Sara+S.+-+Historical+Fiction+Character

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Colonial Life
Felicity Louise Clark was helping her father in his blacksmithing shop, just like usual. This was strange for a girl, especially of her age, since it was usually the boys in a family that apprenticed in work like blacksmithing. Yet to 16 year old Felicity, it was perfectly normal to have her long curly red hair in a braid cascading down her back. Felicity was tall had freckles sprinkled across her fair skin. She was wearing a dress her mother had sewn fro scraps of material and was getting it filthy in the process. Suddenly, she heard her sister Elizabeth’s fancy leather shoes as Elizabeth came flouncing down the stairs in her fanciest dress and tightest corset. Elizabeth’s dress was also sewn by their mother. Their mother’s name was Martha and she worked as a seamstress. Martha had been married to a different man before Felicity’s father; William. That first man had been offered a low ranked position in the Massachusetts government. And had his family moving within a few weeks. He died of the fever soon after he arrived in the colonies though, and Martha remarried William. William was born in the colonies. His father left England at a young age in order to escape debtors prison. Felicity and most of her siblings had been born in the colonies. Her eldest brother had become wealthy through marrying the daughter of a plantation owner. Another brother had befriended the duke of York and become a tax collector. But most of her siblings still dwelled in Massachusetts and had carefree spirits. One on these siblings was Elizabeth, who was currently going to a party with a man she was courting. There was always a man when it came to Elizabeth, and frankly, there had been too many for Felicity to count. Life in Massachusetts was full of these events and it was one of Felicity’s favorite parts of living in the city. Everything was more exiting in the city. Especially wit hall kinds of ideas floating around. All the fancy high-class lady’s talked about the ideas like they were bad, like change would injure the colonies rather than help them. Sometimes, Felicity would hide behind the stairs when her father and his friends would drink just a little too much and start talking about the ideas. They spoke of Revolution and sometimes even complained that the king was unjust and cruel: all in hushed voices that she could barely hear from her hiding spot. Once, Martha found her and shooed her outside, desperately demanding that Felicity never repeat what she had heard. Felicity had obeyed and gone out onto the docks, located not far from her fathers’ store. There, other children darted through the market place, playing tag.

Revolution
__SOURCES__

Hart, Diane. “History Alive: The United States Through Industrialism”. Palo Alto: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, 2005.

Hippocampus. “The Revolutionary War: The War Continues with French Allies”. //Hippocampus//. 2007. 10/14/10. []

British Battles. “The Battle of Monmouth 1778”. //Britishbattles//. 2010. 10/15/10. []

__France allying with the patriots (Hippocampus)__ I. France initially helped as revenge against Britain for French and Indian war a. “…sent money, weapons, troops and warships” (Hart 94) b. Wealthy French-men like La Fayette came to colonies to lend supplies and SUFFERED THROUGH HARD WINTER!!! c. Spain also helped II. France skeptical until Battle of Saratoga III. Ben Franklin led support rally in France a. “Benjamin Franklin, dispatched to France in December of 1776 to rally her support, was welcomed with great enthusiasm, as numerous Frenchmen embarked for the Americas to volunteer for the Patriot war effort.” Wikipedia IV. 1778 Treaties a. Treaty of Amity and Commerce i. Open trade between France and USA b. Treaty of Alliance i. Alliance and support c. Neither stops attacking Britain without consent of other and had one independence V. French Navy a. British fleet had cut off colonies until French came and dominated water ways b. 1781 British Cornwallis made base in Virginia. i. Admiral de Grasse came and dominated Chesapeake Bay ii. Washington and Compte de Rochambeau iii. Cornwallis surrendered all 7000 men VI. __Winter at Valley Forge__ · “every man a gill (a few ounces) of rice and a tablespoon of vinegar…the greatest part were not only shirtless and barefoot, but also destitute of (without) all other clothing, especially blankets” (Hart 94).

· Got no food because Britain paid in gold – colonists in paper money. · Baron Friedrich von Steuben in charge of training: led many drills and helped army’s strength incredibly.

· " . . . you might have tracked the army from White Marsh to Valley Forge by the blood of their feet." - George Washington

__Battle of Monmouth__ · British troops moving from Philadelphia to New York · Washington decides to intercept them · General Lee’s troops sent to slow down British by attacking the flank · Molly Pitcher, wife of American soldier stepped in and worked a cannon when her husband fell down injured · Lee failed to give necessary orders and eventually told the troops to retreat: “ Some US authorities categorise Lee as a traitor…He was given the nickname of “Boiling Water” by the Iroquois due to his temper” (The Battle of Monmouth 1778) · Washington arrived in time to throw a string of profanity at Lee and reorganize the troops and efforts

**Exposition**: Felicity Louise Clarke, 18 years old. Hometown: Boston, MA. Youngest of 7 siblings. Mother and 2 sister get fever, so Felicity can’t be near them. Felicity’s father is called to war, along with her brother and decides he must take Felicity because she cannot be left at home with her sick family. He hopes that she will marry a nice, wealthy colonist man along the way and move in with him so that she wont have to experience the hardships of war. **Rising Action:** Felicity suffers beside her father and her brother through the winter at Valley Forge. She ends up sewing a lot because of the lack of supplies. During her time there, her father introduces her to the son of a wealthy colonist family, with hopes that she will marry him. In the meantime, Felicity falls in love with a soldier from France, who her father does not really approve of. The wealthy colonist man dies of pneumonia however at the end of the winter. **Climax:** Felicity is present for the Battle of Monmouth. There, she helps Molly Pitcher stand in for her husband firing a cannon. Once the actual fight is over she tends to wounded soldiers. She is devastated to discover that her brother Jack was killed in battle, but her father and French lover survived. **Falling Action:** Felicity’s father finally approves of Felicity’s French (yet to be named) love. The three of them all go back to Boston, where Felicity’s mother was killed by fever, but her siblings all survived. Her French love begins to help her father in his blacksmithing. **Dénouement:** Felicity marries her French love, and her father passes down his blacksmithing studio to them.
 * Theme:** My story will detail the hardships of the war, including the winter at valley forge. It will also discuss social issues of that time like arranged marriage. Lastly it will provide a unique perspective of war (female) and show women's contributions to the revolution.