American Revolution for Kids: A History with 21 Activities
Note to Readers See the Glossary following Chapter 7 for definitions of unfamiliar words Lists of officers who fought in the American and British armies and biographies of people mentioned in the text begin on page121 For those interested in more information about the Revo lutionary War and the American government see Revolutionary War Sites to Visit Web Sites to Explore and the Bibliography at the back of the
Preface War’s Begun T SEEMED LIKE ANY OTHER DAY in the country school house on the outskirts of Boston The youngest children pored over their primers while older students recited Latin phrases The schoolmaster looked sternly at those who wiggled or talked out of turn Suddenly a distant tramp tramp tramp broke the spring morning’s stillness and the students looked up from their books The sound grew louder
Soon to their amazement hundreds of British sol diers marched past their school The soldiers dressed in crimson coats and tall red and gold hats marched in step as their officers mounted on magnificent horses urged them forward Lay down your books said the schoolmaster War's begun and school is done The British soldiers were marching against mus ket toting American militiamen The Americans once loyal to the Crown were preparing to fight for freedom from British rule Over time many of the colonists in British North America had become unhappy under Great Britain They had raged against Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament and the royal proclamations that restricted their freedom Eng land's answer was to send troops and tighten its hold on the colonies After years of protests and riots the colonists and their mother country were at war At one time such a war seemed impossible The people living in the 13 colonies along the Atlantic coastline had long been loyal subjects of the English king From the time of the earliest settlements in North America they had considered themselves to be English and looked to their home country for guid ance and support Only recently the colonists and British soldiers had fought side by side against France and its Indian allies over France's North American claims Indian warriors preferred the French who bought their furs to the English colonists who settled on their land Fierce battles raged in the western forests and moun tains and north into Canada The British were victo rious against their longtime French enemies and France was driven off the
Thirteen Colonies at a Glance The colonies Connecticut Delaware Georgia Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina and Virginia Milestones 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh colonizes Roanoke Island the settlers disappear without a trace 1587 First English baby Virginia Dare born in North America 1607 London Company colonists and Captain John Smith found Jamestown Virginia 1619 First representative assembly in America meets in Jamestown slaves brought to Virginia 1620 Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock to build a community based on their Mayflower Compact 1626 New Amsterdam Manhattan bought from Indians by Dutch West India Company for 24 dol lars worth of beads 1634 Catholics find a welcome home in Lord Bal timore's Maryland colony 1636 Providence Rhode Island founded by Roger Williams becomes known for religious tol erance 1638 Swedish settlements built along the Del aware River
