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About Me
- Paul Aleckson
- I’m Paul Aleckson. I am the District Social Studies Coordinator. I also teach an Advanced Placement U.S. History and a pre AP Seminar Class. I am the Project Coordinator for our Oral History Project (www.dceoralhistory.com) which received the Beveridge Family Teaching Award. I have coached both boys and girls basketball for many years. I am fortunate to work with an amazing social studies staff. They are dedicated to teaching social studies in a fun, exciting manner and to truly helping students become historians and active citizens. I really like to push students to do their very best!
This is a really interesting book!
ReplyDelete- Mr. Aleckson
This book was really interesting! I liked the fact that it was written from the perspective of both patriots and loyalists. It made the British seem a little less evil than other books portray them. A lot has changed since then, however. America's revolution sparked other revolutions around the world, like the French Revolution and Mexican Revolution. And now it seems places have been reversed, Britain is no longer the dominent country in the world, America is. I also realized that America is doing some of the same things to other countries that the British did to us. We have troops all around the world from wars that were over fifty years ago, and we always seem to think that our way is the only right way. We like to "Americanize" other countries.
ReplyDeleteDelaney Ketchum
Would you consider that "Imperialism"? But America's cause is to spread Democracy. Do you think that is a good reason to control other countries? I like your comparison to the French and Mexican Revolutions. In what ways were these revolutions similar? or were they more different? I hope you enjoyed the book! Mrs. V
ReplyDeleteOlivia Vruwink
ReplyDeleteWow! This was a very good and interesting book! I will definitely read the sequel even if I don’t get a chance to post on here for it.
While reading the first part of section 3, the first time we have a look at George Washington’s perspective, one of the 1st questions that popped into my head was ‘How in the world is Washington going to take over and command the Continental Army?’ The groups of rebels were more focused than they had been in the past but still thought it was okay to pick up and leave for a couple weeks to see their family. Washington seemed timid with giving orders in the beginning and I wondered how long it would take for him to do the things that made him the 1st president of the United States (which I’m assuming takes place during the actual war in the sequel to this book). Although it didn’t work out in the end, one of his bigger decisions was to send the troops to Canada to try and make a deal and I thought that was when he started to feel comfortable in his role.
Since making the AAP trip to Washington DC this year, I was able to perfectly visualize Mount Vernon when Washington would talk about how he missed it. While at Mount Vernon, we got a tour of the inside of the house and so I can picture the dining rooms, the kitchen, the slave’s quarters, and most importantly Washington’s study with his many many books. It was very cool to be able to make a connection like this.
At the very end of the book when John Hancock is calling out for the colonies’ support on the Declaration and every colony but New York accepts it, I believe it was a big milestone as they were going to be able to declare to the King that they were united in their hatred against him and their belief that they could win a war and start their own government. Although they didn’t say what the King’s reaction to it was, I believe the effect was that the King and English people began to take the Americans more seriously than ever before because of the power of that document.
I tried to make some insight into the life of Abigail Adams even though her perspective wasn’t one we read from that often. I felt like in the years leading up to the Revolution she felt helpless and like she couldn’t do anything to help. Only her husband, who was an influential lawyer and delegate in the Congress, was able to do anything. But she kept on supporting him, through her letters because that was all she was able to do. But I thought she had her own personal turning point when the Continental Army needed ammunition badly and she started to work with women to make some home-made. I think she finally thought that although she was a woman and it was a time that she couldn’t do much but raise children and run a household, she could help out her country any way she could when it was in need.
I honestly had not thought of Delaney’s point that we American’s are doing many of the things that England did. But, I think we can only judge on a case by case basis, we can’t make broad generalizations. Sometimes we may be wrong by ‘taking over’ countries, and other times we may be right. I also agree with her point that our revolution inspired other countries to rebel as well. We showed them that it is definitely possible!
Olivia:
ReplyDeleteWashington grew into a great leader during the war. He would go on to be a very good president, making correct decisions to preserve the greatness of the Constitution. He learned fast and made decisions that saved the revolution and gained the independence of America and the love and devotionof its people. The Declaration became more accepted by the colonists as the war progressed and went on for a long time. The hope of winning became greater after 1778 when the French joined the colonists cause. Their influence helped unite the colonies, they had a chance to win. Abigail Adams was a great women. She helped in the war and she influenced her husband, John, even when he was President of The United States. She worked for more rights for the women, she was the first feminist in America. Her influence would help women gain a right to own property, get an education and run abusiness.
Larissa Woolsey
ReplyDeleteDuring the third section of the book, I can feel the cause building as George Washington builds his ragtag group of men into an official army. Each of the men has something to contribute. Knox’s weapon’s intelligence, Gate’s professionalism, and Lee’s boastful experience. I can understand Washington’s pride in building his army, but also his frustration with the some of the rowdy men. A part of me understands Washington’s feelings, but another part of me knows I will never fully understand what is involved in being the general of the first official American Army.
I had one question though. I had always heard that Washington had a rather cold personality. But, Rise to rebellion portrayed him as just being socially awkward and shy. Which, I’d hope he would be the latter rather than the former. I had always thought our founding fathers were morally good, instead of being cold and heartless.
You can definitely see the change in the end of the story. Basically, America is now it’s own country. Every colony has come to the same conclusion and they are ready to be their own people instead of relying on a monarch to determine their destiny.
I think we can learn from the congress of the past. They had a single goal in the end: to better their people. Today, there are so many issues facing us that it’s hard to remember our goal in live. The people of America look for the betterment of ourselves and everyone who deserves rights. With the world becoming smaller by the minute with the invention of the computer and cellular phone, it can be confusing to the American citizen what our government is trying to achieve.
I also agree with Olivia…I look forward to reading the next book!
Larissa:
ReplyDeleteYou have a great understanding of the time period. You have brought out interesting point and interesting observations. Great job on the assignment.
Matt Murphy
ReplyDeleteI also found this book very interesting but this final section was not what I expected. I thought it would be more about how Washington's men fought the British and not so much about the forming of the Declaration. Either way, like I said the book was very interesting.
One connection I made was when Washington was walking the streets of Boston after the British surrendered it and he could see all the destruction of Boston. It made me think of when I was in Seminar and we talked about the conflicts in places like Central America and the people were devastated by all the destruction in their towns and cities.
I can also viualize what it would be like for young Thomas Jefferson to be sitting there while two of the greatest minds in history are reading what he wrote and they are changing something almost every sentence. It would be like when a student turns in a paper and they are watching the teacher grade it and they cringe every time they mark something.
I think a major changing point in the book was when the congress was voting to have a declaration of indenpendence and every colony even New York accepted the delcaration. I know New York didn't directly approve it but just by not completely rejecting it the congress made a huge step forward for independence.
When Larissa said congress' goal was to "better the people" I don't agree with that I think their goal was to unit the people. Because they weren't trying to benefit slaves or women's lives. They were just trying to get the colonies to come together and agree upon one thing, that they need independence.
Hi Matt
ReplyDeleteSo I wonder what you did learn about forming the declaration, especially when you did not think this book was going to go in this direction. I am also curious to hear more about how Congress went about unify the people (we know that at this time women and blacks were not thought of in the same light as men..in fact poor white men without property were not traditionally thought about in the same way either). Thanks for the great visualization and the personal insight too. It always helps when you can bring some personal insight into historical events. Glad you found the book very interesting.
Jenna Terek
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the last section of the book I remember making a prediction about what would happen to General Gage when he received the letter from Lord Dartmouth, I thought he will be asked to step down as General and it will be turned over to someone else. Well it turns out I was partially right him leaving the country and them turning the command over to William Howe but Gage says that he has not been officially recalled. In the next sentence his claims he will not be returning back to America. This confused me because it wasn't a definite answer about why he was being asked to go to London. I have no prior knowledge on General Gage so I would be interested in learning what Lord Dartmouth's kind letter actually meant. Another part that I recall is when Franklin and his son William get in a debate about the government and politics. When Franklin was talking about a speech to his grandson, Temple and William was angered by the fact that Franklin would talk to him about politics. This makes me think of some relationships that I see everyday with Dad's and Son's. This still happens today and some people end up never talking to each other again because of different beliefs.
Another scene I remember from this book was when Thomas Jefferson blew up on Adams and Franklin for changing his draft of the Declaration of Independence so much. It is told through Franklin's eyes and then he goes on telling a story about "John Thompson". I would have liked to hear it from Jefferson's perspective because his rage seemed like it had been building up for a while and I think it would have been interesting. We can learn from the past by looking at the few men who had a passion for a cause and stuck to it. Although there was only a few of them, they eventually got everyone on their side. Today, I think that we don't take enough time to stand up for a cause. It makes me wonder if the founding fathers didn't have patience or did not stick to their persuasive ways, Where would we be today?
I agree with Matt when he said that a turning point was when they voted on the declaration of independence. Also, I agree with his connection about Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration being looked over by great minds. It would certainly be intimidating.
Bailey Schepp
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt when he stated that he thought section 3 would be more about Washington and his army fighting the British rather than in depth description of the drafting of the Declaration of Inderpendance or the meetings to declare independance. Unlike the other students, I personally found this section uneventful. It was a quicker read, but always left me wanting more action.
I feel the most important event in this section was Thomas Paine's "Common Sense". I feel that this was more or less the fuel to the fire to declare independance. "Common Sense" made the colonists realize the wrong doings of the British and of King George. I think it's also important to point out the fact that "Common Sense" sold thousands of copies. The amazing pamphlet also shows John Adams the importance to establish a central government within each colony.
The French and Indian War still emphasizes the fear left in the Washington's and his commanders heads. The effect this war had gives Washington background on what works and what doesn't work tactic wise in New England.
I agree with Jenna when she stated that she would have like to have seen the editing of the Declaration from Jefferson's point of view. I would have also liked to have seen Jefferson's point of view when the delegates met. He was a quiet man who kept his thoughts mostly to himself.
Overall, "Rise to Rebellion" gave me a deeper appreciation for the troubles that the colonists went through during the 1700s. It gave me a greater appreciation for what I have living in America today. It also made me realize that if it wasn't for those brave men in early America, we might still be ruled by a monarch.
Jazzmin Nylund
ReplyDelete“… You will soon find there to be a second revolution. And it will have nothing to do with the king.” (pg. 450) Abigail had said this to her husband, John Adams. After reading what was said before it about her sharing her thoughts on the fact that men were the ones taking charge, and her asking ‘what about the women?’ Why can’t we, as women, have a say. This was of course talking about the process of the Woman’s Rights Movement; the revolution that had been a stepping stone that has helped for women’s rights today. This had a huge importance, and for Jeff Shaara to put it in his novel was very clever. There wasn’t just one revolution happening at the time with America there was two. And it went to show that not only men were the ones thinking and working during the time period, so were the women.
John Adam was afraid of getting tarred and feathered by the Sons of Liberty when he got the news to be appointed to be chief justice of Supreme Court in Massachusetts. I understand why he wouldn’t take the job because of all the work he has, and worries with the King and so forth. But I didn’t understand really why he would be 'fearful' of the job. I thought in the beginning he wanted to use law to make the people understand that America didn’t need Britain to follow the law. They were civilized. Was it still a symbol of Britain at that point of time when he was appointed? Or were the British in control of the Supreme Court? Unfortunately I was unable to understand it as I continued to read. Maybe I just missed something or something wasn’t clear to me. But that was one of the questions I had as I was reading section three.
When the draft of the Declaration of Independence was being debated over such as what should be in it and what shouldn’t be, I had come to think that if they had added or taken something out of the Declaration of Independence how much would that have affected the present day? If they thought that people didn’t really deserve freedom of speech, even though that’s part of the reason they were fighting for, what would today’s society be like? The same thing goes for if they added something to the Declaration. It must have been a lot of pressure of the men in the room to be able to debate about because of how the this books and even school text books show them as; the ones with great minds, and the smartest of them all. So they must have known the consequence of what they were taking and leaving in. It still affects the present maybe not as strongly as they had hoped, but it’s still seen as a symbol of our law.
Throughout the story I could see how the characters were changing; drastically or just by a little. But all the same they were still changing throughout the book. Sam Adams has shown to have calm down from his loud and smiling self, Ben Franklin who throughout seemed to have grown less joyful and signs of old age getting to him. It wasn’t just those two who has changed all the characters in the book seemed to have changed at least a little. It really showed the difficult task that was put on their shoulders even if the book was written by Jeff Shaara’s educated opinions it still makes sense that they were forever changed once they got involved.
I agree with Bailey in what she was saying about Conmen Sense. She pointed out very good key ideas, and I also agree that it helped fuel the fire that the congress needed. As well as helping John Adams consider the idea of the central government.
Michelle Mumper
ReplyDeleteTo begin, right when I started reading the beginning of section three, I started questioning the books accuracy of Washington’s personality. Was he really so uncertain of his abilities? It just doesn’t make sense to me that the congress would be alright with appointing a man the extremely important position of commander of the continental army who had such an obvious lack of self-confidence.
Also, I think one of the key concepts of this section was that change takes time just like that saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” We see this right away with Washington’s army. It took a lot of time and effort for Washington to turn the disorganized and rowdy group of men we read about right in the beginning into an army he could be proud of. Another good example of this is the continental congress. It was years and months before what had seemed impossible at the beginning occurred. They voted and unanimously agreed that a break from England was the best solution. It took was seemed like forever but it eventually did happen which was all that mattered.
Furthermore, I agree with Bailey when she says the pamphlet “Common Sense” was the “fuel to the fire to declare independence.” I too saw this document as a major turning point in the revolution. This pamphlet is what really got the people inspired and start leaning towards independence, and because the delegates represented the people, some of them had to put their strongly conservative views aside and do what their people wanted which in the end had a remarkable effect on the progression of the congress.
Finally, what we can learn from the American Revolution is that you can’t govern another people effectively. The colonists didn’t think of themselves as British but instead Americans. Even the British people saw it that way. It is therefore that the Americans wanted to be governed by their own people, people who understood them and their needs and the British government wasn’t able to do that.
Karlie Merkel
ReplyDelete-I found a quote near the beginning of section three that intrigued me. Charles Lee comes across a man fixing a boot, he asks if he can speak to his captain, the man responds “You’re talking to him”… “I been a shoemaker, I’m still one now. Being a captain don’t change that. The men need their boots fixed.” I feel this quote is important because it wonderfully sums up the continental army. This was their war, the men making the soldiers shoes were the same people wearing them. The quote also highlights a difference between the American and the British people. The British army is portrayed as too snotty to repair their own shoes; there are people to do that for them. The American army didn’t have the kind of means for things like that.
-I was surprised with how well my prior knowledge of Benjamin Franklin corresponded with his portrayal in the book. I did have a question of sorts; I have read that William Franklin was not, in fact, Deborah’s son. I wonder why the author would have shied away from bringing this up, after all, ha had mentioned several times the controversy surrounding Mr. Franklin and Mrs. Stevenson. He also included a bit towards the beginning of the about Thomas Gage’s wife assisting the Sons of Liberty, something that even the author says in the afterword may or may not have actually happened.
-By the end of this book, America has declared itself an independent state and an army have formed. Whether or not they can truly fight together, we have yet to find out. (They must have been formidable though, because, well, here we are, in America.) The British still hold the belief that the land is theirs, if not the people living there. We have yet to see anyone benefit from these changes; they seem to be causing more trouble.
-I have to disagree with Michelle; I think John Adams saw all the qualities needed to make a successful army in Mr. Washington. George may not have exuded self confidence, though that doesn’t mean he didn’t have the experience needed. He was given a huge responsibility, one that took courage to hold. I certainly don’t blame him for perhaps questioning his ability to run an entire country’s army.
Rachelle Belott
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting reading about how our Country became the way it did. I have always been familiar with most of the names in this book but now I know more about their personalities. Like Michelle said, however, why didn't Shaara make Washington seem more uplifting? Students have always heard such good things about him and the book makes us think a little less of him if you will.
"Despite all the celebrations in his honor, the lavish dinner parties around Philadelphia, he could not escape his own doubts, suffered through long sleepless nights haunted by visions of failure. It was more than just his selfish pride, though he still felt that the job he had been given with so much back-slapping optimism was far beyond his talents."
Sounds like a lot of pessimism to me. It is easy for us to read about something like this, but it is actually hard for us to understand it because we don't know what it's like to have to be living with a war literally around you. Also, it must be very frusterating having to deal with a king pushing you around so I can only imagine the great pride the colonists must have felt to have been united without him. Lastly, I also agree with Michelle on the subject that people want to be governed by their own people and not by people with different views. That is true in many cases today.
Morgan Aubrey
ReplyDeleteI also would like to start off by saying that this novel was, in fact, suprisingly interesting. My knowledge about the American Revolution has already expanded greatly. I never fully appreciated how exactly our country really did become a country in the first place. I also never knew that the Revolution was a large part of the beginning of women's movement. That was very intriguing for me to read about. I also never realized how truly difficult it was for the colonists to break away from England. They together decided that they wanted to be their own people, but it seemed to have taken a lot more effort than expected. Although, in the end the colonists succeeded and became the Americans that we are today.
I agree with the bloggers that comment on Washington's strange personality. We grew up and were taught about Washington's great leadership and strong character. It seems strange that he would be such a downer, and also strange that if his personality was in fact uncertain of himself that the colonists would appoint him as their leader. Furthermore, I agree with Rachelle's post about the colonists pride after succeeding in the Revolution. It was a very great struggle, and to come out victorious must have been an extremely amazing accomplishment for them.
Hannah Anderson
ReplyDelete-After finishing the last section of the book, I began to understand how greatly the simplest of actions can affect large masses of people. For instance, in my opinion, one of the most inspiring parts of the book occurred when George Washington was reflecting on the state of his army. He was riding his horse and saw some men fighting over something he considered foolish. He basically intervened and set the mens' priorities straight, telling them to "spend more energy preparing to fight your genuine enemy." After riding off on his horse, he realized that the cheering he was beginning to hear was for him. This small act on his part greatly encouraged the men who were pledging to risk their lives for the Continental Army, and also gained him much more respect from his troops.
-One ongoing situation that I had trouble understanding during this section was John Dickinson's insistence that a war was to prevented and to ask forgiveness of King George III. While I understand how he did not want to risk the lives of his countrymen by declaring themselves independent of England, why continue to pursue the alternative when it has been continuously proved wrong? Once the congress realized that King George wasn't willing to compromise and had actually ordered the deployment of mercenaries on the colonies, wouldn't you consider any further attempts at reconciliation pointless and unachievable?
-While reading the part during the section where they spoke of the people of Pennsylvania creating their own assembly in order to pledge their willingness to declare independence, I was somewhat surprised by the number of colonies where this seemed to be a problem. The groups who were initially responsible for the decision of whether or not to agree to declare independence were overthrown by the people's opposing decision. I think that once the congress realized how much the opinions of the people and those who had been making the decisions differed, they realized that the people should have a say in what would be happening to their country. Ultimately, I think this transferred over to how our government was created with the people and their ideas and values in mind.
-I think the overall purpose of the congress had changed towards the end of the book. Originally, their purpose was to decide what their options were in regards to their uneasy relationship with England. In the end, their purose was to fulfill the demand to have England officially recognize that they were no longer going to stand for the abuses that they had endured; that they were pledging themselves as an independent nation. Having the colonies take a vote, where the outcome needed to be unanimous, towards the approval of the Declaration of Independence was their cooperative effort to declare themselves a united nation, free of British control.
-I found it interesting that after the congress finally approved their one effort to reconcile with England through the Olive Branch Petition, King George considered the colonists to have opened rebellion against England. After all their hesitation in trying to come to a compromise, it actually had the opposite effect of what they intended. Consequently, King George began to send over mercenaries to fight the colonists, and basically, the rebellion began to escalate into a war. Had King George really considered what was at stake, he may have made a different decision.
-In response to Morgan's comments, I have to disagree with her opinion that the Revolution played a large part in the beginning of women's movements. While I believe that women's roles in society were greatly considered during America's earliest forms of government, I do not believe that the Revolution itself played a significant role in the way that the women began to be treated.
Paige Wolfe
ReplyDeleteWhen I began reading the final section of the book I found out that the last section of the book was more about the formation of the Declaration of Independence than the final battles of the war. I think the author chose to end the book this way because he wanted us to understand how the people were going from colonies into their own country and being able to form a government that would fit their beliefs.
When reading this section I had to keep on thinking that what if one of the main character decided not to do one of the things they did. Like what if Thomas Jefferson decided not to write the Declaration of Independence? I had to look at how it could have impacted the rest of history and how it would have changed today.
While reading the section I thought that "Common Sense" was a big cause and effect during the war. "Common Sense" inspired the colonists to want to gain their independence from the british. This cause made to the colonists fight harder for what they believed in and to gain their freedom.
I thought a turning point in this section was when the delegates from the colonies were going over the declaration that Thomas Jefferson had wrote and almost all of the colonies accepted it. This was a turning point because the colonies were finally gaining their independence and forming a government to create a new nation.
I agree with Hannah that throughout the book the purpose of Congress changed throughout the book going from trying to ease the relationships with England to getting England to recognize the colonies as a new nation with their own independence.
Kathryn Block
ReplyDeleteThe first major change in this section was Washington becoming Commander in Chief. By having one leader of the army, an important step was made towards creating a unified nation out of the colonies. It gave the army organization and power with all the generals working together under Washington.
As Washington was thinking of his home at Mt. Vernon, I was thinking about my trip to Washington, D.C. and visiting Mt. Vernon. Being able to visualize what a character is remembering based on actually being there makes the person seem more realistic and easy to understand. It was great to walk through Washington's property and see what he saw.
Usually we think of the high point of the Women's Rights Movement as being during the later 1800's, but there is one conversation in December of 1776 that foreshadows the movement. Abigail is talking to Sam Adams and says, "'Well, then, in our new government, all the power shall be held tightly in the hands of men of property, that only men of property can decide what is best for everyone else.' If you attempt that, my dear husband, you will soon find there to be a second revolution. And it will have nothing to do with the king." She is hinting that women need to be represented and recognized in government as well.
Because I have learned more about the Civil War, I found one part of the debate of the Declaration of Independence especially interesting. This is the clause banishing slavery that was taken out. Had the clause been kept as Jefferson wrote it, slavery in the south would have disappeared. The Civil War was about states' rights, mainly the right for southern states to have slaves. If slavery had been abolished almost 100 years earlier in the Declaration of Independence, the demand for other states' rights may not have caused the Civil War. That one clause would have hurt the south's economy and caused great debate, but it also could have prevented a war.
I agree with Paige's comment about how one person's actions drastically changed what happened. Some of these actions may seem less important, but they all impact our world, as do our actions today.
Carly Bender
ReplyDeleteIn section 3 of Rise to Rebellion quite a few events take place. George Washington takes over as Commander in Chief. Therefore creating more of an organized army with the other generals working with him. By having one leader it helped to create more of a dignified and powerful army to the colonies.
- Another event that i found important was Thomas Paine's "Common Sense". I agree with Baileys comment on how it was like fuel to the fire towards independence, and how it made the colonists realize the wrongdoings of the Brits.
-As i got further into the final part of this book i realized that the characters had changed. Sam Adams seems to have calmed down more and is not as energy filled. As well as Ben Franklin, who seems to be catching up to his age.
-Throughout Rise To Rebellion, Congresses purpose seemed to have changed. Whereas in the beginning it was trying to make their relationship with England better, to in the end with England realizing that the colonies are a nation and have declared there own independence.
-I overall enjoyed this book very much, learning about how we became a nation and declaring our independence was defiantly a part of history i would like to learn more about.
Josh Zahrt
ReplyDeletein this section we get to see Washington's rise to a place of power so he can control the generals to make everything run smoother and more efficiently it shows how Washington was able to take the generals specific knowledge and abilities to his advantage
the colonists have access to Common Sense seemed to help them fight on to live another day and to win another battle but the Common Sense also seemed to be a form of propaganda but it was forcing people to think about how britan was treating them
THL
with the anti slavery clause being taken out of the declaration we then needed to fight for the slaves rights later in the country's life with the civil war but had we of kept it in the declaration how would that have effected the rights later on down the road would the slaves never have had the rights that they now have or within a couple of years would an amendment have been added on giving them rights... its something that would be an interesting topic to think about
with almost all of the colonies accepting the Thomas Jefferson constitution it turned into a turning point for our country going from a lowly set of colonies into a full fledged country one that was going to be at the top of the worlds "food chain" for a very long time and one that was going to effect a lot around the world
I really like how Kathryn talked about the second revolution idea it shows how even though we thought it was a good idea democracy lets us change our county to be better then we were before
Josh Paulson (MC Hammer)
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I had to gather every ounce of motivation to finish reading this before school started, but, i'm glad i did.
My evaluation for part 3 starts of with the importance of Thomas Paine. His pamphlets like The Crisis No. 9 and Common Sense boosted the morale of the Continental army and colonists alike.
Secondly, the viewpoint Jeff Shaara writes about Washington really opens my eyes. It was really hard to believe in Washington when he kept losing battles, lower officers were even considering overthrowing him. But it amazes me that Washington continues to pursue as if these losses dont phase him. I admire how stoic he is with his emotions, as a general should be.
Even more importantly, things were tougher for Congress. All these men are very different from each other, making it very hard to compromise. Its very unstable for this group and tensions are extremely high at the moment. I can only imagine how awful it was in congress at the time.
Overall, i really enjoyed this book. Its the perfect combo of learning and action. I look forward to learning more in apush this year.
I agree with Josh's comment on the anti-slavery. It wouldve been very intresting to see how different the revolution was if slaves were free.
Becca Dottenwhy
ReplyDeleteIn section three, I found two quotes that I thought to be very important to American history. The first quote came from Abigail Adams about the structure of the new government. “‘Well, then, in our new government, all the power shall be held tightly in the hands of men of property, that only men of property can decide what is best for everyone else.’” In this quote, Mrs. Adams was trying to tell her husband that their new government was the same as England’s structured government, and would most likely end in another revolution. However, I also believe that this quote is really the beginning of the women’s rights movement. Moreover, I found the second quote to be interesting, because of the contrasting opinions when it was written. “‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…’” When the quote was added into the Declaration of Independence the men who composed it had very different ideas of what “all men” meant. Some of the men thought that “all men” should include the slaves, whereas others thought that “all men” should mean only white. I would have to disagree with Josh when he said that Washington wasn’t phased by the accumulation of losses. I feel that Washington was most definitely phased by the losses, but chose not to show his disappointment for the morale of the troops.
Kelcey Daniels
ReplyDeleteAs this is the first time where we have insight into the mind of George Washington, most people have tended to focus on that. It is interesting to see how Washington is perceived. I had always thought him to be more outspoken, and completely sure of himself. After all, he was our first president, but this story makes him seem extremely shy and slightly pessimistic. He didn’t really seem as if he was ready to be the Continental Army’s general. It was interesting to see how he handled his newfound responsibility and turn the rowdy men into an army that would defeat the British. I was wondering how much of Washington’s personality in this story is real and what is just a guess on how he really was.
I think one thing that really had a huge effect on all the colonies was Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. With this pamphlet, he was able to sway the opinions of many people were confused about where their loyalties lied. This does not necessarily mean that all his claims of monarchy were true but definitely made sense to people and the time and was an explanation for all the King’s wrongdoings at the time. It also made people desire Independence from England even more.
This book showed me that there are always two sides to everything and that not one side may be “right” just different. We seem to have lost a sense of what we fought for all those years ago. People take our freedom for granted when there are hundreds of other countries all over the world who still live under an oppressive ruler. Independence Day is now very commercialized and kids look forward to it just because of parades, candy, and fireworks. I think people should take the time to explain these concepts to their children and make sure they understand how many sacrifices people made at that time and how many people died so that we could have the one thing we should all cherish the most: our freedom.
I agree with Becca that both of those quotes were extremely important; especially Mrs. Adams statement about the new government. She definitely set the stage for another revolution even though it would take over 100 years for the Women’s Rights Movement to take place. Overall, the entire book was wonderfully written and extremely interesting.
Christina Olbrantz
ReplyDeleteSection three of this novel put closure to some things in the rebellion. We got to see how Thomas Paine's Common Sense influenced people. I think this made many people realize their true loyalties either for the king or against him. I enjoyed reading the chapters about Washington in this section the most. Although some of his war strategies didn't always go as planned, we got to see how intelligent he really was.
At the beginning of the section, the rebels were given new artillery. This was a big change for them because now they were able to fight the British with more confidence in their weapons. A turning point in this section would be when the congress unanimously agrees on the Declaration of Independence. It shows that all of the colonies came together and finally made a decision they were all happy with.
I agree with Kelcey that there are two sides to everything and that one side may not be wrong, just different. I learned that from this novel, too. I also agree with her views on Independence Day. Many people, especially children, don't really understand the true meaning behind why July 4th is such an important day to our country.
Becca Bacon
ReplyDeleteOverall, this book was way more interesting than I anticipated. The main idea of the last section is how the Americans are gaining their independence. With all the delegates from all 13 colonies of the Continental Congress agreeing on having a writing that expressed their feelings about seperating from the king gave hope and relief to the colonists. The Declaration of Independence is still symbolic for the American Revolution and our independce since we have celebrated it every year since.
The Americans have become stronger. The farmers, merchants, and anyone who wanted to fight have actually become a strong army and not just a group of men with pitchforks. The British have to watch out. People like John Adams and Ben Franklin believed America would be independent and they worked extremely hard for that. Even when fights on battlefields or arguments in courtrooms didn't go their way, they still persevered. People today need to learn that and use it as a skill in life. Nothing is perfect, but you can still fight to make it better. I agree with Kelcey and Christina that there are two sides to everything. You can't just pick one and assume its right because you need evidence from both points of view.
Dakota Rine.
ReplyDeleteI must say, I was very surprised by how much I did like this book. Shaara did a great job of expressing the view points of both the rebels and of the loyalist. I had never really every thought of the view point of the loyalist and the British when thinking about the Revolutionary war.
I enjoyed reading of George Washington's chapters. Appointing Washington as the leader of the army was one of the first steps to creating a unified government and country. I found it inspiring how he was able to lead the Continental Army to victory through much perseverance and hard times is truly amazing.
Another portion of this section I also found very interesting was Abigail Adams foreshadowing upon the Women's rights movement. As Kathryn mentioned earlier, she is seeing that women need to be represented in the government as well as men. This shows that even a hundred years before the women's rights movement really got going people knew that one day everyone in America would be equal.
I would have to say that I agree with both Cristina and Kelcey, and say that one thing I really realized while reading this book is that there are two sides to every story. And that you should really learn sides of both stories before making judgments.
Sarah Plummer
ReplyDeleteConsidering that this book had to be read over the summer, Rise to Rebellion did not disappoint! Through the whole book, my appreciation for Shaara's unbiased chapters only grew. When i first began this book, the skipping around from character to character often got me confused. But as I got farther into sections 2 and 3, I enjoyed and understood the author's reasoning behind it: to give readers a 360 degree view of the Revolutionary War.
I have always found it interesting to read about George Washington, America's first president. In The Flag Unfurled, I was excited to read about him for the first time in this book. However, it initially left me confused. Towards the beginning of section 3, Washington did not seem "up to par", so to speak, with the qualities he possessed during his presidency. In fact, his attributes were quite the opposite; he was shy, and seemed uncomfortable in his role as a General.
On the other hand, I was really at ease with Washington's primary timidness. Although it wasn't the most exciting part of the section, one of my favorite parts is when Washington is reflecting on Mount Vernon. This description reminds us as readers that all of these men fighting this war had a life, a family to fight for. I can imagine that this fact is what kept many of them going. I also really like what Shaara said about Mount Vernon: "...It had become a place where he could allow himself to feel pure joy, with none of the chaos of politics". This aspect has not wavered from the 1770's to present day. I believe, like Washington, that everyone has one place where he/she can escape from their everyday struggles and stresses.
TLH
As many students blogged, Thomas Paine's Common Sense was a huge factor for many colonists who were on the fence about whom they agreed with. Common Sense presented the American colonists with a powerful argument for independence from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided. This pamphlet reminded numerous American colonists of how important it was to fight for their independence.
Christina brought forward a very good point. With the new artillery given to them, the rebels were given the confidence they needed to continue forward and fight the British. Additionally, her mention of the end result is very true. Everything fell together in a mutual decision, and it set up a great conclusion to the book
Hannah Karlen
ReplyDeleteOk so last blog...I found this section to be extremly boring no offense to anyone. But after going from Bunker Hill to creating and signing of the Declaration there was a definate shift in intensity. However I did find finally getting Washington's perspective to be a unique, and important touch to the ending of the story. It was also neat for me because I have been to D.C. and have seen Mt. Vernon and was able to make those connection and visualize what he was talking about which was neat. I think for the most part my idea that I had of Washington matched up well with how Shaara portrayed him as far as the cold, harsh personality. And we all know after he became general he'd move one to even better and bigger things but I feel like at times Shaara may have under credited him and played down his accomplishments, or more so his importance. I know Rachelle had made mention of a quote in the book and I would have to agree with her. Although I did often question why they selected Washington he seemed very indecisive and unstable at times, and you would think those would be poor leader qualities. As we know he has a rough start but does pull through in the end to raise a superior force. I can also imagine the frustration he was feeling with that rowdyd group of men and trying to get them to all come together as one force. I loved the scene where he yelled at two of the men in the army when fighting over soemthing foolish and as he walked away they started chanting and cheering. This was like a major red flag showing they were ready to abide and be led!
-I also really liked the stress taht shaara put on the importance of women. From his tellings of Abigail making ammunition at home to the letters she sent. It was all of great significance because women were involved "behind closed doors" I guess you could say. No, they weren't out on the front line but they definately made at impact and the fact that Abigail was able to express her thoughts, ideas, and opinions was key in that Adams would take those factors into account when making decisons.
-overall I'm happy I gave the book a fair chance because it was a very fun read...well for a historical material ha! but really, it was unbiased and showed greatly the extreme change in our nation from the beginning with all the chaos and monarchy to the signing of the declaration in the third section and every colony but New York voting to stand up to the king. It is just awesome to see how we came to be and I definately did not realize how much effort and time it actually took. I feel like shaara was really trying to portray that message in this piece as well. The idea that good things dont come fast or easy and there will be many struggles and losses like there were for the colonies but you have to keep fighting.
-lastly i agree with Christy's comment about Thomas Paine's Common Sense and how influential it was, I actually think it could have used a little more recognition in this piece.
Tanner Jaglinski
ReplyDeleteOk I have to admit I am quite happy that the read is over yet I almost felt disappointed due to the fact that it was. I’m not one of those guys to pick up a book and to read for fun at all but I actually looked forward to reading everyday to piece together in my mind on of the greatest time period’s in our great countries history. Jeff Shaara really had me confused on the fact that he kept switching characters through the novel. Finally in the third section I understood that without that effect it would just be from one point of view and seem to be biased. I’m still questioning how he would know what everyone during the time period felt like but it was obvious he must have done his research. As some people had stated in earlier blogs I realized too that George Washington was not exactly the man who I saw him to be. I saw him as one of those get out in from of people and speak all the time so powerful but he was actually almost shy. I never imagined that the first president was actual one of those guys who kept to himself and didn’t really fit into a role right away. It was weird to see how he really did have a life despite however one sees presidents today. He had his wife and need to get away from problems just like everyone else does. I guess I never realized that before this section how people have lives like you and me and still have the world watching them. It’s kind of like the fact how no one really understands the 4th of July unless they had an experience like this or something happen to make them realize it. It so easy to miss what a great day it was for our country and that aspect that the United States has is missed because a lot of people don’t know. To tell the truth, and I’m not saying this to look good or anything, I see things in our past differently because I didn’t realize the sacrifice or the true mind in the past from people to make this a country. To tell the truth I didn’t know the aspect of the women’s roles during the war but I guess it was just easily over looked because we hear all the great leaders and yet as Hannah stated the women do play a large role in it. They weren’t just sitting at home cook and clean type of girls who founded this country. They were giving ideas and the true plans behind the men who were out on the field. They deserve as much credit if not more then the great founders of this country.
Elita Miller
ReplyDeleteThis book makes history seem interesting! I was wondering in the beginning how many of the topics told about it the book i would remember, and in section III, I was happy with myself to realize that i remembered Thomas Paine's Common Sense. I was starting to wonder at what point in the book this would come in. As lame as this is, while reading this section of the book i can really only think about the movie "national Treasure" because in both we see that there was a lot more of the history behind the independance of our country then what is written in textbooks.
In the yes of all those involoved, war seemed to be the only opetion, but i think thatin todays more modern world, a war would not have been the inevitable outcome.
I agree with Tanner that George Washington is not the great war hero that i had in my mind. I had never seen him as being soft spoken, but this book really opened my eyes to his true nature, and the nature of all the other leaders in the fight for independance.
Steve Nicklaus
ReplyDeleteThis book really gave me some good info on the Revolution and the Rebolutionary War. American history is my favorite type of history and this makes is probubly my favorite book on American History. I give a lot of credit to all of the guys that led the Songs of Liberty and all the organizations that freed us from the British, it took them a lot of work and time and there was a lot of frustration involved, but they didn't give up. I'm also going to have to agree with Tanner that George Washington wasn't quite as great of a war hero as everyone really said he was, or at least not in my mind. I think the real heros that diserve the attention are people like Sam and John Adams, Ben Franklin, and the people who started the "Songs of Liberty" because they were the ones who said that this was wrong and something needed to be changed and they were the ones who started the idea of a revolution. This book made me impressed for what those colonists did for our country. They diserve a ton of credit.
Pafoua Yang
ReplyDeleteSection 3, of course, was the conclusion section of the book. As Washington took his role i was a bit nervous for him as well. He seemed to be quite shy and uncomfortable in his position. I started to get a feeling that he was coming along pretty well after he sent troops to Canada to try and make a deal. The colonists started to accept the Declaration a bit more as the war went on. Another big point I'd like to go over was of Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams was the women who helped and influenced women rights and it also impacted on women getting education, to be able to own property and work of their own business.
Steve, the sons of liberty were very stressful and hard working and i believed they did their part as well.
Zachary Schneider
ReplyDeleteThe third section of the book was an interesting part. There were a lot of great documents that came out and helped to inform the people. The more famous of them is "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine. This really motivated the people.
It was really interesting how Abigal Adams started to influence women rights and also helped so they could own property and receive an education. The womens right movement started here and picked up again in the 1920s.
The Sons of Liberty and other organization's leaders deserve a lot of credit as they helped free us from the British. The stress involved in leading this i could imagine as unbearable. If they lost, who know what would happen to us by now.
I agree with Tanner that George Washington may have led our army, but Sam and John Adams, and Ben Franklin did more by starting the organizations that they did.