Welfare Act?
a. To force Native Americans to move west
b. To grant citizenship to Native Americans
c. To give more control to Native American communities
d. To make sure Native American children are taken care of properly and kept with their families and communities.
1787. SEPTEMBER 17
The Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution.
1732. DECEMBER 19
Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia first published Poor Richard’s Almanack.
1730.
1802. MARCH 16
1800.
1763.
DECEMBER 2
The Jewish community of Newport dedicated the Touro Synagogue.
MARCH 3
Butler held the biggest slave auction that ever took place in the U.S.
1862.
MAY 15
President Abraham Lincoln founded the United States Department of Agriculture.
1865. APRIL 14
John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
1898.
JUNE 10
U.S. Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to help the Cubans fight against Spain.
1900.
1881.
MAY 21
Clara Barton founded an American branch of the International Red Cross.
1880. JANUARY 1
The French first attempted to build a canal through Panama.
1898.
OCTOBER 18
American soldiers raised the U.S. flag in Puerto Rico.
1917. FEBRUARY 5
Congress passed the Immigration Act.
1917. MARCH 8
Workers in the city of Petrograd (now called St. Petersburg) went on strike in protest of the Tsar.
1926. FEBRUARY 12
Coal mine strike ended.
JANUARY 1
The FDIC deposit insurance went into effect.
1915.
1924. JUNE 2
Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act.
1919. FEBRUARY 26
Congress established Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
1929. OCTOBER 29
The stock market crashed.
1937. MARCH 15
Dr. Fantus started a blood bank at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.
1938. NOVEMBER 9
Nazis and German civilians began attacking Jewish people.
1941. DECEMBER 7
Japanese fighter planes attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base.
1936. MAY 3
The Hindenburg made its first transatlantic flight from Germany to the United States.
1939. SEPTEMBER 1
Nazi Germany attacked Poland, starting the war.
1945. APRIL 29
The U.S. Army liberated Dachau, a nazi concentration camp.
Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
1950.
1945. SEPTEMBER 2
The USS Missouri steamed into Tokyo Bay.
1955. APRIL 15
Since 1955, April 15 is the deadline for filing and paying personal income tax.
1950.
1966. OCTOBER 15
President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Federal Department of Transportation.
1963. NOVEMBER 22
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
1954. FEBRUARY 23
Children from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania received Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine.
1961. MAY 4
A group of 13 Freedom Riders —seven African Americans and six whites — left Washington, D.C., on a Greyhound bus.
1965. NOVEMBER 9
30 million people in the entire Northeast and parts of Canada lost power.
1968. OCTOBER 11
The space shuttle Apollo 7 launched with Fisher Space Pens on it.
1974. JUNE 26
At 8:01 am the first barcode was scanned at a grocery store in Troy, Ohio.
2003. DECEMBER 13
Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole under a farmhouse in Adwar, Iraq.
1989. NOVEMBER 9
The fall of the Berlin Wall.
1972. JUNE 17
The police caught and arrested five people for burglary in the Watergate Complex.
1986. APRIL 26
Disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
2000.
2001.
SEPTEMBER 11
The Islamic terrorist organization, Al-Qaeda, hijacked four passenger airplanes.
GLOSSARY
abdicate give up abolish end accomplice someone who helps another commit a crime agriculture farming aliens noncitizens from a foreign country allies countries that help each other fight almanac small book with calendars and other important information amendment change or addition to the Constitution amenities things that make a place more convenient or enjoyable astronauts people who go to space bacteria dangerous germs bilingual able to speak two languages. biologist someone who studies the human body blackout when all electricity stops working blimp airship blueprint plan
burglary breaking into a building against the law calculate figure out camaraderie friendship canal a man-made waterway that is used for transportation candidate someone running for a position capsized sunk
cargo goods that are transported by plane, train, or boat cartridge container casual relaxed ceased stopped citizen a member of a country civilian anyone not in the army or police department coal patch towns towns owned by the mine owners code guidelines colony An area ruled by a country far away communist government a government where the state owns and controls all of the country's resources. commuter someone who travels some distance to work on a regular basis compatible able to work together complex difficult confederation a partnership between groups conquer take over conspirators the people who planned the crime consumed took over contaminated made impure or unclean, no longer safe to eat contaminated area an area with too much radiation contracted caught contributions help someone gives courier messenger cover pay for culture way of life data information debate argument decay break down deception trick
delicate can be easily broken or damaged democratically elected government
a government chosen by the citizens deploy move into position to attack deported sent back deposed removed from a position of power deposit to put money in a bank detention camp prison diaspora when people live in different places around the world instead of their homeland disbelief shock discriminate to treat some people worse than others dismantle take apart embargo when a country refuses to sell something to another country employees workers enlisted hired essential extremely important established started evacuation removing people from a certain place executive branch the president and his cabinet expansion making something bigger expatriates people who move away from their home countries expose have contact with exterminate kill extinct when all of a specific species dies out federal belonging to all the states flat rate a rate that is the same amount for everyone focal point what your eyes are drawn to first freedmen freed slaves glycol a chemical that helps ink write in liquids. goods products gorge a deep, narrow valley with steep sides granted given gravity the force that pulls everything down harassment bother hijack to take control of something, usually and airplane
hostage a prisoner who is kept until certain demands are met hover remain in one place in the air immigrant someone who comes to live in a new country immunized protected impeach remove someone from their position implemented put into effect imports products people bring to the country to sell inaugural address the first speech a president gives incinerated burned income the money a person makes from their job income tax a portion of your money the government takes to pay for the government to operate industry type of business inferior worse inmate prisoner inscribed written interest money the bank pays people who leave money with them
invaded attacked inventory the items a store sells investor someone who buys shares in a company irreparable not fixable
isthmus a narrow strip of land with ocean on both sides that connects two larger areas of land judicial branch the federal court system key figure someone very important labor work
lectures speeches
legislative branch Congress members who make the laws loot steal
luxurious very fancy maintain keep up
malnourished weak from not eating healthy food mast the pole that holds the ship's sails methods ways of doing something mined dug
monument structure built in memory of an important person or event
natives people who live where their families are from natural resources materials in nature that humans use naturalized become citizens
nautical miles the way boats measure distances naval base where the army keeps its warships navy the part of the army that fights in the water negotiate try to make a deal
neutral to avoid choosing sides in a fight nomination when someone is recommended for a position or opportunity
nutrition eating the right foods object argue occupied took over offense crime
oil refinery where oil is cleaned and made into gasoline for cars
orbit to travel around something ordinances laws outlawed forbade patrol guard pedestrians people walking in the street pen name a name authors use when they don't want to use their real name penalties punishments
Pentagon headquarters of the Departement of Defense, where decisions about war and security are made physician doctor
plantations huge farms used for planting planted placed plotted planned
pogrom riot
preamble an introduction
premium money paid for insurance
progressive rate a rate that depends on a person’s income protests gatherings of people objecting to something
prototype model
proverbs wise sayings
publicize announce ratify to make a law or amendment official reactor a machine that makes electricity regime government (mostly used for bad governments) regulations rules reimburse pay back remote far from where people live reparations money a country pays to take responsibility for what it did wrong repeatedly many times rescue save research to learn everything about something resigned quit restricting stopping rigorous extremely tough riot series of violent attacks scandal doing something that makes everyone angry secede separate from a country or organization segregated separated seldom rarely settlers people who live in places other than where their families are from share a small part of a company the company sells spared saved species types standard common stateless not citizens of any country stock market where companies sell shares stock market crash when stocks lose a lot of value strained weakened strike when people stop working until the owners meet their demands. succumb to die from injuries. sum amount superior leader surrendered gave up fighting territory land a country owns the front where soldiers fight the war timely coming exactly when it is needed torpedo a bomb that works underwater transatlantic across the Atlantic Ocean transportation moving someone or something transporting moving treaty agreement tribes groups vaccine shot vantage a spot with a good view of something vast large wages pay waterway a pathway in the water for boats weapons of mass destruction weapons that are very powerful and put civilians in danger