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Colonial Life
HFC #1 My name is Faith Cooper and I am ten years old. I live with my mother Margaret, my two sisters Priscilla and Helen, my four brothers, Daniel, Cuthbert, Lawrence, and Allen, and my grandma and grandpa Humphrey and Ursula Smith. As for my father, well, he died quite some time ago due to malaria before we got to the new world. This left my mother to be widowed. I live on a large plantation in Connecticut and my brothers, sisters, and I work everyday. It is usually very hot at this time, although it can get cold in the winter. A typical day looks like this: My mother wakes up at 5am to start cooking our meals. As she is cooking, my brothers, sisters, and I go out to feed the cattle and gather their milk in buckets. We also collect chicken eggs. After we work out in the fields for two and a half hours, we will go in to eat our first meal of the day. This usually consists of the eggs we bring to my mother-Margaret- and some bread and tea on the side. Lastly, my grandma sews clothes for my family and my grandfather goes out to gather wood for the fireplace. We arrived in the New World not so long ago. My family was seeking religious freedom, and a better living situation. My mother and grandparents also heard about the freedom of speech in the colonies as well. In Connecticut, it is believed everyone should be granted freedom and justice. We follow a document called the Fundamental Orders, which guarantees the right to vote for all men part of the Puritan Church. As a result, my grandfather got to vote for all the members in the council. In our colony, crimes such as theft and robbery are punished harshly. Someone might be jailed or whipped. Overall, life hasn’t been too hard for my family. We are much happier in the New World.

Revolution
Nirenstein 1 Madison Nirenstein 11/16/10 History-5

American Revolution Research Hart- History Alive Textbook Hart, Diane, and Bert Bower. //History alive!: the United States through industrialism// . Palo Alto, Calif.: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2011. Print.

> > -"On October 17, 1777, Gentleman Johnny accepted defeat...France came into the war as an ally of the United States." (Hart 94) > -France's victory in Saratoga was not the end of the war....In 1777, Congress declared Thanksgiving just as Washington and his army were heading to Valley Forge. (Hart 94) > - "On June 28, 1778...Washington....caught up with the retreating British near Monmouth, New Jersey. Late that night, the British slipped across the Hudson River to safety in New York City. Washington camped with his army nearby. Neither army new it yet, but the war in the North was over." (Hart 94) > -"Cornwallis soon learned that he did not really control the Carolinas after all. Guerillas- soldiers who are not part of a regular army- kept the American cause alive." (Hart 96) > -As Cornwallis settled into Yorktown, France had 5,000 troops join Washington's army. There were also 3,000 troops planning to arrive in 29 French warships. Washington soon set up a trap for Cornwallis. The French surrounded Yorktown and sealed off the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Cornwallis was cut off from the British Navy. (Hart 96) > -"On October 19, 1781, American and French troops formed two long lines that stretched for more than a mile along the road to Yorktown- the French on one side, the American's on the other." (Hart 97) > -"Cornwallis did not take part in this ceremony, saying that he was ill. In reality, the British commander could not bear to surrender publicly to an army that he looked down on..." (Hart 97) > > > > The American Revolution: [] 101, Family History. "The American Revolution." // The American Revolutionary War //. 9 Jan. 2001. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. .
 * “The continental Army was always short of men. General Washington never had more than 20,000 troops at one time and place. Many soldiers enlisted for six months or a year. Just when they were learning how to fight, they would pick up their muskets and go home to tend their farms and families.” (Hart 88)
 * “With a professional army of 50,000 troops, British forces greatly outnumbered the Continental Army. In addition, George III hired 30,000 mercenaries.” (Hart 89)
 * “To block the invasion, Washington hurried with his army from Boston to New York. It was there he heard good news: Congress had finally declared the colonies to be “free and independent states.”” (Hart 90)
 * “By 1779, about 15 percent of the soldiers in the Continental Army were African Americans. Large numbers of black sailors also served in the Continental Navy.” (Hart 90)
 * “By the time the war ended, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania had all taken steps to end slavery.” (Hart 90)
 * “On August 27, 1776, the American and British armies met in Brooklyn, New York…In two days of fighting, the British lost only 377 men, while the Americans lost 1407.” (Hart 91)
 * Washington reached Pennsylvania with around 1000 men, most of which were unclothed and unfit for service. (Hart 91)
 * Washington put together a plan to attack Hessian troops. It was said that the soldier’s guns were too wet to fire and when they arrived, they took 868 prisoners without loosing one man. The mercenaries surrendered. (Hart 92)
 * Washington decided to change his war strategy. Instead of one battle, he would have a multiple battles hoping to tire the British. Germain decided to divide the rebels by taking control of the Hudson River Valley. This allowed the British to cut New England off from the other states. (Hart 93)


 * “ The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies on the North American continent (as well as some naval conflict).” (The American Revolution 1)
 * The colonies overthrew British rule. In 1775, government control was seized and the second continental congress and army were formed. (The American Revolution 1)
 * “ The following year, they formally declared their independence as a new nation, the United States of America. From 1778 onward, other European powers would fight on the American side in the war. Meanwhile, Native Americans and African Americans served on both sides.” (The American Revolution 1)
 * “ The Treaty of Paris in 1783 ended the war and recognized the sovereignty of the United States over the territory bounded by what is now Canada to the north, Florida to the south, and the Mississippi River to the west.” (The American Revolution 1)
 * The opposing forces consisted of both residences from each nation. The American war had some assistance from France. (The American Revolution 1)
 * “Since the colonies covered a large area and had not been united before the war, there was no central area of strategic importance. In Europe, the capture of a capital often meant the end of a war; in America, when the British seized cities such as New York and Philadelphia, the war continued unabated. Furthermore, the large size of the colonies meant that the British lacked the manpower to control them by force.” (The American Revolution 1)

Freytags Pyramid:

I. Exposition 2. Rising Action 3. Climax 4. Falling Action 5. Resolution/Denouement
 * A. Economic Situation
 * i. How is the war affecting my characters?
 * They can't sell their goods to the English
 * B. Time/Place
 * i. Connecticut- 1775
 * A. Family is starting to loose money
 * i. They can't sell goods
 * Can't pay off small taxes or make money
 * B. Family looses all their money
 * A. Family decides the eldest brother needs a job
 * A. Cuthbert looks for job
 * military
 * A. Family gets money
 * i. Pays off small taxes
 * ii. Betters their living situation

How will your story help the reader understand the economic, political, or social/cultural impact of the American Revolution?:

My story will help the reader understand the economic impact of the American Revolution because within my story there will be information about the selling of goods during the revolution. It was very hard for people to sell their goods because they couldn't sell to the English. Therefore, my 'family' is going to have trouble making money because they wont be able to sell their goods. The son will then look for a job in the military.

HFC Posting #1:

Dear Diary, Some sad news was thrown upon my family. We have been recently informed that we can't sell our goods to the English. Being our biggest customer- now that we can't sell to England- we will need to figure out ways to sell goods elsewhere. I am still living in Connecticut and nothing has changed besides my family's political situation. I am not sure how we are going to survive. I am truly scared. We are loosing more and more money as time goes on and my family is having trouble paying off the small taxes. Although, we are not being taxed nearly as much as before, it is still troubling for us to give money to the government. We have decided that Allen- my eldest brother- should find a job in the military.

Sincerely, Faith Cooper

HFC Posting #2:

Dear Diary, My brother found a job in the military. He is to leave my family for a few months while he trains for war. We aren't sure wether there is going to be any need for a militia....but I hope my family will gain money. I don't know what will become of my family if my brother goes to war after training. More than anything I just want my family to go back to the way it is, when we first moved to the new world. It is not accepted that my brother will come back if he goes to war; especially during these times. Being the youngest in such a big family is disconcerting. I usually am not given much attention, but I see that other families are the same ways in this time. I don't like to watch my family fall apart. I just wish we could somehow sell our goods to the English.

Sincerely, Faith Cooper

HFC Posting #3:

Dear Diary, I have some exciting news. As I said in my last entry, sometimes soldiers don't get paid. Today we discovered that my dearest brother will be making money while he works. The head of the military told him that he was one of his strongest performers and would do the best in battle. We can only hope that if he is needed in war he will come back to our family. I am happy to hear that my family is slowly regaining money and is paying off taxes without a burden. Times have been difficult but Connecticut has been much better than where we had moved from before. We still haven't found a way to sell our goods, considering the government wont allow us to sell to the English. I'm hoping with the small amount of money my brother makes in the military, it will be enough to sustain our household.

Sincerely, Faith Cooper