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Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief

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By Robert F. Kennedy
Publisher Hyperion Press
Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief
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On a moonlit night in the spring of 1862, six slaves stole one of the Confederacys most crucial gunships from its wharf in the South Carolina port of Charleston, and delivered it to the Federal Navy. This audacious and intricately coordinated escape, masterminded by a 24yearold sailor named Robert Smalls, astonished the world and exploded the Confederate claim that Southern slaves did not crave freedom or have the ability to take decisive action. Robert Smallss heroic career had only begun. A brilliant sailor and strategist, he was quickly promoted to the rank of captain in the Federal Navy where he served courageously in many critical battles. Not only was Smalls a great soldier, he was also a powerful activist, whose appeal to Abraham Lincoln convinced the president to enlist 5,000 former slaves, shattering the color barrier that had kept black men out of the service. Smalls drew great crowds as an eloquent public speaker, and his outstanding character inspired the broad public support that encouraged Lincoln to ratify the Emancipation Proclamation. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. tells the story of another great American hero, a man who did not flinch in the face of extraordinary dangersa man whose dedication to the cause of freedom made him one the most important participants in the American Civil War.

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5838 words5,838 words
48 pages48 pages
Lexile NC1260LLexile NC1260L
Grade 3 to 6Grade 3 to 6
Age 8-11Age 8-11

On Grade Vocabulary:

Hear it integrate Hear it refit Hear it unassisted Hear it purloin Hear it disenfranchisement Hear it gunship Hear it ravenous Hear it payout Hear it idealism Hear it undemocratic Hear it precariousness Hear it potent Hear it unshackled Hear it wholesale Hear it contemporary Hear it escapade Hear it literate Hear it stevedore Hear it gallant Hear it depose Hear it retake Hear it keenness Hear it armory Hear it decency Hear it supremacist Hear it cannonade Hear it sailmaker Hear it abeam Hear it mistreatment Hear it barrage Hear it howitzer Hear it eloquent Hear it peril Hear it unanswerable Hear it fusillade Hear it lamplighter Hear it fortify Hear it plucky Hear it comparative Hear it intricate Hear it illiterate Hear it topsail Hear it exultant Hear it overhaul Hear it negligence Hear it detonate Hear it rigger Hear it bureaucratic Hear it impregnable Hear it prewar Hear it flagship Hear it bigotry Hear it godsend Hear it decisive Hear it astern Hear it feat Hear it audacious Hear it subterfuge Hear it articulate Hear it ringleader Hear it wheelhouse Hear it smokestack Hear it irreplaceable Hear it bedsheet Hear it seaward Hear it charismatic Hear it waterline Hear it gunwale Hear it cleverness Hear it takeover Hear it outcry Hear it destitute Hear it impeccable Hear it lectern Hear it outlying Hear it maelstrom Hear it decipher Hear it gauntlet Hear it aground Hear it saga Hear it cowardice Hear it leisurely Hear it newfound Hear it labyrinth Hear it triumphant
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Challenge Words Vocabulary

Hear it refit Hear it purloin Hear it disenfranchisement Hear it ravenous Hear it payout Hear it idealism Hear it undemocratic Hear it potent Hear it unshackled Hear it wholesale Hear it escapade Hear it stevedore Hear it depose Hear it keenness Hear it sailmaker Hear it abeam Hear it howitzer Hear it eloquent Hear it gallantry Hear it fusillade Hear it comparative Hear it topsail Hear it exultant Hear it overhaul Hear it bureaucratic Hear it impregnable Hear it flagship Hear it bigotry Hear it godsend Hear it astern Hear it feat Hear it audacious Hear it subterfuge Hear it ringleader Hear it gunwale Hear it outcry Hear it destitute Hear it impeccable Hear it lectern Hear it outlying Hear it maelstrom Hear it decipher Hear it leisurely Hear it labyrinth
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Book ISBN:

9781423108023

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