His book, King George: What was his Problem? is meant to be something of an apology for the insomnia-curing textbooks as well as a clever way to get kids interested in early American history. I think it’ll work. The book takes a very informal, conversational tone, as if Sheinkin is speaking directly to a fifth-grader. This is not to say that the subject matter is in any way “dumbed-down” or sanitized for young audiences. Quite the opposite; his own words are straightforward and simple, but he pulls no punches. He explicitly describes the fate of royal tax collector John Malcolm:

What was the worst part about getting tarred and feathered? Malcolm said the most painful part was trying to rip the tar off his burned body. He mailed a box of his tar and feathers, with bits of his skin still attached, to the British government in London. They sympathized. They sent him money.

The strength of this book comes not only from Sheinkin’s straight-talking style, but also from his extensive use of quotes from primary sources. The best way to understand an era is to read the writings of the people who lived in it. Sheinkin shows us their words, puts them in context, and turns the people of the founding era into folks modern students can relate to. They made mistakes. They argued amongst themselves. They worried about lunch. They nursed grudges. And they founded (or lost) a nation.

The extensive annotated bibliography will be useful for students of any age who want to follow up on anything touched on in this book. There is also a list of quotation notes showing where all of the “daring, clever, foolish, amazing, surprising, funny, and gross” quotes can be found.

If this book has any faults, they are that no mention is made of the fate of American loyalists, Native Americans are only mentioned once, and the paradox of slave-owning freedom-fighters is given less space than one might like (one page). On the other hand, if you’re going to cover the whole Revolution in just 177 pages (not including notes and index), you have to make some tough choices.

King George–What was his Problem? (ISBN-13:978-1-59643-319-9) retails for $19.95 in hardcover (somewhat less on Amazon), or try your local library.

The Dreamer  tells the story of Bea Whaley, a modern student who visits the Revolutionary era in her dreams. She dreams of actual events and real historical figures in spite of never having seriously studied the Revolution. Her limited real-world knowledge of history causes problems for her in the 1770s dream-world, while her experiences in the dream make her second-guess her modern life.

The story so far has Dream-Bea in the middle of an important battle. Students of history will know the general outcome of the battle, but what happens to the individuals involved is not predictable.

This comic might be useful to get students interested in RevWar history, and will appeal (I imagine) to middle-school students, girls especially, though I’m enjoying the story and I’m an adult man, so take that for what it’s worth.

My brief review doesn’t do justice to The Dreamer. Click the link, and read the comic from the beginning.

Loyalty and Liberty is an interesting look at the Revolution. It’s historical fiction with fewer real-world historical figures as speaking characters, but all of them have been drawn as anthropomorphic cats. The story so far has brought us to just before the confrontation on Lexington Green.

Initially, you might think that upper elementary students will be drawn to this comic while middle-schoolers and high-schoolers won’t enjoy it, but don’t be misled by the cats-in-coats. The art, writing, and so far, historical accuracy are all excellent and will appeal to older students as well. There are, however, a few issues with punctuation and word choice. If one forgives the style and mechanics issues, though, it’s a well-told story and worth a look.

There are a few other works (web comics, podcasts, books) I’ll be calling your attention to. Watch this space.

If you’re a teacher, scout leader, or member of a homeschool group, this would be a great time to see Hands-on History in action before you book us to visit your classroom or meeting.

If you’re not familiar with the American Girl phenomenon, you’re probably not a librarian, teacher, or parent. The series of books (and expensive dolls, outfits and accessories for both doll and owner) examines notable eras in American history through the eyes of a fictional girl of the time. Felicity is set in Williamsburg, Virginia in the year 1775.

For whatever reason, most fiction set during the Revolutionary era is meant to be appealing to boys (think Johnny Tremain, The Patriot). This is the first film about the era with a female protagonist that I’d seen, and I thought, “Hey, this is wonderful! Something about the Revolution that might make the period interesting for the girls! I wonder if it’s any good?” So I added it to the stack of videos we were renting and brought it home in case any teachers out there might want the benefit of my opinion. Here’s what I think.

If I had to choose one word to describe the plot, it would be “superficial.” This isn’t terribly surprising in a movie that’s meant to sell dolls and accessories. The characters learn to get along in spite of their differences, even the bad guy has a good heart, and by the end of the film, it seems that Felicity and her friends will live happily ever after, unless they get caught up in the war that has just begun. The plot isn’t what makes the movie useful for a classroom, though. In spite of the triteness of the dialogue and predictability of the story, there are several things the movie does well (the beautiful costumes and sets come to mind), and a few issues that the movie skirts around that could be springboards to valuable classroom discussion.

Felicity is a ten-year-old daughter of a well-to-do shopkeeper in Williamsburg. As such, she begins her formal education as a lady. This education has nothing to do with anything so practical as mathematics or science, but rather things like etiquette, penmanship, deportment, and dancing. Much mention is made of the nuisance of wearing petticoats and gowns, and how breeches would be much more convenient, though it would be scandalous for a proper young lady to wear them (Felicity actually steals a pair so she can sneak out and ride a forbidden horse). The movie paints a fairly accurate picture of what life was like for a girl growing up in Revolutionary times, with a couple glaring exceptions. The men in Felicity’s life are surprisingly willing to pay heed to a ten-year-old’s words, and near the end of the story, Felicity is invited to a ball. As I understand it, ten is a very young age to have been “out” in society. If Felicity had been fourteen, or even twelve, it would have been more believable.

It’s also difficult to believe how conciliatory the Tories and the Whigs are. Felicity is close to both loyalists and patriots. Her father and his apprentice both favor independence, while her grandfather and her best friend support the king. This causes several arguments, and the father of Felicity’s friend is jailed for his loyalist politics. But in the end, Whigs and Tories alike are toasting each other’s health at Christmas dinner. Remember that the war has started. Lexington and Concord would have happened at about the beginning of the film, Bunker Hill soon after, and Boston would have been under siege throughout most of the story. Loyalists and patriots across the colonies used the war as an excuse to settle old grudges against one another and open violence was not uncommon. It would have been more likely that Felicity’s father would not have tried to get a loyalist out of jail, either because he felt the loyalist represented a genuine danger to society or else out of fear that he’d be suspected of being a loyalist himself.

One thing that is glossed over almost entirely is the existence of slavery in the colonies. There are two Black characters in the film. The dialogue indicates that these characters are socially inferior to Felicity (she addresses them by their first names only, while they call her Miss Felicity), but the word “slave” is never heard. Interestingly, it’s entirely possible that both these characters are not meant to be slaves at all. There were many free Blacks working as laborers and artisans across the colonies (though the existence of the phrase “free Blacks” makes it obvious that they were fairly rare). The issue of slavery is beyond the scope of the film (besides, it would be difficult to sympathize with a character who keeps slaves), though it might have been interesting to have one of the loyalist characters point out the hypocrisy of a patriot (who professes to favor liberty) who keeps slaves.

Other items you might wish to discuss with your students are the conditions in the Williamsburg Gaol (very different from a modern jail), the danger of being imprisoned for debt, serving as an apprentice, the differences and inequalities between boys’ and girls’ lives, or having to make all your clothes by hand (or pay to have them made for you). The DVD extras include a tour of the real Colonial Williamsburg hosted by the stars of the film, and a behind-the-scenes look at moviemaking.

All in all, this is not a great film, but it could be a useful tool to help your students understand life during the Revolutionary War.

I am sorry to tell you that the Holland Museum’s Revolutionary Kids program has been canceled due to low enrollment.

The museum staff sent me an email yesterday to let me know. I am of course disappointed by the cancellation, but there are plans for a similar program in the future, and we hope that Hands-on History will be a part of it.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Dec 15
* REVOLUTIONARY KIDS, 10 am – 2 pm (Sat)
In connection with the Thomas Jefferson exhibit at the Holland Museum, this program for children aged 7 – 12 yrs. is designed to give a glimpse into the life and activities of a child during revolutionary war times. Participants meet up with a “redcoat” and a “continental” soldier and hear their stories. They will also listen to period music, learn crafts, dances and games from that time of history and sample foods during lunch that would have been served in the late 1700s. Space is limited and prior registration required. Call 616/392-9084 for information and registration. Cost: $30, includes lunch and craft materials. Holland Museum; 31 W 10th St, 616/392-9084 or toll free 888/200-9123

Doing the presentation for a group of mixed ages was an interesting experience. Usually our audience is made up of elementary school students, usually all fifth graders, all fourth graders, or a mix of the two. This audience had a few elementary-age kids and adults from their twenties into probably their seventies (just a guess) and from many different backgrounds. The main difference between talking to fifth graders and this group was that we’ve never had fifth graders ask questions with a political slant to them.

We had one audience member ask rather pointedly about the British breaking treaties with the Native Americans in Michigan. This question sparked a digression on Pontiac’s Rebellion, a native uprising in the Great Lakes that occurred between the French and Indian War and the American War for Independence.

Basically (and this is a gross oversimplification) after the F&I war, the British treated the natives as though they were a conquered people. But the natives didn’t really see it that way. The French had been conquered and driven away, but the native tribes were still here, and were still a force to be reckoned with. Certain British officers realized that they should be doing as the French had done in giving gifts to the native chiefs, but the government back in England didn’t want to spend the money and resources giving stuff away to a bunch of “savages” that they’d just “beaten” in a war.

Well, after a while of the British treating the natives with contempt, this fellow Pontiac decided that it was time to oust the British. He coordinated a revolt across the Great Lakes. Every British fort on the lakes was attacked by their native neighbors on or about the same day. This is in an age without long-distance communication, remember, and in an area that stretches from Chicago to the Straits of Mackinac to the mouth of the Niagara River. Get a map and you’ll see how impressive this was. Every British fort on the lakes fell to the natives, with the notable exceptions of Ft. Niagara, and Detroit.

After a long time besieging Detroit, eventually Pontiac’s men decided to go home and tend to their crops and their families, and the siege was lifted. But Pontiac’s effort did make the British government realize that the Native Americans were a force to be reckoned with, and funds for gifts to the native chiefs were soon approved. By the time the Revolutionary war rolled around, most of the Native population, especially those to the west of the Appalachian Mountains, sided with Great Britian.

Here are a few of the photos I took in the early morning at the fort, before the modern world was able to intrude too much.

The dwellings are quite small by modern standards, with very little in the way of privacy. Three different families actually lived in the building labeled “Langlade House.” The family of merchant Charles Langlade occupied the middle section.

In the detail image, you can see how the walls were made: thin branches were woven between sapling-thick uprights held up by a timber frame, and the whole thing was covered over with mud. Imagine having to maintain such a home.

Most of the Europeans who lived in and around the fort only did so during the summer months, when trading was active. In the Fall, the civilians would leave to spend the winter in places like Detroit, Montreal, or Quebec, returning in the spring with trade goods to exchange for furs. The soldiers, however, were stuck at the fort all winter.

I’ll post those photos very soon, I promise.