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The Massachusetts Studies The Massachusetts History and Geography Frameworks Institute of the Massachusetts Studies Project provides this bibliography on-line for the use of teachers of the Commonwealth who have Internet access. The bibliography catalogs and annotates children's literature resources selected for their applicability to Massachusetts studies, their availability through the library networks in Eastern Massachusetts, and their intermediate (grades 3 through 9) reading level. It is hoped that users will augment this list with additional titles they have found useful in their teaching practice, as well as offer comments on their experiences with using any of the titles on the list. There are solid reasons for using children's literature in the social studies classroom. A well-written children's novel or biography provides sustained exposure to characters and events, allowing for greater identification with the actors and with the period portrayed. The narrative format reinforces chronology and embeds events, dates, and places within a context, a core objective of the social studies frameworks. Children's literature that is written in a picture book format is attractive, concise, usually well-researched, and covers a narrow topic in some depth. Picture books, the text of which may be quite sophisticated, are the juvenile analogs to adult coffee table books, treasures that teach. Literature provides redundancy that textbooks do not have, redundancy which improves comprehension and memory. Finally, children involved in a narrative can have an internal dialog with a book, a valuable experience in reading and language arts that synergizes other learning skills.
There are several web sites that offer additional support for the social studies teacher. At Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site, http://www.crocker.com/~rebotis, you will find recent children's titles reviewed. Although these books are not specific to Massachusetts social studies, Hurst provides lesson ideas which include puzzles about unusual place names and map activities, and article abstracts she has written for other publications, with citations. Hurst lists the following websites as additional resources for the Colonial Period:
http://earlyamerica.com Archiving Early America using newspapers, maps, and writings from the period
http://sln.fi.edu/TOC.franklin.html Information on Ben Franklin's life from the exhibit at the Franklin Institute Museum
http://www.csulb.edu/projects/ais/nae/1600-1750.html Illustrations of the Native American Experience
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/index.html For historical maps, including demographics
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html Library of Congress resources on black history
To the above I add the on-line library catalogs:
http://spencer.lib.ku.edu/ - a full-text electronic library from the University of Kansas in Lawrence
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/ - The Children's Literature Web Guide
For the latter two catalogs, to begin a search requires either title or author. ####################################################### To make an additional entry into this bibliography, follow this format:
Author, last name first. Title, italicized. ISBN number. Publisher. Date. Pages. Difficulty (ISBN numbers only apply if the book has gone to press more recently than 1965. If an older edition or a title was reviewed, no ISBN number was available. The ISBN applies to the actual book; thus, paperback and hardbound copies of the same title will have different ISBN numbers. ISBN numbers are provided for your convenience in creating a purchase order. They are not needed for library or net searches. Many factors other than school placement contribute to a child's reading proficiency. Rather than assigning a graded reading level, the terms Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced are used to indicate difficulty within the range of grades 3-9.) Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Women Native Americans African-Americans Immigrants Summary: Comments:
########################################################## Annotated Bibliography, Alphabetical
Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Paul Revere ISBN 0-8234-11443 Holiday House 1995 32pp. N Illustrations: James Watling Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1735-1818 Women Native Americans African-Americans Immigrants Summary: A simpe summary of the major events and accomplishments of Paul Revere's life. Emphasis on the human being rather than the political activist. Comments: Picture book format. A simple text lavishly illustrated which presents the facts without embellishment.
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. (Adaped by Monica Kulling) Bullseye Step Into Classics ISBN 0-679-86175-0 Random House 1994 106pp. late 1800's Women Native Americans African-Americans Immigrants Domestic life Summary: A very scaled, simplified adaptation of the classic, which portrays the life and concerns of the girls in the March family living in Concord during the civil War. Older readers will benefit from the original and other Alcott titles, which appear in many editions by various publishers.
Benchley, Nathaniel. George the Drummer Boy. An I Can Read Book ISBN 0-06-020501-6 Harper & Row 1977 61pp. N Illustrations by Don Bolognese
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Revolution
Summary: The events of the night of April 18th in Boston, told through the eyes of a drummer boy in the British regulars. Comments: Very simple story in easy to read text. Good for young children to think about events from the viewpoint of a youth on the opposing side of the conflict.
Benchley, Nathaniel. Sam the Minuteman. An I Can Read Book NO ISBN Harper & Row 1969 62pp. N Illustrations by Arnold Lobel
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Women Native Americans African-Americans Immigrants
Summary: The events of the day after Poaul Revere's ride, told through the eyes of a young farm boy from Concord who joins the militia. Comments: Similar to George the Drummer Boy, from the Colonial viewpoint.
Bowen, Gary. Stranded at Plimoth Plantation - 1626 ISBN 0-06-022541-6 Harper Collins 1994 82pp. I Illustrations: woodcuts by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1626 -Mayflower Compact Women Native Americans African-Americans Immigrants
Summary: Christopher Sears, orphaned and bound out to the master of the Sparrowhawk , is on his way to the Jamestown settlement when a shipwreck fetches the group up on Cape Cod. Indians lead the survivors to Plymouth, where they are taken in by the colony and spend the next year waiting for passage to Jamestown. Christopher lives in the household of Elder Brewster and becomes a part of the family. His talent for drawing leads him to keep an illustrated journal of the daily life of the colony in its 6th year. These are the woodcuts that illustrate the book. By this time, much of the agricultural and building work has become routine, there is better insulation against the effects of drought and crop failure, and the treaty with Massasoit's Indians is holding. Marriages and births are happening, there are cows for milk, the members keep the peace and resolve disputes in the monthly court, and the colony is able to obtain enough beaver pelts in trade with the Indians to send back to the London investors. All the daily trivia of a normal community are chronicled by Christopher, who becomes so comfortable in Plymouth that he dreads the arrival of a ship bound for Jamestown. Comments: Picture book format. An excellent picture of the colony as it begins to thrive. Contrast with any of the "first year" diaries.
Bradford, William et al. (Edited by Margaret Wise Brown). Homes in the Wilderness - A Pilgrim's Journal of Plymouth Plantation in 1620. ISBN 0-208-02197-3 Linnet Books 1988 76pp. I Illustrations: b/w drawing by Mary Wilson Stewart
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth minimal scarcity the Compact
Women Native Americans African-Americans Immigrants
Summary: In the Pilgrims' own words, excerpts from the journals of Mayflower settlers covering the days from November 9, 1620 through March 23, 1621. A complete Mayflower passenger manifest, arranged by household. The coastal exploration in search of a suitable place for settlement. Early encounters with the Indians that proceeded from suspicious to ultimately trustful. Matter of fact recounting of the unbearable cold and sickness of the first winter, the difficulties presented by the shallowness of Cape Cod Bay, and the criteria applied leading to Plymouth as the "seat." Comments: The narrative cries out for creating maps to better understand the description of landing, exploration, and settlement. An ethics discussion can be introduced over the pilfering of an Indian corn cache, and the respect shown for the dead in an unearthed grave but looting of its trinkets, and when finally the Indians bring long-awaited furs for "trucking," the Pilgrims' refusal to transact business on Sabbath. The first treaty with the Patuxets and the Mayflower Compact and election of John Carver as governor for the following year illustrate the principles undergirding justice and democracy. Archaic language requires some discussion.
Byers, Helen. Kidding Around Boston. - A Young Person's Guide to the City ISBN 0-945465-36-X John Muir Publications 1990 64pp. Illustrations: gray/turquoise drawings by Sally Blakemore
Summary: Worthy successor to Bernice Chesler's guide book In and Out of Boston with Children, this one is written for kids who have a voice in deciding where to go as tourists. "Highlights of History" page provides chronological context for processing sites along the Freedom Trail. Small-scope hand-drawn maps of historic districts make land navigating by foot easy. History interwoven with modern sites such as the Aquarium, and with food sampling, for a high-appeal field trip. Some extension into the historical and environmentally attractive places of the west suburbs, as well as Salem and New Bedford. Comments: A terrific planning guide for field-trippers.
Cahn, Rhoda and William. No Time for School, No Time for Play - The Story of Child Labor in America ISBN 0-671-32550-7 Julian Messner 1972 64 pp. N Illustrations: black and white photographs, many by Lewis W. Hine, an investigator for the National Child Labor Committee of the early 1900's
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Industrial Revolution Labor Social legislation
19-20th Century reformers n/a children in fields factories/farms Summary: As in the countries from which they came, children were an important component of the labor force from the earliest settlement of this country, on farms, in glassmaking in Jamestown, and in cotton mills of Massachusetts in 1789. Children participated in the Industrial Revolution of the 1800's, working in the coal mines, canneries, bowling alleys, rag trade sweat shops, and continued to work in agriculture as they have always done in farm families. Their labor and their wages were essential to the family economy. They were given little opportunity for education, a fact which reformers wanted to change. In 1836 Massachusetts became the first state to enact a law restricting child labor (in manufacturing only), by providing that children under 15 could not be employed unless they attended school 3 months out of 12. It took 102 years for a national child labor law that withstood Supreme Court review to be enacted. Agricultural work is not covered by this law. Comments: Children of today will find this book provocative. It has a Dickensian quality, and it would make a good springboard for various debate topics about human rights, economic necessity, children as producers vs children as consumers, the value of education, etc.
Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild ISBN 0-15-200542-0 Gulliver Green (HBJ) 1992 32 pp. N Illustrations: color paintings by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1400-1990 Nashua River Resources Grass roots activism
Marion Stoddart Nashua Pennacooks Summary: This books tells the history of the Nashua River from its use by the Indians in about 1400, through the years of white settlement, the Industrial Revolution with its resultant pollution, and the environmental movement of the 1960's that got it cleaned up again. Comments: Picture book format. Flyleaves show maps of New England area of 1500's and 1900's, with settlements. Inset has blowup of Nashua River Watershed. Exquisite pictures show landforms, wildlife, artifacts, people and their habitations, mills. Pictures that frame the text on the left hand pages show the level of technological development that corresponds to the text. Outstanding book.
Collier, James Lincoln, and Christopher Collier The Winter Hero ISBN 0-590-33696-7 Scholastic 1978 152pp. A
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Shays' rebellion Berkshires taxation, foreclosure individuals' rights Summary: When the sheriff comes to take his brother-in-law Peter's oxen for non payment of a debt, fourteen-year-old Justin Conkey is ready to fight. The Pelham farmers were bankrupt after fighting in the Revolution, and were forced to borrow money, which they could not repay because of high taxes assessed by the Commonwealth to pay for the war. The Conkeys decide to join the Regulators, led by Captain Daniel Shays. They pledge to resist the Massachusetts Militia, sent by the General Court to enforce the tax assessments and stifle rebellion in the western counties. Justin finds that war is not so exciting as it had seemed, when Peter is nearly executed as a traitor. Comments: The text provides material for a debate over the justice on each side of the rebellion.
DeLage, Ida. Pilgrim Children on the Mayflower ISBN 0-8116-4315-8 Garrard 1980 46pp. N Illustrations: color by Burt Dodson
Summary: A retelling of the Mayfower voyage with emphasis on the children aboard. Comments: Picture book format. The children are depicted as young and carefree, off on a grand adventure. The commercial nature of the voyage is completely omitted. Fisher, Leonard Everett. The Factories (Nineteenth Century America Series) ISBN 0-8234-0367-X Holiday House 1979 62pp. I Illustrations: black and white sketches by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1789-1892 water power labor/manufacturing legal reforms
Summary: From the remarkable industrial espionage of Samuel Slater, which brought the Arkwright water loom from England, through the Tenement House Acts of 1867 - 1892, which reformed the living and working conditions of immigrants in New York, the author traces the inception and course of manufacturing in America. The Utopian promise of a better life for the Lowell factory girls which had begun in 1822 began to slip away by 1830, and profit hunger put an end to the dream by 1845, as more and more immigrants were hired to work longer and for less. The impact on demand for goods fueled by the '49 Gold Rush and a rapidly growing population, the breakthrough by Eli Whitney in creating interchangeable parts, the blossoming of invention and transportation, and the crushing poverty surrounding New York's garment industry sweatshops - all are given a balanced chronological treatment. Comments: This is social history in which the common people figure as large as the famous personalities. There is much to discuss concerning the momentum of power, personal, financial, institutional. Fritz, Jean. And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc. 1973 48pp. N Illustrations: black and white and color sketches by Margot Tomes
Summary: The story of Paul Revere's ride and the events preceding, told in a light-hearted way. It conveys a lot of information very simply. Comments: Definitely for younger readers. See by the same author, Sign Here, John Hancock and Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? Graff, Nancy Price. Where the River Runs - A Portrait of a Refugee Family ISBN 0-316-32287-3 Little Brown & Co. 1993 72pp. I Illustrations: photography by Richard Howard
Summary: This is the story of a Cambodian family that has settled in Allston, a Boston neighborhood. The book draws the distinction between immigrants, who come because they want a better life, and refugees, who come because there is no life for them anywhere else. The grandmother, the mother, and the three young sons of the Prek family are survivors of the civil war in Cambodia that began in 1975. The grandmother and mother were forced laborers in the rice fields under the Khmer Rouge. They escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand, where the mother was married and two of the boys were born. From there the family got to the Philippines, and then were sponsored to come to the US, where the third son was born. The three generations have very different experiences in their new country. The pushes and pulls of assimilation and preservation -- language, culture, food, customs, religion, economic survival -- affect each generation of the household in different ways.Comments: A sensitive account of the challenges and conflicts facing new Americans in school, the workplace, and society. Harness, Cheryl. Three Young Pilgrims ISBN 0-02-742643-2 Bradbury Press 1992 36pp. N Illustrations: paintings by author
Summary: The voyage of the Mayflower is told in the words of the three Allerton children - Bartholomew, Remember, and Mary. Their mother and her new baby died in that first winter of the "Great Sickness." The plot itself is very simple. The appended material, richly illustrated and captioned, details relative locations of significant sites before and after the migration, timelines of events that occurred elsewhere in the world prior to and during the Pilgrim period, and portraited rosters of the Saints and the Strangers, with notations of who survived until the first Thanksgiving. Comments: Picture book format. The text is deceptively simple. There is a lot to be gleaned from close examination of the lavish illustration.
Jungreis, Abigail. KNOW YOUR Hometown History - Projects and Activities ISBN 0-531-11124-5 Franklin Watts 1992 62pp. I Illustrations: color photos from various sources Summary: Written in the style of a textbook, with the kinds of projects that kids no longer undertake unless they are led to do so by a teacher or scout leader, this is still a good guide to "becoming your own historian." Directs students where to look to find out about their local history, outlines the method for doing an oral history project, and suggests a topographical model, a main street map, and a time line of the area. Other projects include research into unusual place names, and community identifiers such as churches and ethnic foods. A bonus for one local community: The time line illustrated on pp. 48-49 is for Medford, Massachusetts. Comments: A resource for teachers to help kids get started at digging for the history that surrounds them. Kent, Deborah. African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies (Cornerstones of Freedom series) ISBN 0-516-06631-5 Children's Press 1996 32pp. N Illustrations: generously with black and white and color woodcuts and sketches, maps, and photos from various sources
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Jamestown to Civil War minimal plantation vs farm minimal Summary: A brief account of the institution of slavery and indentured servitude among African-Americans in the British colonies from 1619 to after the Revolution. Slavery is presented in its world context as an institution practiced by many cultures. After the 1600's, conditions for slaves in the New World deteriorated from an early equality with white indentured servants. Rice growing in the Carolinas spurred the slave trade, and greed on both sides of the Atlantic kept it going as the plantation system became the solution of choice for economic growth. Useful resources in the book include: Demographic figures for African-Americans at several dates in Colonial and post-Colonial times A sketch of the layout of a slave ship cargo hold Cameos of Crispus Attucks, Phyllis Wheatley, Onesimus (the slave who told Cotton Mather about inoculation), Benjamin Banneker, and Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable (founder of Chicago) Comments: Not strictly a Massachusetts Studies book, but touches our locale in a way not often treated in textbooks.
King, David C. American Kids in History: Colonial Days. ISBN 0-471-16168-3 John Wiley & Sons 1998 118pp. I Illustrations by Bobbie Moore
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1770's domestic Summary: An everyday living catalog of projects that capture the experience of a western Massachusetts farm family. Arranged by seasons of the work year. Comments: Supper for providing context for events with crafts and cooking. Knight, James E. Salem Days -- Life in a Colonial Seaport ISBN 0-89375-792-2 Troll Associates 1982 32pp. N Illustrations: black and white sketches by David Wenzel
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1774 -farm vs seafaring Summary: Josh Silsbee was going to do what many Salem farm boys were doing in the 1770's - run away to sea. The routine drudgery of farm chores could not compare with the lure of seeing new places, earning wages, and sharing in profits of the Salem merchant class. This simple story traces the 16 year career of a typical, if fortunate, runaway, who eventually becomes half owner of his ship and retires to live comfortably on fashionable Chestnut Street. Comments: Picture book format. Very simple story line and text, enhanced by pictures of tools of the seaman's trade.
Krensky, Stephen. Witch Hunt - It Happened in Salem Village ISBN 0-394-81923-3 Random House 1989 48pp. N Illustrations: James Watling
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Witchcraft trials Summary: A straightforward account of the events that originated in the household of Reverend Samuel Parris in 1692. Comments: Picture book format. A Step Into Reading book for grades 2-4.
Lasky, Kathryn. Beyond the Burning Time ISBN 0-590-47331-X Blue Sky Press 1994 272pp. I Illustrations: color paintings by Shelley Pritchett
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Salem witch trials map of Salem Summary: Mary Chase, her brother Caleb, and her widowed mother Virginia are fictional characters who get swept up in the the evil that has Salem Village in its grip. The two women attempt to keep their farm outside the village going, while Caleb serves his apprenticeship to a shipbuilder in Salem Town. The hardworking Chases have a more rational approach to the tribulations that seem to be overtaking themselves and their neighbors. Although they are members of the Reverend Parris's meeting, they have more faith in the goodness of their neighbors Nurse, Good, et al. than they do in the accusers. Her own outspokenness and the lechery of her simple-minded hired mind lead to the "calling out" of Virginia as a witch and their loss of all worldly goods. Her children's ingenuity and courage save her from the noose. Comments: The working in of the psychological and economic motivations behind the withcraft accusations is accomplished very well in this fictionalized account, which is overlaid against actual historical events. A highly plausible novel. Latham, Jean Lee. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. ISBN 0-395-13713-6 Houghton Mifflin Co. 1955 251pp. A Illustrations: black and white sketches by John O'Hara Cosgrave II.
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1770's on navigation trades on the seas Summary: The Newbery Award winner for 1956, a biography for children, this is the story of the career of Nathanial Bowditch, compiler of The American Practical Navigator, the accuracy of whose tables contributed greatly to the improved prospects for survival in going to sea in the 1700's. Bowditch created logarithmic tables of the trigonometric functions, which put the skills of navigating by the stars and by triangulation from land bearings into the hands and minds of ordinary seamen if they could add and subtract. Comments: The American Practical Navigator has become arcane with the advent of the Global Positioning System, but the mathematical understanding reached by this young man from Salem is right in step with mathematics curriculum reform. This book is on many 5th and 6th grade reading lists for its relevance to the early history of our country. It can be threshed for the science and math content by exploring navigation and its history. Lasky, Kathryn. Home Free ISBN 0-02-751650-4 Four Winds/Macmillan 1985 245pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Contemporary Quabbin impoundment costs/benefits Summary: Fifteen-year-old Sam Brooks and his mother return from Indiana to her native Pelham, Massachusetts, after the death of Sam's father. The region is undergoing a popular upheaval for the second time this century. Developers want to open a section of the Quabbin Reservoir for recreational use. In the two decades following 1927, four towns were obliterated from the map when the land was taken to make a reservoir to serve the water needs of Boston. Now there is the potential for this "accidental wilderness" to become a nesting ground for bald eagles, a possibility that will not come to fruition if the developers get their way. Sam forms friendships with a dying naturalist and an autistic girl to monitor the eagles. The girl has a namesake in a child who was drowned in the Swift River in 1892. Sam and Lucy travel through time to unearth the history of the place and the reasons for Lucy's apparent second sight. Comments: The history of the Quabbin and the lost towns, and the politic dilemmas of resource allocation and management make this a good novel for the social studies. Teenagers will probably enjoy the sci-fi twist involving time travel; I found it a distraction. Paterson, Katherine. Lyddie ISBN 0-14-034981-2 Puffin/Penguin 1991 184pp. A Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1840's/Industrialization -farm collapse, labor right of petition from farm to wage Summary: Faced with the care of a mentally unstable mother, two infants, and a younger brother after her father headed West to better the family's prospects, thirteen year old Lyddie is drawn by a chain of circumstances to the mills of Lowell. For over two years she experiences both the rewards of earning her own keep and "putting some by" repay the famioly's debt, as well as the exhaustion and degradation of health and spirit in a commercial system run amuck. Accustomed to hard work, Lyddie does not allow herself to be ground down by the mill, but teaches herself to read, and becomes one of the most productive workers. She never quite acquires the feeling of sisterhood that would allow her to add her name to the petition for the ten hour day, but remains focussed on her reason for being there -- reuniting the family. She goes through transitions from generosity and concern for the suffering of others, through tightfisted self-interest, and emerges stronger and with goals for herself that transcend survival. Comments: This book offers many opportunities for role-taking and values discussions. Pendergast, John. The Bend in the River ISBN 0-9629338-0-5 Merrimac River Press 1991 92pp. A Illustrations: Numerous black and white photographs and historic sketches
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government pre-history through 1700 geology land use Summary: This is a scholarly book that covers the period 17,000 years before the present up through the first contact period with Europeans, in the Merrimac area of Massachusetts. It describes the geological evolution of the area, the indigenous cultures, and the changes that occurred with the arrival of Europeans. Comments: Although written for adults, the well-spaced text, topical organization, and pictures of artifacts make is easy for intermediate to advanced readers to benefit.
Penner, Lucille Recht. Eating the Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners ISBN 0-02-770901-9 Macmillan 1991 118pp. N Illustrations: historical black and white sketches selected by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth Colony Summary: The first half of the book recaps the Mayflower voyage and the founding of the colony, with special attention to the living arrangements and food habits. The second half goes into greater detail about the evolving food choices and tastes, domestic habits and housekeeping chores, cooking, and manners. In the first year, each meal consisted of pudding, bread, and beer, and for this they were grateful after the moldy ship's biscuit that kept them alive on the crossing and the first winter. But the Pilgrims liked spicy food, and as soon as they could, they developed a cuisine that allowed for more variety and flavor. Recipes for early Plymouth dishes after the subsistence period are included, as well as descriptions of furnishings and tools. Comments: I think children will enjoy finding out that by custom the Pilgrim children drank beer but didn't drink milk, that vegetables were used only as seasoning for "pottages," and that fruits were used to make cider rather than being eaten raw. This book makes it fun to identify and contrast our lives with theirs. Peters, Russell M. Clambake - A Wampanoag Tradition ISBN 0-8225-2651-4 Lerner Publications 1992 48pp. N Illustrations: photography by John Madama
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government contemporary Wampanoags Summary: The story of the transmission of a Wampanoag tradition, the appanaug ceremonial clambake that marks the change of seasons, from grandfather to grandson in modern Mashpee, Cape Cod. Wampanoags straddling two cultures. Comments: Picture book format.The photography is outstanding, the format similar to that of Samuel Eaton's Day, which is has the same publisher.
Rinaldi, Ann. The Blue Door - Part 3 of the Quilt Trilogy ISBN 0-590-46051-X Scholastic 1996 272pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1840's textile mills: labor costs, imports in labor force position of mixed race
Summary: Centered on the fourth generation of the Nathaniel Chelmsford family, this story brings Abigail's granddaughter Amanda Videau from her father's failing cotton plantation north to her great grandfather's cotton mill in Lowell, to meld the two interests after many years of estrangement. An intrigue with a pair of sisters fleeing an abusive husband, and explosion on the steam boat leaving Amanda dead to her family but actually living in the identity of the unmarried sister provide the dramatic push for Amanda's introduction to the life of a mill girl. Having led a pampered life on the plantation, Amanda must quickly earn her own way. Her proof of identity, the piece of quilt given her by Abigail, was stolen from her on the boat. At this time in the mills the wages have been cut, the hours lengthened, and the duties expanded, all for greater profits. Amanda assists the activist girls by writing a newpaper letter that refutes the assertion that mill girls are better off than southern slaves. She reaches her grandfather and her identity is restored through the intercession of Nancy Chelmsford, nee Walking Breeze, the daughter of Amanda's great aunt Thankful. Nancy's experise with plants and her work dying cloth for her grandfather have made his cotton widely sought. Comments: Amanda's trials and personal growth weigh in equally with the importance of the working conditions and the ten-hour movement among the mill workers. Everything turns out happily at the end, for after all, this is a romantic novel.
Rinaldi, Ann. Broken Days - Part 2 of the Quilt Trilogy ISBN 0-590-46053-6 Scholastic 1995 273pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1810's/Indian Wars -embargos, imports Summary: Walking Breeze, daughter of Much Favored, nee Thankful Chelmsford, is traded back to the whites by Tecumseh's corrupt brother to avoid retaliation for the theft of horses. She is to be sent back to Salem, with a piece of quilt the only proof of her identity. Ebie Chelmsford, old Nathaniel's only granddaughter living in Salem, is not secure enough in her position to want to welcome this "savage," so she hides the quilt. Without the quilt, Walking Breeze has nothing to temper the family's consternation as she cooks weeds in the garden, burns holes in the carpet, and generally upsets Aunt Hannah's genteel domestic arrangements. Walking Breeze finds a kindred spirit in Georgie, Night Song, the other half-Shawnee of the Chelmsford clan, who has been sent to live by herself after she returned from a visit to her father Louis on the fronteer and reverted to embarrassing Indian ways. The struggle for Walking Breeze to find a place in this family, where she is allowed to work as a servant, and to maintain that which she values of her past, intertwined with the evolution of Ebie from a selfish opportunist to a humane cousin provide the plot for this romantic novel. In the background are the growing entrepreneurial spirit of the new Americans, the tension with England on the high seas and the Indian frontier, the increasingly greedy land grabbing of settlers heading west, and the risky adventurers who privateer for the United States. At the end of the story theU.S.S. Constitution fights its battle with the Guerriere, and of course, a Chelmsford has a role in that also. Comments: There is less exposition of the historical background in this and more family saga than in the other two books of the trilogy.
Rinaldi, Ann. The Fifth of March -- A Story of the Boston Massacre ISBN 0-15-200343-6 Harcourt Brace 1993 333pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Boston Massacre: tariffs, mercantilism royal charter Summary: When Rachel Marsh becomes indentured to care for the two children of John and Abigail Adams, she gains a front row seat to the events that are stirring the Boston of 1768, as all the famous radicals come to her master for legal advice. Her friendships with the maid serving the sister of Boston's assistant governor Hutchinson, with bookseller Henry Knox, and with Matthew Kilroy of the British army each add to her understanding, and to her perplexity, about this idea of liberty. When Matthew is tried for the murder of a Bostonian man during the "massacre" that took place on the 5th of March, she declares her own liberty by defying her master, the counsel for Matthew's defense, and visiting Matthew in jail. Her relationship with Abigail opens a window on the emergence of women as people with influence on the affairs of men. Comments: The story is romantic but the events are real. The plot carries the history to the reader nicely.
Rinaldi, Ann. Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons - The Story of Phillis Wheatley ISBN 0-15-200876-4 Harcourt Brace 1996 336pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1760-1778: slavery in N.E. Royal governor Summary: Keziah was abducted from her village in Senegal in 1761 by her father's brother and sold into slavery. She arrived in Boston after surviving the almost unendurable crossing in the slave ship Phillis., from which she was given her name. She was purchased at auction by John Wheatley, an aristocratic Bostonian, and as a pathetic little waif she aroused the compassion of the Wheatley's son Nathaniel, who taught her how to read and how to behave in white society. Nathaniel's sister Mary had more conventional ideas about Phillis; she should be her personal servant and a curiosity to entertain her friends. As Nathaniel's protogee Phillis was tutored in the classics, and she was allowed to share meals with the family and be part of their discourse. When she began to write poetry, she became a celebrity under their sponsorship. Many people did not believe that a slave of African origin could have written such verse, so Phillis had to undergo an examination by several prominent men. What she most wanted, and which Nathaniel would never countenance, was to be free. The Wheatleys underwrote the publication of her poems and took her to England to meet influential people there who might sponsor her poetry. But always the tension between being an indulged slave poetess and a free nigra colonist was there for her. She wrote poetry of the event around the revolution, married, and died in relative obscurity in 1778. Society had changed, and the support for her poetry was gone. Comments: This fictionalized biography of the first published Negro poetess raises many questions for discussion. What were the motivations of the Wheatleys in raising this slave "above her station." They were kind, but were they also exploiting an exotic for their own prestige? Phillis's poetry is classical and difficult for young people of today to appreciate. But her journey to freedom is unique because the writing of it made her a person, not just a chattel.
Rinaldi, Ann. A Stitch in Time - Part 1 of the Quilt Trilogy ISBN 0-590-46055-2 Scholastic 1994 305pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1780's: Early mills, labor costs, imports Summary: Nathaniel Chelmsford is an embittered old widower who rules is children with absolute authority. As one of the leading citizens of Salem, a prosperous merchant trader, he aggressively pursues wealth in shipping and plans to open a cotton thread mill in Beverly with English investors. Eldest daughter Hannah has the care of his household after he quashes her plans to marry Louis, a Philadelphian gone to live on the fronteer. Hannah assists the elopement of her younger sister Abigail, determined that her father won't ruin Abby's happiness. Third sister Thankful is overindulged by her father and unmanageable at home. Youngest son Cabot is neglected by the old man, who knows and can't forgive the secret of Cabot's paternity. Hannah's life becomes a bit easier when father and Thankful leave with brother Lawrence on a trip to the frontier to open a trading post. It becomes complicated again when her formerly betrothed Louis returns with his half Shawnee baby girl for Hannah to care for, and even more complicated when Thankful is lost on the trail, presumed captured by Indians. Through shipwrecks, social censure for harboring an Indian child, malice from the mill overseer, and he father's despotic return, Hannah maintains the dignity of the family and is comforted by the "trust quilt" which she began long ago with her sisters. Comments: Girls today will marvel at the control exercised by parents on the lives of their 18th Century counterparts. Hannah is a bit too self-sacrificing to be real, but the plot moves right along to the next major decision she has to make. The contrasts between people of wealth and people without means, and the social images that must be upheld, are an indication of the momentous changes occuring in tha period.
Roach, Marilynne K. Down to Earth at Walden ISBN 0-395-29647-1 Houghton Mifflin 1980 87pp. I Illustrations: black and white sketches by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government mid-1800's maps Summary: A brief biography of Thoreau, with emphasis on his daily activities during the Walden years. The book provides insight into the work and trade carried on in the early days of the country. The chapter on cutting ice for export is interesting because it became the basis for the fortunes of many local families. Immigrant Irsih who arrived before the potato famine were employed as laborers on both the Fitchburg railroad, which abuts Walden Pond, and in the ice cutting business centered on Spy Pond, Arlington; and Fresh Pond, Cambridge. The author conveys Thoreau's sense of harmony with nature, his participation in the anti slavery activities of his neighbors, and his live-and-let-live philosophy. Comments: This is a very easily assimilated introduction to the ideas and writings of Thoreau.
Roach, Marilynne K. In the Days of the Salem Witchcraft Trials ISBN 0-395-69704-2 Houghton Mifflin 1996 92pp. I Illustrations: black and white sketches by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1690's evolution of... Summary: It is the author's intent that the reader understand the social and economic conditions that surrounded the witchcraft hysteria in Salem, rather than judge the period with the arrogance of hindsight. She presents the customs in Europe at the time -- belief in the invisible world along with the natural, even by esteemed men of science -- in which the belief system of the Puritans was rooted. She describes their living habits, daily rituals, property relationships, occupations, and the attitudes toward sickness and sanitation and divine retribution that were prevalent in the late 1600's in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the chapter called The Round of Time she itemizes a month by month account of what work was done and what social events occurred. Child and maternal mortality, the French and hostile Indians to the North, and capricious charter manipulations by successive monarchs in England all contributed to a sense of insecurity that went beyond the simplistic "narrowminded Puritanism" epithet. By comparison with other witch hunts at other times and places, in Salem the duration of the scare was short, the numbers executed were modest, and the torture mild. Despite this the events in Salem have become a symbol for superstition and suspicion gone haywire, an epoch of injustice that continues to fascinate us. It is interesting to know more of the context for these events.
Roop, Connie and Peter. Pilgrim Voices - Our First Year in the New World ISBN 0-8027-8314-7 Walker and Co. 1995 48pp. N Illustrations:color paintings by Shelley Pritchett
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Pilgrims Summary: This is an account of the founding of Plymouth in the words of the settlers themselves. Similar to the William Bradford journal, but more lively because of the judicious editing for modern readers, Pilgrim Voices brings the reader into the life and times of the colony. Comments:Picture book format. The text is simple and chronologically presented, and the illustration enhances the account.
San Souci, Robert. N. C. Wyeth's Pilgrims (also available in Spanish) ISBN 0-87701-806-5 Chronicle Books 1991 32 pp. N Illustrations: mural paintings by N. C. Wyeth
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Mayflower Pilgrims Summary: The text is a straightforward chronology of the first year of the Plymouth Colony. The flyleaf contains a copy of the passenger manifest for the Mayflower, with old fashioned handwriting and descriptions of the family units and their occupations. Comments: Picture book format. The pictures make this book worthy of reading yet another Mayflower account. Wyeth painted a land of hope and vitality, with wildlife, expressive faces, and colorful scenery and clothing. His depictions of cows, furniture, and spinning wheels, however, anticipate later years of the colony's prosperity. And his representation of the first Thanksgiving depicts many more women than actually survived the winter of 1620-21. The originals of these paintings are on permanent display at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, which commissioned them in 1940.
Sewall, Marcia. People of the Breaking Day ISBN 0-689-31407-8 Atheneum 1990 48pp. Illustrations: water colors by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth Colony Summary: A more comprehensive description of the cultural life and beliefs of the Wampanoag tribe at the time of the Pilgrims that is presented in Tapenum's Day (ob. cit.) The already 1000 year old mixed hunting and agrarian society had learned many "technologies" of farming, such as companion planting and crop rotation, that were unknown to the Europeans. Construction of dwellings and canoes, pottery and basketry, food preserving, flint knapping, and ceremonies are described as part of the yearly cycle of life as the tribe moves from winter camp, to fishing camp, to fields. Comments: Picture book format. This book gives much to discuss about what it means to be "civilized" and "successful."
Sewall, Marcia. The Pilgrims of Plimoth ISBN 0-689-31250-4 Atheneum 1986 48 pp. N Illustrations: watercolors by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Mayflower Pilgrims Summary: Told in the voices of the men, the women, and the children, this is a description of the voyage, landing, and first few years of the Plymouth Colony, with emphasis on the mundane concerns of the group - deaths, daily chores, housebuilding and keeping, the general circle of life. There is mention of the relations with the Indians, which were at that time peaceful. Comments: Picture book format. A simple account of unpretentious folk told in quaint 17th Century English.
Sewall, Marcia. Thunder from the Clear Sky ISBN 0-689-31775-1 Atheneum 1995 56pp. N Illustrations: watercolors by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Mayflower Pilgrims Southern N.England barter, land treaties Summary: Told alternately from the Wampanoag view, then from the English, the chronology of the settling of Patuxet/Plymouth colony. Earlier contact with Europeans has brought sickness to villages and impressment of men onto the trading ships, wiping out whole populations planting fear and mistrust among the natives. Later settlers attempted to Christianize, establish praying villages, and impose English justice. Discrepant attitudes toward land -- English-ownership, fencing vs. Indian - free roaming use -- led to escalating tension as more Europeans arrived. After the death of Chief Massasoit and Squanto, the antagonism finally erupted into King Philip (Metacomet)'s War in 1675 Comments: Picture book format. A good book for debating or role-taking.
Starkey, Marion L. The Tall Man from Boston ISBN 0-517-52187-3 Crown Publishers 1975 48pp. N Illustrations: black and white drawings by Charles Mikolaycak
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Witchcraft Summary: In this brief recounting of the witch hysteria, John Alden, prominent Boston man of commerce and son of John and Priscilla of Plymouth, is accused of witchcraft, simply because he is a tall man from Boston. Tituba, Reverend Parris's Caribbean slave, had testified that nine people had signed the Devil's book. She couldn't read their names, but she remembered that one of the signers was a tall man from Boston. Defiantly, Alden attends the hearing and is charged and placed under house arrest. He escapes to Plymouth, and while he is gone the hysteria dies down under the squelching of Governor Phips. Comments: Picture book format. In the present era, when disrespect shown for an individual leads to shooting, it is not so hard to understand the irrationality of charging a man with practicing witchcraft just because he is a tall man from Boston.
Van der Linde, Laurel. The Devil in Salem Village - The Story of the Salem Witchcraft Trials ISBN 1-56294-144-5 Millbrook Press 1992 72pp. I Illustrations:
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1690's Witchcraft Theocracy Summary: A straightforward account of the deadly game that got out of hand in Salem Village in 1692. It tells how and why Ann Putnam's "circle girls," began "crying out" particular women, speaks to the character of the individual judges, gives excerpts from the trial records, and concludes with a moral for our time by drawing a parallel to shunning and ostracism by cliques of children. Comments: This is the most manageable of the Salem witchcraft accounts for children and successfully fosters regret rather than fascination for this aberration in our early history. Vare, Ethlie Ann. Adventurous Spirit - A Story about Ellen Swallow Richards ISBN 0-87614-733-3 Carolrhoda Books 1992 64 pp. N Illustrations: black and white sketches by Jennifer Hagerman
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1850-1911- 1st woman chemist Summary: This is brief biography of the first American woman chemist, the first woman to study at MIT, the woman who started the "home economics" movement. Home economics, in the 1860's, meant the application of science to the running of a household. Ellen brought an awareness of the nutritional value of foods, and the need for clean air and clean water to the homemaker. She began the nation's first school lunch program in Boston, and her testing of 40,000 samples of water from all the water sources of the Commonwealth led to the world's first Normal Chlorine Map, the first water quality analysis program anywhere. She was a pioneer in public health and environmental management issues. Except for her years at Vassar, Ellen lived her whole life in Massachusetts. Comments: An easy to understand introduction to the position of women and the state of domestic issues in the 19th Century.
Walter, Mildred Pitts. Second Daughter - The Story of A Slave Girl ISBN 0-590-48282-3 Scholastic Inc. 1996 214pp. I Illustrations: none
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Revolution: slavery independence, legal rights Summary: This story is told by Aissa, the fictional sister of Mum Bett, a slave of the Ashley family of Sheffield, Massachusetts, at the time of the Revolution. Bett, legally Elizabeth Freeman, successfully sued for her freedom in 1781 under the Massachusetts Constitution, citing also the Declaration of Independence, and the Sheffield Resolution of 1774, in which the county petitioned to the General Court to end the condition of slavery in Massachusetts. Bett is portrayed as even-tempered and patient, while Aissa has a fiery and impetuous personality. Their lives as property of Mistress Anna and Master John Ashley depict the paradox of being materially well-off by the standards of the times, yet being owned without hope of remission. Bett's marriage to Josiah (a) Freeman, her child born a slave because she herself is one, Josiah's hope for buying her freedom through service in the colonial army, Josiah's death in battle, the Ashley's unwillingness to obtain for Bett the stipend due a soldier's survivors, and the wound the mistress inflicted on Bett in a fit of temper -- these are the catalyzing events that bring Bett into the courts. In the period 1773-1779 a mu,ber of petitions by black individuals and groups seeking release from slavery were filed with the General Court. Comments: This novel portrays well-drawn characters and provides a close-up look at the condition of slavery as practiced in Massachusetts.
Ward, Nathalie et al. Stellwagen Bank - A Guide to the Whales, Sea Birds, and Marine Life of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. ISBN 0-89272-336-X Down East Books 1995 232pp. A Illustrations: 100 color photos, and illustrations, mostly by Sarah Landry and Tessa Morgan. Index.
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Pre-history to present oceanography fishing & trade Summary: A very complete guide to the Stellwagen ecosystem. It is written for adults, but accessible to younger readers because of the numerous pictures and diagrams. There are outstanding photographs of diatoms and zooplankton, as well as of macroscopic marine organisms. The text describes the geological origin of the bank and its charting by Captain Henry S. Stellwagen in 1853. There is a large section on seabirds showing beak and foot adaptations. There are historical vignettes of fishing practices, and discussions of environmental issues that arise in a multi-user ecosystem.
Waters, Kate. On the Mayflower - The Voyage of the Ship's Apprentice & a Passenger Girl ISBN 0-590-67308-4 Scholastic 1996 40pp. N Illustrations: color photographs by Russ Kendall
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth Colony Summary: The sea voyage as told by William Small, invented "apprentice to Captain Christopher Jones. Ellen Moore, the passenger girl, was an orphan traveling with the Winslow family. There is no record of her after the first winter in Plymouth. Comments: Picture book format. Children will gain an appreciation of the difficulties of the voyage, the hardships of handling the ship, and the crowded conditions endured by the passengers.
Waters, Kate. Samuel Eaton's Day - A Day in the Life of Pilgrim Boy ISBN 0-590-56311-X Scholastic 1993 40pp. N Illustrations: color photographs by Russ Kendall
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth Colony Summary: The story, written from the viewpoint of 7 year-old Samuel Eaton, son of Francis Eaton, carpenter aboard the Mayflower, is reenacted at the Plymouth Plantation Historical Park. This simple text photo essay describes the daily life of a child in Plymouth Colony. Samuel is allowed to bind the rye harvest for the first time, giving an appreciation of the Pilgrim child's world of work. Readers get to see actual clothes worn and foods eaten and hear old English words and speech. Comments: A very easy to process story with enough pictures to convey meaning to even limited language students.
Waters, Kate. Sarah Morton's Day - A Day in the Life of Pilgrim Girl ISBN 0-590-42634-6 Scholastic 1989 32pp. N Illustrations: color photographs by Russ Kendall
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth Colony Summary: This book tells the story of 9 year-old Sarah Morton, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623 on The Anne. Sarah's day is reenacted at the Plymouth Plantation Historical Park. This simple text photo essay describes the daily life of a child in Plymouth Colony. Sarah has many chores, as do all the colony's children, and the additional concern of pleasing her stepfather, Goodman Kempton. Readers get to see actual clothes worn and foods eaten and hear old English words and speech. (See also Samuel Eaton's Day) Comments: A very easy to process story with enough pictures to convey meaning to even limited language students.
Waters, Kate. Tapenum's Day - A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times ISBN 0-590-20237-5 Scholastic 1996 40pp. N Illustrations: color photographs by Russ Kendall
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Plymouth Colony map of Wampanoag settlements Summary: A day in the life of an adolescent Wampanoag Indian boy at the time of the founding of Plymouth Colony. Tapenum was not chosen as one of the boys for this year's initiation, so he begins a training regimen in order to qualify for next year. He rises early, tracks animals, fletches arrows, hunts, runs in the woods, fishes from a canoe with his friend, and meets a wise man who teaches him how to make a dugout. Comments: Picture book format. A snapshot of the contemporaneous non European culture.
Westman, Barbara. A Beacon Hill Christmas ISBN 0-395-24726-8 Houghton Mifflin 1976 44pp. N Illustrations: color by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Contemporary Boston sights Summary: A character who could be mistaken for Mrs. Frizzle of Magic Schoolbus fame is trying to get ready for a proper Beacon Hill Christmas celebration. She gads about town, and the whimsical depictions of Boston's cultural attractions are the reason for reading the book. Comments: Picture book format. The text is juvenile, but the tone is in-group nostalgia. This book misfires when aimed at an audience of children.
Westman, Barbara. The Bean and the Scene ISBN none given Barre 1969 35pp. N Illustrations: color by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Contemporary Boston sights Summary: A thin plot line takes the reader through the sights of Boston and Cambridge. Comments: Picture book format. So much of the city has changed since publication that the book becomes interesting for its out-of-date references, if they can be recognized as such by the reader.
Westman, Barbara. The Beard and the Braid ISBN none given Barre 1970 36pp. N Illustrations: color by author
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Contemporary Boston sights Summary: Cambridge, mostly Harvard Square of the early counter-culture period, provides the subject for this book of drawings. The reader will no longer be able to find the overhead trolley wires by the Out of Town News kiosk, Design Research has been Crate and Barrel for a while, and almost immediately after Charlie rode the MTA it became the MBTA. Comments: Picture book format. Whimsy, but not geography. A sight-seeing book for yesterday.
Westman, Barbara and Herbert A. Kenney. A Boston Picture Book ISBN 0-395-19336-2 Houghton Mifflin 1974 48pp. A Illustrations: color by Barbara Westman
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Contemporary Boston sights Summary: The accompanying verse by Howard Kenney descrives the places depicted -- historic Boston tourist destinations. Comments: Picture book format. The poetry is too arcane for kids of the age who are likely to pick up the book.
Yates, Elizabeth. Amos Fortune - Free Man E. P. Dutton & Co. 1950 181pp. I Illustrations: black and white drawings by Nora S. Unwin
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1725-1801; slavery, trades Summary: Taken by slavers from his native Gold Coast, At-Mun survives the terrible "middle passage" and is sold at auction in Boston to a conscience-ridden Quaker weaver. At-mun, renamed Amos, serves Caleb Copeland faithfully for fifteen years, learns the weaver's trade, becomes literate, and attends Quaker Meeting. Sold again to settle his master's estate, Amos joins the household of a tanner from Woburn, whom he serves for nineteen years. Finally given his freedom in 1763, Amos works hard, saves his money, and then purchases first Lily, then Lydia, and finally Violet, all in memory of the little sister from whom he was separated in his village so long ago. With Violet and her daughter, Amos moves to Jaffrey, N.H., where his skills as a tanner and his admirable farming of the land he purchased earned him respect and a place in the community. In his will, he leaves the fruits of his labor to the town of Jaffrey for the schooling of its children. Comments: This is a fictionalized biography of a real person. It portrays the African American of the period, even while enslaved, as a capable practitioner of a commercially valued trade, not merely a house servant or farm hand. This adds dimension to the traditional characterization of slaves.
Yolen, Jane. Letting Swift River Go ISBN 0-316-9689-4 Little Brown & Co. 1992 32pp. N Illustrations: color by Barbara Cooney
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government 1940's Quabbin Reservoir trade-offs eminent domain Summary: A simply told and lavishly illustrated reminiscence of a child who grew up near the Swift River and who lived through the drowning of the towns of Enfield, Prescott, Greenwich, and Dana to make the Quabbin a reservoir for Boston's drinking water. Comments: Picture book format. Both a delightful book and a provocative story. Zell, Fran. A Multicultural Portrait of the American Revolution (Perspectives Series) ISBN 0-7614-0051-6 Marshall Cavendish Corp. 1996 80pp. A Illustrations: color and black and white from various sources
Historical Period/Event Geography Economics Government Revolutions: role of cultural values Summary: This textbook focuses on the often overlooked players of the revolutionary period - African-Americans, women, and Native Americans. The chronology of the movement toward separation from England is embedded with the actions of traditionally ignored individuals and groups, e.g. the petitions by slaves to the Massachusetts legislature in 1773 and 1774 to end their slavery, the territorial aggression of European colonists against Indians after the French and Indian War in 1763, the limitations on legal rights of women and children. Comments: The consciousness-raising tone, clear presentation, and excellent choice of illustration make this a good source for the capable student. |
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