Slavery in the United States
In most parts of the United States in the early 1800s, blacks had no rights at
all. They did not have the right to vote. It was against the 31( ) for them to go
to school with whites. In some states, it was even 32( ) for them to learn to
read and write. Free people had the right to come and go as they 33( ) , but
slaves had to have a pass, or paper; from their 34 ( )in order to leave the
master's land. Slaves were often 35( ) from their families when they were sold.
They had to work very 36( ) hours, but were not paid. If they did not do as they
were told, they could be beaten. If they tried to escape, they were hunted down
with dogs, and could be tortured or even 37( ) when caught.
Until about 1800, there were slaves in 38 ( )every state in the United States.
But slaves were not a big part of the Northern way of 39( ) . Northern factories
hired workers and did not use slaves. By 1850, all Northern states had made slavery
illegal.
In the Southern states, however, most of the field workers were slaves; one out
of every four families 40 ( )slaves. These people were often rich and had large
farms.
A. seldom
B. master
C. separated
D. illegal
E. killed
F. life
G. owned
H. law
I. long
J. almost
K. liked
L. played
31. H. law - based on the context of the sentence, it refers to the fact that blacks did not have the legal right to vote.
32. D. illegal - this word is used to describe the situation where it was against the law for blacks to learn how to read and write in some states.
33. K. liked - the phrase "come and go" implies that there was a freedom of movement for free people, but slaves had to have permission from their masters to leave. Therefore, "liked" is used to suggest that free people could move around as they pleased, while slaves were restricted in this regard.
34. B. master - this word is used to refer to the person who owned the slave and had control over their movements and actions.
35. C. separated - this word is used to suggest that families of slaves were often broken up when they were sold to different masters.
36. I. long - the phrase "had to work very" implies that slaves worked long hours without pay, which is the meaning of this word.
37. E. killed - the sentence suggests that slaves who escaped could be hunted down, tortured, or even killed when they were caught.
38. J. almost - this word is used to suggest that there were slaves in almost every state in the United States until around 1800.
39. F. life - the phrase "Northern way of" implies that life in the North was different from the South, where slavery was more prevalent.
40. G. owned - this word is used to describe the fact that many families in the South owned slaves who worked on their farms.