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Colonial Life
Shem D’Olivera

Hello, my name is Shem D’Olivera and I live in Savannah, Georgia and I am 16-years-old. I have to take care of my family because my mother and father both passed. Well I assume my father died, you see he was a gambler. He would gamble on a thing called “bull baiting”. Because of his bad luck he had no money. Although he had no money he kept gambling and gambling and kept losing and losing. The people who he gambled with weren’t the nicest people in the world so when he lost and couldn’t pay the other gamblers were enraged. My Father, Isaa c, came to pack up his belongings and tell me that I had to take care of the family from now on. After that, I never saw him again. My mother died of pneumonia on the voyage over here, to the new world. She was a wonderful person who always put other peoples needs in front of hers.

I have two sisters and one brother, all younger. The youngest in the family is Daniel, who is 6-years-old. He is currently going through elementary school and loves to talk a lot. Many nights I have to sacrifice my dinner to make sure he gets food other nights he has to sacrifice his food for his sister. His sister, Judith, is 9-years-old. She, like Daniel, is going through elementary school. My other sister, Abril, is 13-years-old. She is out of school and tries to help me support the family.

For a living I gamble. I know my family has had bad experience with gambling, but I can’t get away from it. I don’t know if it’s because I think it could bring me closer to my dead father or the fact that I could win a lot of money. I gamble on the same thing my father gambled on, “bull baiting”. Bull Baiting is the same thing as a bull fight in Spain.

My family came to the new world because of my fathers criminal record. It was impossible for him to get a job with the many crimes he had committed. My father had been accused of robbery twice. He thought that if he moved to the new world his criminal record might be cleared. He was right, but he still decided to go into a dangerous business.

Revolution
American Revolution Topic Research

Source: Diane, Hart. "Defeat in New York." //History Alive!The United States Through Industrialism// . 1st. Palo Alto, CA: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2005. Print.

 Battle of New York: • “On August 27, 1776, the American and British armies met in Brooklyn, New York, for what promised to be a decisive battle” (91). • By end of August English had over 32,000 men • Washington fortified the Heights of Guan • Heights broken by four passes • One being Jamaica Pass • Five men defended pass • English seized men • “Washington had no intention of giving up. But for his army to survive, he would have to retreat ….. he could not bring himself to utter the shameful word ‘retreat’” (91). • English advanced behind Americans still unknown • Settlement of Bedford Pass British opened fire • Withdrew soldiers across East River to Manhattan • Washington tried to rebuild army • Supplies and wounded soldiers transported north of Manhattan • In total 1,784 casualties • “... the British lost only 377 men, while the Americans lost 1,407” (91).

• Battle for New York was first of many beatings for the Americans. • British also overcame Americans through New Jersey, and across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania.

Source:

Anonymous,. "Battle of New York 1776." //www.historycentral.com// . MultiEducator, Inc., 2000. Web. 15 Nov 2010. .  Battle of New York:  • 32,000 English men by end of August • Washington preparing the small amount of men he had • British followed Americans through Staten Island, Long Island, Brooklyn Heights, Manhattan, the Heights of Guan, the Jamaica Pass, the Beford Pass, Kips Bay, Harlem Heights, Throgs Neck, and the White Plains. Sam Abrahams November 24, 2010 7˚ American History HFC Outline – Shem D’Olivera Original Title

I. Exposition a. New York b. August 1776 i. Fall 1. Some rain 2. Getting colder ii. Before Battle of New York c. Shem D’Olivera – age 16 i. Gambler ii. Family 1. Little Brother, _ __- age 7__ 2. Little Sister, _ - age 6 3. Little Sister, _ __- age 11__ II. Inciting Incident a. Cheating on bull bating, cockfighting, and tick-tack (similar to backgammon). i. Caught cheating 1. Ran out of town a. Battle of New York going on at same time III. Rising Action a. Most Important thing: Survival i. Gamblers chasing them ii. Dodging war iii. Food for family b. Meets girl, _, and her family i. Lives with them 1. Things going great a. Gamblers find them IV. Climax a. Gamblers find Shem i. Throw rocks and bull and rooster heads at house ii. Try to burn down house 1. Capture Shem, but also wants to punish him by taking his family a. Family escapes 2. Take Shem away 3. Oldest sister must take care of them iii. Shem Escapes V. Falling Action a. Shem searches for family for days i. Has to dodge army 1. Army tells him he needs to evacuate Island ii. Family thinks he is dead iii. Finds Family VI. Dénouement a. Move to Savannah, Georgia i. New town ii. New House iii. New gambling game iv. New Life

Social Impact: The American Revolution is making it harder to find his family; he has to go around battles and be careful of not being killed.