Emma Hirsch

– Boys go to school or have a tutor

-Girls will stay home with the mothers

-The girls will learn how to clean and cook

– Boys would learn math and science

– Girls would maybe learn how to read or write

-The children would have a school tutor, dance tutor, and music teacher

-The boys and girls were separated most of the day

Zoe Karp

• In lower classes, the women and men would have the same day.
• In the upper classes, the women are taking care of the children and making sure the slaves were doing what they were supposed to.
• In upper classes, the men were out doing business or possibly at the House of Burgesses.
• European boys usually got to go to school or have a tutor.
• European girls were taught inside their home.
• Girls would be cooking and cleaning and learning all of the skills that they would need once they got married. They might learn to read and write in addition to all of that.
• Boys definitely learned how to read and write, but they were also learning math and science.

-Geddy House Historic Interpreter, October 20, 2016

Harvey Van Blerkom, 2016

Harvey Van Blerkom                         Humanities A

11/15/16

A Day In the Life of Charles “C.S.” Smith

I am Charles “C.S.” Smith. I am a General. I am fighting for America’s freedom. As I said, I am a General, but I am very new at my job. After General Chase got shot, they needed a new General, and I was the one asked to take over his role. I had been exceeding expectations, and I got promoted. Even though I had been working hard, I was surprised because there was one African man who was working really well. He had stole forty-five cannons from the British army. Forty-five cannons! That is almost not human. Some of the things that Africans can do are just amazing. Maybe I got the promotion because I am English, and only English.

I remember the exact time that I got my promotion. I was very worried because George Washington himself requested for me to meet with him. From my experience with other troop companions, getting called to meet with Mr. George, as we secretly call him, rarely turns out well. I was very nervous because this was not my first meeting with someone near his power. I had some meetings before, but I wasn’t listening because I didn’t want to hear when they kicked me out of the army. I knew that I had been getting lucky, as I was still in the army, but I figured that I should finally listen to him. I knew that this was probably the final straw before I was gone, so I said goodbye to my fellow troop members, and headed over, head down.

I got in, and I wanted to end the conversation quickly so I just told him, “Please, just kick me out now.”

He responded immediately, “Kick you out? I was just about to ask you if you wanted to

become a General with your own battalion, are you okay with that?”

“Oh, yes, I would love that,” I responded.

“I don’t know why you would’ve thought that you would’ve been demoted, or kicked out of the army. You have been doing very well, and we have noticed that. That is why you were called in. You have had many meetings with some of my advisors, and I don’t know exactly what they said, but they told me that they were going to talk to you about how well you are doing and to keep up the good work,” he said.
This was a day that I know I will remember forever. This isn’t a normal day, as I don’t get promoted every day. Nowadays, my usual day is very boring. I yell at the men in my troop, and they listen. I tell them to fire their muskets, and they fire their muskets. I tell them to fire the cannon, and they fire the cannon. Now I don’t even pick up a musket because Generals don’t actually fight. They just tell the people that they are commanding commands. Before I became a general, my life was a lot more fun. Before I became a general, my day consisted of actual fighting. I picked up a musket, and would fire the heavy, metal weapon. I wasn’t always the best shot, but I would always think to myself, and try to convince myself that I was going to get better. I guess that is one of the many good things that came out of my promotion. I have been very happy with my promotion because of all of the great benefits, including much better food. Overall, I have a very eventful day, especially now that the war is in full swing.

Hudson

George Washington was already a burgess, when the second continental congress unanimously decided he should be the leader of the Continental Army. The fact that he was a burgess showed that he would be a good and fair leader of the army. He was also in the British army during the french and indian war which gave him a chance to prove himself as a good soldier and a strong tactical thinker. Although George Washington never actually had any experience leading, the Congress needed nothing more, he was their man. Because he had no experience he was not sure he wanted to accept the post. He said in a letter to his wife Martha Washington “It is utterly out of my power to refuse this appointment without exposing my character to such censures as would have reflected dishonor upon myself and given pain to my friends.”

Harvey Van Blerkom, 2016

The Revolutionary War was very important to the United States of America. It made the country that 318.9 million people call home today. The Revolutionary War is the reason that the United States of America exists today. Without the war, the world would be different. The war changed the Americans, the Native Americans, and the African Americans. It changed people not only in the Colonial Era, but also affects us today. The Revolutionary War was a true show of rebelliousness. From that war, the colonists learned to fight injustice, question authority, and stand up for what they believed in. These are the values that define our nation and continue to shape who we are today.

Hudson

Most African American Soldiers who fought in the war took the British side, but hundreds also fought for the Patriots. Some were free blacks who believed strongly in the cause of liberty. Others were slaves who were promised their freedom for taking part in the war. Some slaves were placed in the army as substitutes for their owners, who did not wish to serve themselves. In 1778, there were nearly a thousand black men spread across every regiment in the Continental army. Black regiments with white officers existed in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Most African American soldiers who fought in the revolution fought for the Brits. Even so some fought for the Continentals, they would have done this for one of three reasons, one, they were under false belief that they would have emancipation, they were free and wanted to, or their owners sent them in their stead. Three years into the war almost a thousand black men had joined. Some regiments in Rhode Island and Massachusetts had black soldiers with white officers.

Didn’t the slave owners who sent their slaves to war not want their slaves to die. I think people did want their slaves to live but if losing their slaves meant not dying than it was worth it. People also didn’t treat slaves like people so what did it matter if slaves died. If slaves weren’t treated like people why everyone just force all the slaves to fight. I think it was because they thought there was no honor in that, and also that they thought that the slaves were weak.

Harvey Van Blerkom, 2016

Battle Tactics, Natives, British, American French, and African

Source:

Williamsburg, VA, Historical Interpreter Gunsmith. Interview. By Charlie Thackway and Aidhan Astrachan. 2015.

Quote:

“After many years of fighting with the native Americans and finally getting them out of the land that the English were colonizing the English were able to pick up some tricks on the way. Later the English and the French start to incorporate guerrilla tactics into their fighting, they are started to send in small groups of soldiers in camouflage into the woods. Back on the note of warfare on the battlefield the English had a way of defending against there own tactic of running at the enemy with something called the grape shot. When using the grape shot you would stuff a cylinder shaped can filled to the brim with musket balls, they would stuff the calendar in a cannon and shoot hundreds of musket balls all over the enemy. The big idea of linear tactics were to control the other side, if you can do that you can pretty much win the war.”

Paraphrase:

-The Europeans had different strategies than the Natives didn’t have

-The Natives used guerrilla tactics

-The English would use linear tactics

-The English also used the grape shot

-The idea of linear tactics was to control the other side

-The English and French started to incorporate gorilla tactics, modeling after the Natives

-They would send small groups of camouflaged soldiers into the woods and sneak up

-On the battlefield, the grape shot was key

My Ideas:

This quote is important because it shows tactics used on and off the battlefield. I think that it is really surprising that one tactic that is used a lot today came from a group of people that weren’t looked at as equals. I wonder if there is anything else that the Natives influenced or used. I know that they were the first to use insect repellent, and they also created bunk beds, but I think that there are more things that were originated from the Native Americans. The English and French stole the guerrilla tactics from the Natives, so I wonder if the Natives stole any tactics from the English or French. I think that they would because they got guns and other traded things that the English and French used. Getting those things would make them adapt the different tactics. I wonder if at some point of the war, the English, French, or British used guerrilla tactics on the battlefield. I don’t think that they did because it was the complete opposite of the linear tactics. It would be very confusing to both sides if you had fighters in camouflage, and also fighters in lines. It could be effective, but it would be very risky. I wonder if sometimes they would camouflage a cannon, and then send a grape shot at the enemy. I also wonder how often the grape shot was used. From this quote, it seems like it was used a lot, but in Williamsburg, they said that the grape shot was used as a last resort because it could inflict a lot of damage. I think that it was a combination of the two. I think it was used most as a last resort shot, but was used at other times depending on how the enemy was grouped. I also wonder if the grape shot was meant to inflict damage to the enemies because I know that a regular cannonball was to scare them. I don’t really know because it seems like the sort of thing that would be used to hurt people because it is scattering. At Yorktown, the weapons person told me that out of 100 musket balls from 100 different muskets or from a grape shot a lucky round would consist of 12-20 hits. I found this surprising because I thought that they would be able to figure out how to use a weapon that is more accurate. I wonder if the grape shot is used today. If it isn’t, I wonder if there is a weapon that’s original form was the grape shot. I wonder if the slaves had a role in the evolution of battle tactics because they probably had their own specialties. I sadly think that they didn’t get to use their specialties to their advantage because they didn’t mean anything. I think that if the Africans used the things that made them special, or if they channeled in their anger from being enslaved, they could definitely have had an impact on battle tactics.

Harvey Van Blerkom, 2016

-Slaves Fought in the war

-They would do what was needed

-They would fight even though they weren’t allowed to arm themselves

-They would fight because they were promised freedom for their services

-The British sent a recruiting notice to the best behaved slaves to join the army

-Two years later, George Washington matched the offer, but he did so reluctantly

-The slaves were disposable, so they would do the worst jobs

-One job was to move smallpox victims

-2/3 of the fighters in Yorktown were Africans

–Great Hopes Plantation Interpreter, Oct. 20, 2016