Yuka+I.+-+Historical+Fiction+Character

toc

Colonial Life
Sitting with her doll, Katie, Georgina Jackson sat outside watching the men in her family pick tobacco. Her bright green eyes glanced down at her clothes, wondering if she would ever be able to afford presentable clothing. Henry was sweating buckets, James seemed bored, George had a steady routine, Uncle John wore a straw hat and was taking a sip of water, Uncle Sean was struggling because he had a bad back and her father, Paul picked the tobacco aggressively.

Her father didn’t want to live on this tobacco farm, he didn’t want to move to Georgia, and he didn’t want to move to this new world. But, his wife, Abigail insisted that the entire family should move from England to the Americas because the family needed religious freedom.

The Jackson family is Jewish. They heard about the new world, through the streets of London. They needed a fresh opportunity because they were treated differently from the Christians. This family was not given the respect or the opportunities as much as other families with different religious backgrounds. When the family would walk through the streets of London, they would always feel eyes piercing through the back of their heads.

Georgina closed her eyes and breathed in the hot, humid air. She heard giggling from the inside of her one room house. Her two older sisters, Leslie and Catherine were laughing at Georgina… again. Leslie and Catherine always snickered and plotted against Georgina because her only friend was Katie and she was the youngest person in her family. But, not for long. Her mother was pregnant with her seventh child. Each family member placed a bet on what gender this new baby was going to be.

When Leslie and Catherine weren’t sewing clothing, sweeping the wooden floors of the house or cooking, they would ploy plots and pranks on Georgina. One time, when Georgina took a nap, they poured a gallon of honey on her. Another time, they threatened to rip and tear up Katie. Georgina felt like she was misunderstood and that no one ever acknowledged her.

For instance, Georgina was very intelligent for her age. She never had a continuous education, because her family always needed her to work around the house. Secretly, she would wake up at the break of dawn to educate herself. She kept pieces of paper and a writing utensil under one of the loose floorboards. Her parents had brought a few of their favorite and most dear books from London. Georgina would study off of these books and would try to comprehend the writing.

Being the daughter of a farmer didn’t give many opportunities or advantages. She had many things she wished for, but most importantly she wished to be included in her family.

Revolution
HFC – Research – American Revolution

Hart, Diane, and Bert Bower. //History alive!: the United States through industrialism.// Palo, Alto, Calif.: Teacher’s Curriculum Institute, 2011. Print
 * Source:**


 * Topic: Saving the South**

__War moved from the north to the south__ - “…Failing to conquer any state in the North, the British changed strategies…move the war to the South…believed, thousands of Loyalists were just waiting to join the king’s cause” (96).

- “Clinton began his ‘southern campaign’ with a successful attack on Savannah Georgia… from Georgia. He moved on to take control of North and South Carolina…Clinton returned to New York City, leaving Lord Charles Cornwallis to run the war…” (96).

__People involved in the war__ - “Francis Marion…band of rebels harassed the British with hit-and-run raids…Washington sent General Nathaniel Greene to slow the British advance…” (96).


 * Topic: A Trap at Yorktown**

__Washington’s Plan__ - “… France had sent nearly 5,000 troops to join Washington’s army … secretly, he moved his army south to Virginia” (Hart 96).

__Cornwallis’ hope to be rescued__ “…Cornwallis was cut off from the British navy and any hope of rescue by sea” (Hart 96).


 * Topic: Cornwallis Surrenders**

“…Cornwallis clung to the hope that the British navy would come to his rescue…no ships arrived, he finally agreed to surrender” (Hart 97).

“October 19, 1781, American and French troops formed two long lines…along the road to Yorktown” (Hart 97).

“…crowd watched as 8,000 British troops left Yorktown…” (Hart 97).

Withrow, Scott, and Park Ranger. "The Battle of Cowpens." //U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America//. N.p., 5 Feb. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. [|http://www.nps.gov/archive/cowp/batlcowp.htm]
 * Source:**


 * Topic: The Battle of Cowpens **

“Dawn at the Cowpens on January 17, 1781, was clear and bitterly cold” (Wilthrow).

“The battle was over in an hour… complete victory for the Patriot forces” (Wilthrow).

“British loses were staggering: 110 dead, over 200 wounded and 500 captured… Morgan lost only 12 killed and 60 wounded…” (Wilthrow, Ranger).

"LIBERTY! . Chronicle of the Revolution . Yorktown 1781 | PBS." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. []
 * Source: **


 * Topic: The Battle of Yorktown **

“Cornwallis’ 8,000 man force became prisoners-of-war…” (“Yorktown 1781”).

“…British band played __The World Turned Upside Down__...” (“Yorktown 1781”).

“After six and half years of fighting, the war may be finally over” (“Yorktown 1781”).


 * __Story Plot__**

Time: 1766 Georgina Jackson (15 years old) She lives on a tobacco farm with her huge family. Ten of her family members do not acknowledge Georgina's presence or her desire to become a writer, except for her uncle, Edward.
 * Expostition**:

Her family receives information about the American Revolution and Edward decides to take part in the war in North and South Carolina. Georgina wants to run away from the farm, but knows that she needs to stay in case Edward come back.
 * Rising Action:**

Georgina receives letters from her uncle informing her about the war. From writing and reading the letters, Georgina quickly educates herself based on the few school sessions she had when she was nine years old.
 * Climax:**

The letters from Edward starts to decrease over time, and Georgina starts to worry. In the last letter she receives from Edward, he tells her that he is very ill.
 * Falling Action:**

Her family learns that the colonists had won the war, but Edward has not come back home. They soon receive a letter saying that Edward has died. That night, Georgina runs away to become a writer because she had nothing to live for at the tobacco farm.
 * Denouement:**

My story will help the reader to understand the social/cultural impact because it shows the tension between loyalists and patriots.