Monday, July 9, 2012

The American Revolution


26 comments:

  1. Part 1-3
    Connections: Compared with most other novels on the American Revolution, this book is very straightforward. It gets to the main ideas rather then dragging on about each individual battle. Also, compared to other books, this story has more of the political aspects of the war rather than the battles. Yes, the battles are told but, politics and the formation of the government seemed to be the more centralized idea. The things that occurred during the Revolution relate to today's government. Debts are huge and the government seems to still be unorganized. Political leaders are confused on what to do how to make things better (which they are not). Yet, the problems are different too. During the Revolution, they were concerned on how to start it up and how to get it running. Today we are trying to figure out how to keep it from crashing and creating chaos.
    Importance: One very important idea during the American Revolution was the writing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence showed the Parliament the suffering the king had caused for the Americans and that America wanted independence. We weren't gonna be pushed around and have no representation in government. The Declaration infuriated the British and helped give them reason to fight and keep the United States under their control.
    Cause and Effect: A main cause for the Revolution was the taxation that was put onto them by the British Parliament. They were taxed to help relieve Britain's debt that was partially caused by the seven years war. They had no say and what other option did they have then to rebel? The effects of this would be rebellion. Americans rebelled and examples of this would be the Boston Tea party and the first battles of the Revolution, Lexington and Concord. Both sides of the Revolution had caused this to happen. The Parliament taxed and the Americans rebelled. Britain wanted to reconquest to colonies rather than lose power to an amateur army. The Americans wanted independence because Parliament was tyranny.
    Using the past: We can use the American Revolution to show that when you want and desire something, such as independence, you will fight to death to accomplish it. Other nations that may be struggling under control of government can look to America and gain courage and willingness to fight for their independence as well. It just shows a huge turning point in revolutions compared to other past revolutions. It shows that a nation can accomplish anything.

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    1. Everything you said within this post, I agree with. Your connections are spot on, as in they show what he had to deal with and what we are dealing with now, both of which was very similar to each other. The importance of the Declaration of Independence is, without a doubt, one of the most important things to come from the Revolution, making our country official. The cause and effect are true facts, not a generic idea, and are directly linked to each other, making complete sense. And finally, how you used the past to bring up one of America's greatest qualities, desire and ambitions, is perfect, for that's exactly what caused us to become the country we are today.

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  2. Mr. Seeley

    Hayley,
    I enjoyed reading your comments on Gordon S. Wood's book. You made a nice connection to today. Economics has always been a concern (and today we definitely see it). I liked that you tied the Seven Years War to the Revolutionary War. In history, one thing leads to another. Also, I am glad to see you noted how our revolution has inspired others. We were the underdogs and we won! How cool is that?

    Keep up the good work.

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  3. Part 4-7

    Big Ideas/Generalization: The main generalization I found while reading the novel was that people will fight for what they believe in and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. They would rather die than see their dreams break apart. The Union fought the British no matter how many defeats they had along with the great number of casualties. Their main purpose was to win independence and nothing would stop them. Soldiers were willing do die for the benefit of future generations. In today's world, we see this all the time. We see this in todays wars, revolutions, and even terrorist attacks. For example 9/11. The bombers were willing do die in the attack for the benefit of their organization.

    Evaluation: I feel that the information written in this novel does go along with what I already know from other readings. The information on the war itself and government issues agrees with information I know. I don't feel that the author is bias. The author does not agree or disagree with either the British or the Union. The author wrote historical facts but did focus on the Union more that the British but did not take sides. The American Revolution had a huge impact on all of us. It gave us the freedom we have today. It gave us liberty and made us stronger as a nation.

    Change and Continuity: The Revolution gave us great changes. We gained freedom and liberty from Britain. The Government has also changed over time. The Articles of Federation changed. Laws changed. We created a new, stronger nation. Yet things are still the same. We still have taxes which is ironic because Americans during the revolution were upset about the ridiculous taxation and helped influenced to revolve (yes, taxes were not the only thing that caused them to revolve). Americans benefited from the change. We gained everything. The British on the otherhand, did not gain anything. It anything, they lost a lot. They lost control, power, and strength. They showed the world that they are not the strongest and that they can't control everyone.

    Differing Perspectives: I didn't think their were any perspectives in this novel. I felt it was mostly just facts but focused more on the American events such as the different government issues. But the perspectives during the revolution were the Americans and the British. The Americans viewed the Revolution as a way to gain independence and the British viewed the Revolution as a way to gain world power. The Americans gained independence while the British lost power over them and eventually over other colonies.

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    1. I agree with everything you stated in this post. The main idea that you found was the same as the one I picked up on. Also, the change and continuity from the American Revolution is exactly correct in my opinion. As far as differing perspectives go, I think that the Americans and the British wanted the same thing for America, but had different ideas of how to get there and what that meant. I also think we evaluated this book the same way, as a non-bias informational book simply stating facts about the American Revolution.

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    2. Amy Wasleske
      I would agree with these points. The book was definitely non-bias.I would agree that the British lost their sense of control. I wouldn't exactly say that they gained nothing though. They were able to gain some trade that they had not had before.

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  4. Part 1-3

    Importance: There were multiple things that were expressed as important throughout these chapters. The main one, and probably most important as far as our history goes, is the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document set us apart from every country that was in world at this time. Our revolution was also the first of many revolutions that occurred throughout the world at this time, followed by the French Revolution in 1789, the Haitian Revolution in 1791, and the Polish Revolution in 1794.

    Connections: I've always been kind of confused as to why the American society of the 1700's could justify their revolution. The British Empire had the American society pay taxes that were not necessarily outrageous, but just uncommon to them. Based on what I understand from this book, the Americans are comparable to the stereotypical rebellious teenager and the British comparable to their parent, trying to form it to be what is considered "a normal child" or in other words, a normal country in the 18th century world. If anyone could help me see the American justification better, I'd appreciate it.

    Turning Points: The main turning point of the American Revolution that was brought up within the book was the Stamp Act of 1765, followed by the Quartering Act of 1965 two days later. These two acts were what truly pushed the colonial American society over the edge, causing them to rebel. They found these two acts to be a burden, while the British used them as a form to control the colonies.

    Through Their Eyes: It seems as though both sides of the revolution viewed the other as a monstrosity. The Americans viewed the British as tyrants, while the British viewed the Americans as rebels. In each of their own cases, I suppose they were correct, but what they both wanted for America was the same idea. They both wanted America to be the best it could be, but they both had their own ideas as to how to achieve this goal. Their differing ideas is what lead up to the conflict between them, and more importantly, what lead up to the American Revolution.

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    1. I completely agree with you on the Stamp Act. Yes, the other taxes angered the Americans but the Stamp Act influenced them to revolve. But they not only revolved because of the taxes but because of no freedom and no say in government. They were treated like slaves to the British Colony.

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    2. I also agree with you about the Stamp Act, as its what caused them to start to revolution. And I also agree with what Hayley said, that they also revolved because of the lack of freedom and no voice in what was going on with their lives.

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    3. I agree with you completely in the Turning Points. The Stamp Act, along with many other Intolerable Acts, frustrated the Colonists, which caused them to rebel. These Intolerable Acts were the "spark" or starting point of the Revolution against Britain.

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    4. Jordan Ellenbecker

      I completely agree that these acts were huge turning points in the revolution. The acts clearly made the Colonists angry, and the acts really fueled the rebellion of the Colonies.

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  5. Part 4-7

    Evaluation: The information that is portrayed in this book is very similar to what I've already learned about the Revolution. The author of the book didn't seem to be biased and did a good job of explaining both sides of the conflict. The American Revolution's impact on history is a great one, for it lead the creations of one of the most powerful countries currently in the world.

    Big Idea/Generalizations: Over the course of reading this book, I've come to realize that ambition is what drives most people who are pushing for change. Whether it be through a revolution or merely attempting to change something in one's life, the ambition behind the change is what forces us to continue to strive. However, ambitions tend to burn out after awhile, so the more I think about it, the more impressive I find it that the colonial American society was able to continue to fight for change for 20+ years.

    Using the Past: What we saw with the American Revolution is somewhat relatable to our current government. Many people feel that our current government is getting away from what our country was founded on, that being the republic political system. Other people feel that this change is necessary for the well being for everyone in the country, another trait our country was founded on. So this disagreement over different ideas is similar to what I said in my previous post, about how colonial American wanted one thing, the British wanted another, but they failed to see that their goals were common, in that they wanted what was best for America.

    Cause and Effect: Our country was founded around the idea that the people are what control the government, not the other way around. This mentality has lead us to do multiple things throughout history that we thought were for the betterment of mankind. One thing that sticks out in my mind is the Vietnam War, a war that was not necessary for us to get involved in, but did anyways in order to "protect" the world from Communism. However, this spread from North Vietnam to South Vietnam was hardly a threat to us, more or less the world. Another idea is the Iraq War, which in this case, we had to intervene. The government had become so corrupt that the citizens of that country were being harmed. So in our pursuit to spread our republic ways, we stepped in to defend the country from itself, so to say.

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  6. Part 1-3

    Connections: Being involved in believing conspiracy, I can see how the Americans in the 1700s are going to be an example for US citizens in the future. I feel that the people of the colonies could easily justify their revolution, as we will soon justify ours. Also, it's easy to see the similarities between the past and present governments: very unorganized, corruption, large debt, and failure to properly run a nation.

    Importance: Numerous important acts occurred within the first few chapters of this book. The most important would be the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document showed the Parliament that the colonies wanted to be independent of the unjust treatment they were receiving from the king. The revolution itself was also very important, as it was one of the first, and was followed by several others.

    Through their eyes: Gordon Wood did a nice job showing the two sides of the American Revolution. The colonists were viewed as rebellious fools while the British were viewed as tyrant control freaks. However, they did both have the same idea for America, that it was to be a great nation, they simply had different ideas of what that meant.

    Using the past: Believing what I do, I view the American revolution, as well as others, as an example for what my come to be. The revolution in the 1700s shows many examples of faith, trust, and courage that could be used in the future of the United States, or in the future of other countries.

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    1. Danielle Parker

      Mariah, I agree with what you said in your connections paragraph. Reading this book and discussing with my parents, we talked about how corrupt our government is with the extreme debt the US is in now. I also connected the high taxes our citizens have to pay now with the low economy to the same things the citizens had back then in my notes.

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  7. Part 4-7

    Cause and effect: For the people by the people comes to mind on this topic, as originally the government was controlled by the people. As this changed, the country and the world felt the impact. Unnecessary wars, unjust legal systems, corruption, the list goes on. This is present today, and in the 1700s as well, and was the reasoning behind the revolution.

    Change and Continuity: Change occurred after the revolution: change of laws, change of how things were done, gaining freedom and independence. However, there are things that stayed the same, such as taxes. They are present now, and were present during the time of the revolution. The British also changed, but in a different way. They lost some of the control and strength they had once had.

    Big Ideas/Generalizations: The main idea of this book that I picked up is that if there's a will there's a way. The Colonial Americans faced a lot of pain and suffering, but they had the will to go on and gain their freedom. This is seen a lot in today's world. Whether it's an individual or a nation, many people around the world are fighting for what they believe in.

    Evaluation: The information in this book not only confirmed what I already knew about the American Revolution, but also added to it. Gordon Wood didn't come across as bias in the book, as he equally explained both sides. The American Revolution was obviously important, as the outcome was to become a world superpower, and a culturally diverse nation.

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  8. Jacob Stroik

    Connections: Very similiar to today, economics has always been and will always be one of the biggest concerns in any society. Without the economics ties from Great Britain, and America, the revolution wouldnt have been what it turned out to be. As Wood stated in the book, nearly half of all English shipping was engaged in American commerce and the American mainland was absorbing over 25% of English Export by 1745. Obviously, the English depended on America economically, adding a dimension to the revolution.
    Importance: The most important idea of this book and of our country's history is the signing on the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration not only stated the cause of the Americans, gave weighty accusitions againist George III, but also gave international appeal. It set forth a philosophy of human rights that would not only serve as the basis of America, but also could be applied to people everywhere.
    Cause and Effect: One of the main causes of the revolution has to be the taxiation. In attempt to generate funds to pay off some of their debts from the French and Indian War, the British decided to place taxes on the colonies. American businesses and the colonial economy took a hit, leaving the Americans outraged, making them begin to boycott British goods and rebel.
    Change and Continuity: America has obviously benefited from this change and the decision to become independent. This country nor world would be the same place it is today if America was still a part of the British. America has developed into one of the superpowers in the world today driven by the idea of 'freedom' and the 'American Dream' as a result of an independent nation.

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  9. Parts 1-3

    Importance: During the first chapters of this novel, the most important aspect relating to the American Revolution would be the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This key event showed that the small American colonies were ready to fight back against the strict, unfair British Empire. The colonies wanted to run America freely, not being over-watched and influenced by England. Giving and providing examples of King George III’s tyranny, the Declaration was well supported in showing the frustration and anger in the colonies. This event was a turning point in the Revolution and helped the colonies earn America's freedom.

    Connections: I could relate the American Revolution to today's government. When America imposed the Intolerable Acts of the 1760's from the British, they outraged and fianlly rebelled. This can be related to laws and ideas passed in today's government and people imposing or protesting against the laws. These groups protesting are not radical enough to break away, but the same concepts of these two governments are similar.

    Turning Points: During the Revolution, there were many important turing points of the war, either favoring the British or the Colonies. The biggest turning point of the war would be the reaction to the Intolerable Acts. These "acts" were a series of laws set up by the British during the 1760's. This was the point where the American colonies finally had enough of the tyranny that was the British Empire.

    Through Their Eyes- I really enjoyed how the different perspectives were made in this novel. What I learned before was that the British were made out to be the "bad guys" in the war, but after reading this, I know that both sides of the war had different perspectives on how the new country should be set up. The British wanted tradition of the British Empire, while the Colonies wanted freedom and liberty, with no strings attatched to Britain. This important element in the novel showed the point of views of the Revolution.

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  10. Parts 4-7

    Cause and Effect: The main cause of the Revolution was unlawful and outrageous taxations. The Intolerable Acts in the 1760's sparked the revolution into taking place. American people were not going to be pushed around any longer from Britain. They showed their rebellion against Britain, but metaphorically from all tyrannies, corruption, and unjust taxations.

    Evaluation: As a learning tool, this novel provided me with new insight on the American Revolution, as well as review from other facts that I already knew. This book showed the depth and perspectives of each side of the Revolution, not just focusing on how the Americans won many battles against the British. This novel also focuses on the politics of the Revolution, such as creating the Declaration of Independence, other than other Revolution stories which mainly revolve around battles and fights between the Colonies and the British.


    Big Ideas/Generalizations: The main idea that I recieved from this novel was that anything is possible. The British Empire was the largest in the world, controlling many different parts of the planet, and the American Colonies showed their independence by defeating them. The Americans wanted freedom more than the British wanted controlling the Colonies. This shows how stength isn't measured in numbers, but in the perseverance of man.

    Change and Continuity: America has become the country it is today with the main support of the American Revolution. After the Revolution, America became one of the world's strongest countries. This wouldn't have happened if America stayed with British and never had broken away. This revolution infuenced other uprisings and rebellions, such as Mexico against Spain, and India rebelling against Britain. These countries would not be where they are today without the "spark" of the Revolution.

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    1. Jacob Stroik

      Alec, you couldn't have said it any better when it comes to the cause and effect. i also believe that the main cause was the taxation that they Americans felt to be outrageous and they just weren't going to be pushed around. That kind of set the tone for the rebellion and push for independence, which is very evident in our country after the Revolution and yet today.

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  11. Jacob Stroik

    Big Idea: The big idea of this book and revolution is what can be acclompished when a group of people all believe in the same idea and have a commmon goal. Once all the colonies believed in gaining independence, thats what they did and they made it work. Not did they only make it work but they began one of the international modern superpowers.
    Evaluation: Wood did a good job of presenting both perspectives on the revolution. This was one of the most important historical events in history, as America broke away from Britain begginning its path to international dominance. The information presented in the novel was corresponding to all previous knowledge I had on the event.
    Using the past: Often times, events from the past can help explain how the future is formed and how modern society operates. Looking at the Declaration of Independence, the ideals set forth such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are evident in the 'American Dream' and the reason why people come from all over the globe to pursue their dreams.
    Differing perspectives: The perspectives of the Americans and British on the Revolution were completely different. The Americans saw it as a way to gain independence and begin their own country, as the British saw it as an oppurtunity that passsed to gain world power and dominance. Neither perspective is wrong nor right, and if it wouldve went the other way, the British's persepctive wouldve been reality.

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  12. Jordan Ellenbecker

    Connections:Economics played an important role in the government back then, and the economy plays a huge role in our government we have today too. With the ties that Great Britain and the Colonies had played a huge role in the revolution. Today there are protests going on about the laws. None of them are as serious as the revolution, but they have the same ideas.
    Change and Continuity:America has benefited from the change that the revolution made for them and becoming independent. Our country would not be the same today if it wasn't for us being a part of Great Britain. We got the Declaration of Independence from it, and it helped America become one of today's superpowers.
    Turning Points:There were plenty of turning points throughout the war. Some favored America, others the British. Though one main turning point was when the British set forth the Intolerable acts. Those acts were when the Colonies had enough of them.
    Importance:In the first part of the book an importance was really put on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. When they signed this document it showed that the Colonies were ready to fight back against Britain to obtain their freedom.

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  13. Jordan Ellenbecker

    Evaluation:The revolution had a huge impact on what America has become today. When America became independent it started its climb to becoming one of the world's superpowers. The information that I got out of this novel went along with what I already knew.
    Cause and Effect:The main cause of the revolution was the horrible taxation. The Intolerable Acts also fueled the Colonies rebellion. Because of these actions the Colonies decided to rebel.
    Differing Perspectives:Wood did a good job of showing the two perspectives of the Americans and the British. The perspective of the Colonies was to gain independence. Great Britain was just looking for a way to achieve more world dominance by owning more land.
    Big Idea:The big idea of the book is that when people get together to fight for a common goal they can achieve whatever they want. When they came together they succeeded in gaining independence.

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  14. Danielle Parker
    Section 1 (1-3)
    Questions: To understand the section I was asking myself many questions to keep the important topics in mind. I asked questions like the following:
    Why did the British have to tax the colonists constantly?
    - The colonists were taxed because of the high costs of protection by the armed forces. After the Seven Years’ War the debt was high. Also when the colonists grew in population due to immigration and started stretching across the Appalachians there was a need for permanent protection against raids by Indians.
    Why were the colonists so upset to pay the taxes they owed?
    - The colonists didn’t have the money and resources to pay such high taxes. Their economy was low due to more money spent importing goods than exporting. The colonists were spending more money than they were making.
    Connections: While reading an idea popped into my head seeing the similarities between past and present times in America. In the 1700s the government had a very high debt due to war. Now-a-days we also have high debts, and part of that is due to our present day war efforts. I took this idea of the similarities and brain stormed of more ways our government has taxed or received money to pay for debt. We have taxes on many things like gas, school, property, and telephone lines. Also in the past our government has raised its interest rates to receive more money from the borrowing citizen. The ways our government paid off debts back in the 1700s aren’t very different from the ways our government receives money now.
    Through Their Eyes: By the end of British reign, many colonists thought poorly about their foreign rulers. On page thirty six the book states, “Many Americans were coming to believe that their interests and their hopes, their rights and their liberties, were threatened by British power.” Their views of the British rulers curved their actions to riot. One example would be the sinking of the GaspĂ©e in Rhode Island. Also the more widely known Boston Tea Party.
    Change and Continuity: Many things changed about the situation. The colonists didn’t have enough revenue to pay the taxes British authorities asked of them. The colonists were also working on building up their livelihood and supporting the growing population. Few things stayed the same in the growing colonies. Being ruled by a foreign government was just about the only thing that stayed the same. The colonists were benefiting from the changes by bettering their communities. Also the increasing population meant more demand for goods. In turn the British, and whoever else that was in trade route with the colonies, had high demand for their goods.

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  15. Danielle Parker
    Section 2 (4-7)

    Preview/Predict: The book was written very nicely with the organization of chapters. Each section has a title that includes what each sub-section is about. Each title, eighter section or sub-section, helps to predict what the reading is about. Also the length of the sub-section helps to tell the severity and detail known about each topic.

    Big Idea/Generalizations: I thought the main idea was if you could get the word out to everyone and get them on board the possibilities are endless of what you can do. The colonists dealt with taxes and rules and unjustified government actions for so long. When they all got together and got people to believe the colonies would work without a "mother government" they put all efforts into fighting to be independant. They grew up from a child, through rebel teenager stage, to adult fighting for independance.

    Change and Continuity: Without the revolution, we would still be controlled by a governmoent overseas who doesn't know what is good for the country. We do have a government who taxes, and sometimes produces laws and things that are questionable to the good/bad for our country. But thats why we have the three point government system instead of a king/queen, we have to give a second and third opinoin on it.

    Using the Past: Again I go back to our government now compaired to back then. Our past of being governed by a ruler that doesn't do what is best for our country, and us being accepting and quiet to our true opinions on what is going on in our country is repeating a little. We have been quiet to the movent of retirent money, budget cuts, and bailouts. Lately our people have been speaking out to their true feelings and talking about a new president. Looking back on the past we need to rememeber that we desighned the government to be ruled by the people, not vice versa. Also that we have the power to change not only how were being ruled, but the world. Withought our colonists speaking up and turning the colonies into a country we wouldn't be one of the worlds capital nations.

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  16. Amy Wasleske
    section 1 (1-3)
    Connections: Compared to other books I read I felt that it described it in perfect detail. It got right down to it. Giving each fact to you in the most direct form possible. It definitely described it to a tee. Not only that, but This book was relate able to today's society. In an economic way. Today we are having trouble getting the cash to pay for what we need to pay for. In reading this book you could practically see the troubles that they were having in the 1700's paying for their taxes. They were not happy about it, just as we aren't too thrilled.
    Visualize: When reading this book the images of each battle were vivid in the reader's mind. You could see the anger on each of the settler's faces, and even feel it with them. Almost like you were standing alongside them.
    Using The Past: We know from examining those battles that it really is best to speak our mind. It may seem rough at first, but in each of those battles they were fighting for something that they believed in. Hopefully we can carry that lesson and apply it today.
    Change and Continuity: They were able to get rid of their taxes by standing up for themselves. They can now rule their government their way.

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  17. Amy Wasleske
    section 2 (4-7)
    Evaluation: I knew that the revolution was a tough time. That each battle was hard. By reading this book it helped me to understand just how hard it was. Each battle impacted our history and we would not be where we are today without them.
    Big Idea/Generalizations: Work hard at what you feel is right, is the main idea I got from this reading. The colonists knew what they thought was right and they went for it. This is something taught to kids today, and something our founding fathers are proud of.
    Cause and Effect: As I have stated before, these battles changed the future. Which, for them, is our present. They created the government that we use today, and our most of our laws.
    Through Their Eyes: The colonists viewed their world as being out of their hands. When they decided to change that, they could view it as an empty world that they can reshape into something of their own.

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