Books in Setting the Stage for Fluency series

Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke before an eager crowd in Seneca Falls, New York, on a hot July morning in 1948. She began her speech with words that were familiar to American ears: But the ideas that followed were radical. "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal" Stanton went on to boldly demand equal rights for women--including suffrage, the right to vote. It took more than 70 years from that moment before all American women could vote in American elections. The fight was led by several generations of courageous women who devoted their lives to liberty and equality. This is their story.

La Llorona (The Crying Woman) is a sad and haunting tale from Mexico. Parents have told the story for hundreds of years to misbehaving children and to guard against vanity. Some say the story is about Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and a native Mexican woman who served as his translator. Her loss can be compared to the loss of native Mexican culture after the Spanish conquest.

In the early 1800s, white settlers and missionaries were intent on bringing the English language to the illiterate Native Americans. Sequoyah was intrigued by these leaves of paper with strange marks that talked. Doing what no one had ever done before, Sequoyah set about creating a written Cherokee language―helping preserve the tribe's history and culture even today.

In the early 1800s, white settlers and missionaries were intent on bringing the English language to the illiterate Native Americans. Sequoyah was intrigued by these leaves of paper with strange marks that talked. Doing what no one had ever done before, Sequoyah set about creating a written Cherokee language - helping preserve the tribe's history and culture even today.

La Llorona (The Crying Woman) is a sad and haunting tale from Mexico. Parents have told the story for hundreds of years to misbehaving children and to guard against vanity. Some say the story is about Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and a native Mexican woman who served as his translator. Her loss can be compared to the loss of native Mexican culture after the Spanish conquest.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton spoke before an eager crowd in Seneca Falls, New York, on a hot July morning in 1948. She began her speech with words that were familiar to American ears: But the ideas that followed were radical. "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal" Stanton went on to boldly demand equal rights for women--including suffrage, the right to vote. It took more than 70 years from that moment before all American women could vote in American elections. The fight was led by several generations of courageous women who devoted their lives to liberty and equality. This is their story.

In 1807 at the age of 13, Brenton Dixon lived in Albany, New York, and expected to become a blacksmith's apprentice. Then one day he and his friends saw something strange out on the Hudson River, approaching from downstream. Many were sure that it was a fire-breathing monster and the sight created havoc on shore and on the water. It was Robert Fulton's pioneering steamboat the Clermont, making its maiden voyage from New York City to Albany.

Lonely and bored with rural life in 1856, young Bella Lee Dunkinson began to hang around the local railroad. Engineer John Hardiman took a liking to the spirited girl and gave her a boy's responsibilities helping with the engine. One stormy night, the engine was slipping dangerously on wet rails. While John was putting sand on the tracks, Bella found herself alone in the cab driving the train up a steep and dangerous mountainside―a 16-year-old female faced with a task that would terrify any seasoned male engineer. After her heroic and triumphant climb to the mountaintop, she was hailed by the miners who met her there as the "Belle of the Mines and Mountains."

Most people take it for granted: riding a bike. In the late 1800s, the bicycle first came to the United States from Europe. This new "steel horse" was wildly popular. But for women, who either worked in factories or stayed at home, the bicycle liberated them like nothing ever has. One two-wheeled invention changed fashion, opened doors, and led to a movement in women's rights still felt today.