You can get a free credit report annually at annualcreditreport.com. It's the law.

Secured cards usually aren't that good a deal. Many have fees associated with them. You'd be better off opening a checking account and using a debit card.

If you want to build a credit history, most people can qualify for a regular, non-secured card, unless you have some really horrible marks on your report, like a recent bankruptcy. You might not get a very high credit line, but it still counts. After you make a couple on time payments, you can request to have your credit line increased (usually after 6 mos).