Colonial Period

The Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. There was no going back. The country was at war. George Washington and his troops were ill-prepared and lacked weapons and supplies. They endured many discouraging moments, but Washington kept trying. Fun Facts English warships came to Long Island in the summer…

Leader of the American Revolution. First U.S. President. Father of Our Country. George Washington earned all these titles. But who was he as a person. Fun Facts George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. His father was a farmer. He grew tobacco and kept slaves. He was wealthy and…

John Stark was almost an old man when the Revolutionary War began, but he was full of patriotic spirit. Fun Facts John Stark owned a farm and sawmill in New Hampshire. When he heard about the guns fired on colonists at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, he immediately…

Abigail Adams was one of the founders of the American Revolution. Smart, passionate, and articulate, she supported her husband and spoke out on her own too. Fun Facts Abigail Adams was born in 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts, just a few miles from Boston. Her parents both came from important families.…

Joseph Warren was an important, but often forgotten figure in the Revolutionary War. He was a doctor, popular speaker, and grave robber. Fun Facts Joseph Warren was fourteen-years-old when he enrolled at Harvard University. By age 22, he was a physician, treating prominent people in Boston, including John Adams, Samuel…

Tensions had been escalating for weeks and the British warship Lively had been sitting in the Boston Harbor. The American militiamen had a surprise for the redcoats. Fun Facts As the sun rose on June 17, 1775, sailors on the British warship Lively were surprised. A fort stood on a…

King George was furious when he heard about the Boston Tea Party. Enough was enough! Parliament passed even stricter laws to punish the colonists. British leaders hoped these laws would make the colonists back down. Their ideas didn’t work. Fun Facts The colonists called the strict laws “The Intolerable Acts.”…

Think being a soldier during the Revolutionary War was an exciting life? Think again. More often than not, soldiers’ lives were lonely, dangerous, and hard. Especially if you were a redcoat. Fun Facts During the American Revolution, American soldiers (patriots) were not professional soldiers. Most were farmers or tradesmen. They…

Few women worked as soldiers during the Revolutionary War, but they did work as nurses and cooks. Mary Ludwig was one of those women. That is, until her husband collapsed in battle and she picked up his gun. Fun Facts Molly Pitcher’s real name was Mary Ludwig. She was born…

Move over Mulan. Meet a real woman disguised as a male soldier. Deborah Sampson fought in the Revolutionary War for two years before her gender was discovered.   Fun Facts Deborah Sampson was born in 1760 in Plimpton, Massachusetts. Her parents were direct descendants of important Pilgrims, William Bradford, first…