Judy Dodge Cummings - The American Revolution: Experience the Battle for Independence

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ISBN Softcover: 978-1-61930-246-4

ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-61930-255-6

Illustrations by Tom Casteel

Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

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CONTENTS

Introduction
The Birth of a Nation

Chapter 1
Blood on the Commons

Chapter 2
The Roots of Rebellion

Chapter 3
A Harbor Full of Tea

Chapter 4
A Declaration Is Made

Chapter 5
The Grim Tides of War

Chapter 6
Everyday Life During War

Chapter 7
Victory at Last

Chapter 8
The Promise of Peace

Interested in primary sources? Look for this icon.

Use a smartphone or tablet app to scan the QR code and explore more about the American Revolution! You can find a list of URLs in the Resources.

TIMELINE

MAP

On July 4th, red, white, and blue flags wave in the wind. Drums beat a rat-a-tat-tat. Fireworks ignite the sky. Each year on this summer day, Americans celebrate the birthday of the United States. Do you know the real story behind the fireworks and fun?

WORDS TO KNOW

revolution: an attempt to overthrow a government and replace it with a new system.

American Revolution: the war between the colonies and England from 1775 to 1783 that ended with the creation of the independent United States of America.

North America: the continent that includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, and all of the countries of Central America and the Caribbean.

British: citizens of the kingdom of Great Britain, which consisted of England, Scotland, and Wales.

citizen: a person who has all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a full member of a country.

colony: a territory controlled by another country.

mother country: the country that a person or group of people comes from.

nation: another word for country.

The United States grew out of the ashes of revolution . This war, called the American Revolution or the Revolutionary War, was fought on the land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River. Many people wanted to own this section of North America , which Native Americans first called home. The Spanish, the French, the Dutch, and, finally, the British all tried to settle this land.

The British settled 13 colonies along the Atlantic Coast, clearing the land and building towns and cities. But after a century, many British colonists, who lived in the colonies, began to resent the way their mother country of Great Britain ruled them.

In 1776, the colonists decided the time had come to rule themselves. They declared that they were the independent nation of the United States of America.

The British government refused to let the American colonies go without a fight, and so the Revolutionary War began.

Map It!

Look at this 1755 map of what is now the eastern United States.

How does it look different from todays map? This map was drawn by someone from Great Britain. Do you think it would look different if someone from France had made it? What about a colonist?

WORDS TO KNOW

colonial: relating to the years 1607 through 1776, when people from Europe settled in colonies in Americawhich eventually became the United States of America.

power: a person, group, or country that is stronger than others.

historian: a person who investigates events and people of the past.

interpret: to think about something and explain it.

thesis statement: the main point or main conclusion a historian makes after researching a specific question.

DID YOU KNOW?

Americans have been celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks since the very first Independence Day celebration in 1777.

What caused the colonists to want to separate from Great Britain in 1776? What hardships did colonial families face when their farms became battlefields? How did the outnumbered and undersupplied colonial army defeat the British, which was the strongest power in the world?

As you read this book, youll become an amateur historian . Historians ask questions and dig into the past to find the answers.

Prepare to be amazed, puzzled, disgusted, entertained, and intrigued as you follow the winding path of the colonists during the Revolutionary War.

Start a Historical Detective Journal

Each chapter of this book begins with an essential question to help guide your exploration of the American Revolution.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Keep the question in your mind as you read the chapter. At the end of each chapter, interpret what you read and write a thesis statement to answer your question. Choose a spiral-bound notebook and label the cover Historical Detective Journal. Use your journal to record your questions and answers about the Revolutionary War.

WORDS TO KNOW

gun carriage: the platform that carries a cannon.

meetinghouse: a building used for public meetings and as a church.

On April 18, 1775, at 10 p.m. an uneasy darkness cloaked the town of Concord, Massachusetts. Cannon parts had been hurriedly buried in the cornfields. Gun carriages were hidden in the meetinghouse and ammunition was stowed in homes and taverns. The townspeople of Concord knew the British Army would come hunting for these weapons. They just didnt know when.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Who was responsible for the violence that occurred in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775? Would the revolution have still happened if the outcome of this first battle had been different?