William Jennings is student in the third grade and the son of an laborer. Unlike his rural counterparts, William does not have to perform hard labor to support his family; his father works in the thriving manufacturing industry of the city and earns just enough to support his family. Instead, William is free to attend school. His parents, realizing that education was of actual value, enrolled their son in public school system in the hopes of giving him a better future. Though he knows how to speak English, William struggles to read or write, does not know basic grammar or arithmetic, and lacks a basic knowledge of American history; it is in these areas that he goes to school to learn. However, when William Jennings is actually in school,
