Graphic Development
1. After the army, Flipper
a. worked for the Justice and Interior departments.
b. became an engineer and historian.
c. served his country.
d. all of the above
. The judge at the trial recommended a. life imprisonment.
b. twenty hours community service.
c. a harsh punishment.
d. a light punishment.
. Throughout his life, Flipper tried to a. clear his name.
b. find the perfect home.
c. return to the army.
d. become president.
. According to the judge, the charges against Flipper were motivated by
a. his low grades.
b. the color of his skin.
c. stealing.
d. his inability to fight.
. Flipper was named for a. his swimming talent.
b. a famous dolphin.
c. his birthplace.
d. the paragraph does not specify
Lesson 3
Name __________________________________________ Date __________Whole-Story Comprehension
Directions: Read the story below and answer the questions on the following page.
Honor at Last for Flipper
Every year, the U .S . Military Academy at West Point, New York, honors a cadet who perseveres in the face of great hardship . The award is named for Henry O . Flipper, West Point’s first African-American graduate . Flipper graduated in 1877, after enduring four years of loneliness and insults because of his race . Now the worst insult has finally been wiped from his record: a charge that he was guilty of “conduct unbecoming an officer .” The unfair charge led to his dismissal from the Army in 1882 .
On February 19, 1999, President Bill Clinton gave Flipper a full pardon . “This good man has now completely recovered his good name,” said Clinton . “Although the wheels of justice turn slowly at times, still they turn .”
Flipper was born a slave in 1856, but he learned to read and write and attended college . At 17, he entered the Military Academy . During his years there, Flipper was publicly shunned by fellow cadets . Still, he stuck it out .
Flipper was assigned to frontier duty with the 10th Calvary, the famous all-black unit known as the Buffalo Soldiers . He was a good officer . Then, in 1881, his white commander at Fort Davis in Texas accused him of stealing $2,500 . Flipper was court-martialed, which means he had a military trial . He was found not guilty of stealing but guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer, meaning that his behavior was not up to Army standards for an officer .
After the trial, the judge said the charges were probably motivated by racism . He recommended a light punishment . But President Chester A . Arthur rejected this: Flipper was forced out of the service . After his dishonorable discharge from the Army, Flipper continued to serve his country . He worked for the Justice and Interior departments and became a respected engineer and historian . He tried, unsuccessfully, to clear his name . In 1940, Flipper died at age 84 .
Flipper’s family continued his fight . In 1976, the Army gave Flipper an “honorable discharge .” In 1999, seventeen relatives watched Clinton sign the pardon . “It has been a long journey,” said William C . King, Flipper’s great-nephew . “We learned that anger would not gain you anything; that you needed to persevere .”
ARTICLE FROM
Whole-Story Comprehension (cont.)
Directions: After you have read the story on the previous page, answer the questions below.
1. The Henry O. Flipper Award honors a. African-American cadets.
b. physically challenged cadets.
c. a cadet who perseveres in the face of great hardship.
d. West Point graduates.
. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is in
a. New York.
b. New Jersey.
c. New Mexico.
d. North Carolina.
. Flipper’s unit, the 10th Cavalry, a. was all black.
b. was filled with racists.
c. was nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers.
d. both a and c
. In 1881, Flipper’s commander accused him a. of disobeying rules.
b. of not wearing the correct uniform.
c. of not saluting.
d. of stealing money.
. Court-martialed means a. setting a court date.
b. having a military trial.
c. attending a martial arts class.
d. being selected as a jury member.
. Flipper was found guilty of a. stealing.
. President William Clinton believes a. the judicial system is not working.
Name _____________________________________________ Date ___________________
Enrichment
Directions: Revise each sentence to include a colon.
Colon
The colon (:) is a dramatic way to introduce complete sentences, lists, quotations, or dialogue . When the reader sees a colon, it means that something important follows . Now the worst insult has finally been wiped from his record: a charge that he was guilty of “conduct unbecoming an officer.”
But President Chester A. Arthur rejected this: Flipper was forced out of the service.
1. At West Point, Henry O. Flipper endured many hardships insults, ostracism, and loneliness.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
. Henry O. Flipper taught fellow African-Americans and cadets a great lesson. Perseverance will achieve greater results than anger.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
. President Clinton gave Flipper a full pardon. “This good man has now completely recovered his good name. Although the wheels of justice turn slowly at times, still they turn.”
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Level 5 Lesson 3
Graphic Development
Directions: Create a time line of Henry O. Flipper’s life using the dates from the article.
Write the dates that correspond to each event on the lines. Write the number that represents each event on the time line.
1. Henry O. Flipper is born _______________
2. Flipper attends West Point _______________
3. Flipper graduates _______________
4. Flipper is accused of stealing _______________
5. Flipper is dismissed from the Army _______________
6. Flipper dies, age 84 _______________
7. Army gives Flipper an honorable discharge _______________
8. Clinton signs Flipper’s pardon _______________
1850 2000
Level 5
Sentence Comprehension
Directions: Read the following sentence carefully and answer the questions below
“True” (T) or “False” (F).
In the weekends that followed, we made rows, planted flower and vegetable seeds, fertilized, watered, and weeded .