# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and the chief author of the Declaration of Independence. Many people praise Jefferson as someone who believed strongly in the ideas of democracy, equality, and freedom. At the same time, however, he owned slaves, and that has caused some people to question his beliefs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore the life of Thomas Jefferson in a fun game show format that makes learning history exciting!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Twinkl Teaching Resources - United States

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who Was Thomas Jefferson? | All About Thomas Jefferson for Kids | Twinkl USA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
NAME: Thomas Jefferson

NICKNAME: Father of the Declaration of Independence

BORN: April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia

DIED: July 4, 1826, in Charlottesville, Virginia

TIME IN OFFICE: March 4, 1801, to March 3, 1809

VICE PRESIDENTS: Aaron Burr (first term), George Clinton (second term)

POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic-Republican

EARLY LIFE

Thomas Jefferson was born near the Blue Ridge Mountains of the British-ruled colony of Virginia on April 13, 1743. From the age of nine, Jefferson studied away from home and lived with his tutor. His father-a landowner, surveyor, and government official-died when his son was 14. Later Jefferson enrolled at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. His education included science, mathematics, philosophy, law, English language and literature, Latin, Greek, French, and dancing.

"LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS"

After college, Jefferson became a lawyer. By age 26 he was a member of Virginia's colonial legislature, or government. Like George Washington, Jefferson spoke out against Great Britain's rule over the 13 North American colonies. When the colonists decided to demand their independence from Great Britain, Jefferson was chosen to write a document explaining why the colonies should be free. The document became known as the Declaration of Independence. It's still admired today for its call for freedom, equality, and its demand that all citizens deserve "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Before he became president, Jefferson was governor of Virginia before the Revolutionary War. After the war, he served as U.S. minister to France, secretary of state for President George Washington, and vice president for President John Adams, the country's second president.

GO WEST, YOUNG NATION

When Jefferson became the third president of the United States in 1801, the country basically ended at the Mississippi River; France controlled much of what was west. That included the Port of New Orleans, in what is now Louisiana. It's coastal location made it a key spot for trade-and Jefferson wanted it. In 1803, he made what's known as one of the greatest real estate deals in history: the Louisiana Purchase.

France agreed to sell the entire city of New Orleans, which included the port, to the United States for $10 million; they threw in the rest of the territory they owned for an additional $5 million. The agreement-which gave the United States about 828,000 square miles of land-almost doubled the size of the nearly 30-year-old nation. Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to join William Clark in leading an expedition to the West Coast to explore the country's new land. The Louisiana Purchase is thought by many to be Jefferson's greatest accomplishment as president.

LASTING LEGACY

Jefferson retired to Monticello, his home in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the end of his second term. He designed and founded the University of Virginia in Charlottesville during his retirement.

Jefferson left a complicated legacy: The man who wrote the Declaration of Independence-which states that "all men are created equal"-also enslaved more than 600 people during his lifetime. But according to his writings, Jefferson knew that future generations would have to end the enslavement of people, and that it would be a long, terrible process.

Like his friend John Adams, Jefferson died 50 years to the day after the approval of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1826.

From the Nat Geo Kids books Our Country's Presidents by Ann Bausum and Weird But True Know-It-All: U.S. Presidents by Brianna Dumont, revised for digital by Avery Hurt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the life and achievements of the 3rd president of the United States.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Biographies of United States Presidents for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Biographies of the presidents of the United States for kids. Learn the life story and biography of these great leaders of the US.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. Since the office was established in 1789, 45 men have served in 46 presidencies. The first president, George Washington, won a unanimous vote of the Electoral College; one, Grover Cleveland, served two non-consecutive terms and is therefore counted as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, giving rise to the discrepancy between the number of presidencies and the number of persons who have served as president. The incumbent president is Joe Biden. There are five living former presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. The most recent to die was George H. W. Bush, on November 30, 2018.

The presidency of William Henry Harrison, who died 31 days after taking office in 1841, was the shortest in American history. Franklin D. Roosevelt served the longest, over twelve years, before dying early in his fourth term in 1945. He is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms. Since the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1951, no person may be elected president more than twice, and no one who has served more than two years of a term to which someone else was elected may be elected more than once.

Four presidents died in office of natural causes (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt), four were assassinated ( Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy), and one resigned ( Richard Nixon, facing impeachment). John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency during a presidential term, and set the precedent that a vice president who does so becomes the fully functioning president with his presidency.

Throughout most of its history, American politics has been dominated by political parties. The Constitution is silent on the issue of political parties, and at the time it came into force in 1789, no organized parties existed. Soon after the 1st Congress convened, political factions began rallying around dominant Washington administration officials, such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Concerned about the capacity of political parties to destroy the fragile unity holding the nation together, Washington remained unaffiliated with any political faction or party throughout his eight-year presidency. He was, and remains, the only U.S. president never affiliated with a political party.

Presidents

In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de los Estados Unidos para niños

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
List of presidents of the United States Facts for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn List of presidents of the United States facts for kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Presidents of the United States at a glance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The President of the United States is the head of the United States government. The president decides what the government should do and also oversees many governmental…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Twinkl Teaching Resources - United States

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
List of American Presidents for Kids | Fun & Easy Presidents Guide | Twinkl USA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Great Inventors: Benjamin Franklin" by Adventure Academy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who Is Benjamin Franklin? | Learn about the life and accomplishments of Ben Franklin

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about Benjamin Franklin's biography. Inventor, scientist, statesman, and Founding Father of the United States.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Constitution for Kids audio series is designed to give the future guardians of our liberties a fun interactive introduction to the United States Constitution. The lessons are very simple. When finished, children will know: how many articles and amendments are in the Constitution, some basic concepts in each article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This file is intended for students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Other versions of this page are available:

If you have any questions about any words or ideas on this page, please ask your parents or teachers for help. Understanding the Constitution is important for all Americans, even kids!

If there is anything that could be improved on this page, please let the Webmaster know!

Want to see pictures of the Constitution, or to find coloring pages for you to color yourself? Click here!
The Basics
The law is the set of rules that we live by. The Constitution is the highest law. It belongs to the United States. It belongs to all Americans.

The Constitution says how the government works. It creates the Presidency. It creates the Congress. It creates the Supreme Court.

The Constitution lists some key rights. Rights are things that all people have just because they are alive. By listing the rights, they are made special. They are made safe. The Bill of Rights is a part of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights lists many rights of the people.
History
The Constitution was written in 1787. Yes, it is over 200 years old. We actually have old copies of what was created. We have pictures of the Constitution on this site.

In 1787, a group of men met to write the Constitution. They did not like the way the country was going. They fixed it by creating the Constitution. We call these men The Framers.

Some of the framers are very famous. George Washington was a Framer. So was Ben Franklin.

The Framers met in Independence Hall during a hot summer in Philadelphia. They had a lot of arguments. In the end, they agreed to the words in the Constitution. They knew they had to agree. If they did not agree, the fighting would keep going.

After the Framers wrote the Constitution, they asked the states to approve it. It took some time, but all the states did approve it.

Some people did not like the Constitution. Some were afraid because it did not do enough to protect the rights of the people. It had no bill, or list, of rights.

Promises were made to add a bill of rights. After the Constitution passed, the Bill of Rights was added. The Bill of Rights is the first ten changes to the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is very important. It protects important ideas. It protects your right to say what you want. It lets you think for yourself. It keeps the laws from being too hard. It gives rules for the police.

It lets you believe in God if you want. No one can tell you not to believe. It lets you gather with your friends to talk. It makes sure you can read newspapers.

The Bill of Rights also protects your home. It helps keep Americans safe. Today, we are very happy the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.
Making changes
The Constitution is not perfect. When it was written, they knew that it would have to be improved. The Framers added a way to make changes. This is called "amendment".

The Bill of Rights was actually added as a set of amendments. The Constitution has been changed 18 times since it was written. The amendments added things that the Framers didn't think of.

One amendment says that all black men can vote. Another says that all women can vote. One more says that the President can only be elected twice.

The first amendments, the Bill of Rights, were added in 1791. The last amendment was added in 1992. Lots of people have ideas for new amendments. Adding an amendment is hard - it takes lots of agreement. Maybe you have a good idea for a change to the Constitution.
How it all works
The Constitution sets up the government. It is split into three parts.

One part is the Congress. The Congress makes laws. The people elect the members of Congress.

The next part is the President. The President enforces the laws.

The last part is the Courts. The courts decide what the law means when there are questions.

All of the parts have to work together. Just like the Framers agreed on the Constitution, the parts have to agree on the laws. No part has too much power. The power is shared. This helps protect the people.

URL: //www.usconstitution.net/constkidsK.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Constitution for Kids (Kindergarten - 3rd Grade) - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This file is intended for students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Other versions of this page are available: If you have any questions about any words or ideas on this page, please ask your parents or teachers for help. Understanding the Constitution is important for all Americans, even kids!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The U.S. Constitution took effect in 1789. It is now the oldest written constitution. It has set a pattern for many other countries. Today almost all countries have written constitutions. Many have had several in their history.

One country without a written constitution is Saudi Arabia. It uses the Koran and other Islamic teachings as its highest law. The most famous example of a country without a written constitution is the United Kingdom. The British constitution is a group of laws that have built up throughout history. Its elements include the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights of 1689, laws passed by Parliament, court decisions, and other sources.

Not all constitutions come from the people of the country. For example, the United States set up the Japanese constitution of 1947 after it defeated Japan in World War II. And even the finest constitution does not guarantee that the government will follow it. Dictators, or rulers who take unlimited power, often ignore their country's constitution.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. The constitution may tell what the branches of the government are,...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the Constitution of the United States government. The framework and supreme law of the land.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
John Hancock Story | What you should know about John Hancock  | Brief Biography

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Student Made: Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who Is Betsy Ross? | The History of Betsy Ross for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Footsteps Through History: Abigail Adams" by Adventure Academy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Educational Videos for Students (Cartoons on Bullying, Leadership & More)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Watch a Mini-Biography on Samuel Adams(United States Founding Father) sharing history!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why The Boston Tea Party? | Sam Adams Explains | History Heroes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A strong attachment to the cause of independence made Samuel Adams a leader of the American Revolution. He was skilled as a politician and as a writer, and he stirred the colonists against British rule.

Samuel Adams was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 27, 1722. His second cousin was John Adams, the second president of the United States. Sam graduated from Harvard College in 1740 and soon entered local politics.

In the 1760s Adams led protests against the British, who ruled the colonies at the time. He served in the Massachusetts legislature from 1765 to 1774. In 1772 he helped organize a "committee of correspondence." This was a group that coordinated anti-British activity.

Adams was among the first to call for complete independence for the American colonies. As a member of both Continental Congresses, he said that Americans must be ready to fight. In 1776 he signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1794 Adams was elected governor of Massachusetts. He died on October 2, 1803.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A strong attachment to the cause of independence made Samuel Adams a leader of the American Revolution. He was skilled as a politician and as a writer, and he stirred the colonists against British rule. Samuel Adams was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 27, 1722.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the biography of Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons of Liberty and Founding Father during the Revolutionary War.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who was Nathan Hale? | Online History Curriculum Sample

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 - September 22, 1776) was a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for a spying mission in New York City, but was captured by the British and executed. He is probably best remembered for possibly saying before being hanged: "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." Hale has long been considered an American hero. In 1985, he was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut.

Early life and family

Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut, in 1755, to Deacon Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong, a descendant of Elder John Strong. He was a great-grandson of Reverend John Hale, an important figure in the Salem witch trials of 1692. He was also the grand-uncle of Edward Everett Hale, a Unitarian minister, writer, and activist noted for social causes including abolitionism. He was the uncle of journalist Nathan Hale, who founded the Boston Daily Advertiser and helped establish the North American Review.

In 1769, when Nathan Hale was fourteen years old, he was sent with his brother Enoch, who was sixteen, to Yale College. He was a classmate of fellow Patriot spy Benjamin Tallmadge. The Hale brothers belonged to the Linonian Society of Yale, which debated topics in astronomy, mathematics, literature, and the ethics of slavery. Nathan graduated with first-class honors in 1773 at age 18 and became a teacher, first in East Haddam and later in New London.

Intelligence-gathering mission

Hale volunteered on September 8, 1776, to go behind enemy lines and report on British troop movements. He knew it was an act of spying, punishable by death. He was ferried across the Long Island Sound to Huntington, New York, on British-controlled Long Island, on September 12. Hale planned to disguise himself as a Dutch schoolteacher looking for work, though he reportedly carried with him his Yale diploma bearing his real name.

While Hale was undercover, New York City (then the area at the southern tip of Manhattan, mostly south of what is now Chambers Street) fell to British forces on September 15, and Washington was forced to retreat to the island's north in Harlem Heights (what is now Morningside Heights). Shortly after, on September 21, a quarter of the lower portion of Manhattan burned in the Great New York Fire of 1776. The Americans accused British soldiers of starting the fires without orders from their superiors so they could sack the city. In the fire's aftermath, more than 200 American Patriots were detained by the British for questioning.

Hale was captured, too. Major Robert Rogers of the Queen's Rangers saw Hale in a tavern and recognized him. Rogers pretended to be a Patriot himself and tried to convince Hale to become a betrayer. Hale refused, and Rogers and his Rangers arrested him near Flushing Bay in Queens, New York. Another story is that Hale's cousin, a Loyalist named Samuel Hale, was the one who revealed his true identity.

Death and purported last words

According to the standards of the time, spies were hanged as illegal combatants. On the morning of September 22, 1776, Hale was marched along Post Road to the Park of Artillery, which was next to a public house called the Dove Tavern (at modern-day 66th Street and Third Avenue), and executed. He was 21 years old.

No official records were kept of Hale's final speech. It has traditionally been reported that his last words, either entirely or in part, were: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." The account of the quote originated with British Captain John Montresor, who was present at the hanging.

Because Hull was not an eyewitness to Hale's speech, some historians have questioned the reliability of this account. Over the years, there has been a great deal of speculation as to whether or not Hale specifically uttered this line, or some variant of it. It is almost certain that Hale's last speech was longer than one sentence.

The May 17, 1781, issue of the Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advertiser gave the following version: "I am so satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged, that my only regret is, that I have not more lives than one to offer in its service."

Hale's body was never found. His family erected an empty grave cenotaph in Nathan Hale Cemetery in South Coventry Historic District, Connecticut.

Statues and appearance

Statues of Hale are based on idealized archetypes; no contemporaneous portraits of him have been found. Documents and letters reveal Hale was an informed, practical, detail-oriented man who planned ahead. Of his appearance and demeanor, fellow soldier Lieutenant Elisha Bostwick wrote that Hale had blue eyes, flaxen blond hair, darker eyebrows, and stood slightly taller than the average height of the time, with mental powers of a sedate mind and piousness. Bostwick wrote:

I can now in imagination see his person & hear his voice-his person I should say was a little above the common stature in height, his shoulders of a moderate breadth, his limbs strait & very plump: regular features-very fair skin-blue eyes-flaxen or very light hair which was always kept short-his eyebrows a shade darker than his hair & his voice rather sharp or piercing-his bodily agility was remarkable. I have seen him follow a football and kick it over the tops of the trees in the Bowery at New York, (an exercise which he was fond of)-his mental powers seemed to be above the common sort-his mind of a sedate and sober cast, & he was undoubtedly Pious; for it was remark'd that when any of the soldiers of his company were sick he always visited them & usually Prayed for & with them in their sickness.

Hale has been honored with two standing images:

A statue designed by Frederick William MacMonnies was dedicated on the anniversary of Evacuation Day, November 25, 1893, at City Hall Park, New York. The statue established Hale's modern idealized square-jawed image. A copy of MacMonnies's statue stands in Williams Park in New London, Connecticut.

A statue of Hale, sculpted 1908-1912 by Bela Pratt, was cast in 1912 and stands in front of Connecticut Hall, where Hale resided while at Yale. Copies of this sculpture stand at the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts; the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry; the Connecticut Governor's Residence in Hartford, Connecticut; Fort Nathan Hale in New Haven, Connecticut; Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut; the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.; Tribune Tower in Chicago; and at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia.

Other statues/markers include:

In January 1899 a play based on Hale's life, Nathan Hale by Clyde Fitch opened at New York's Knickerbocker Theatre, where it played successfully for eight weeks. It then toured for more than a year, with 41-year-old Nat Goodwin playing Hale and Goodwin's wife Maxine Elliott playing Alice Adams.

Namesake items

The hamlet of Halesite, New York (formerly Huntington Harbor) on Long Island is named after Hale. There is a memorial plaque set into a large boulder, which was removed from the beach nearby where Hale is thought to have landed on his fateful mission.

Nathan Hale Army Depot, a U.S. Army installation, is located in Darmstadt, Germany.

Fort Nathan Hale, a Revolutionary War-era fort and historic site in New Haven, Connecticut, is named after him.

The Nathan Hale dormitory on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs, Connecticut, is named after Hale.

The Nathan Hale dormitory, traditionally a freshman girls' dorm, at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, is named after Hale.

The Nathan Hale Center at Robert Morris University, dedicated in 1971, is a classroom building located on campus.

Nathan Hale Hall is a building at Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, New York, which is home to Biology and Art Centers.

Nathan Hale Hall is a barracks building at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Nathan Hale Hall is the main academic building at Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut.

The Nathan Hale Memorial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized June 6, 1900, in East Haddam, Connecticut. The ceremony took place at the one-room schoolhouse where he once taught.

High schools named after Hale include Nathan Hale-Ray High School in East Haddam, Connecticut (where he was schoolmaster), Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington, and high schools in West Allis, Wisconsin, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Middle schools named after Hale include Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School in East Haddam, Connecticut; Nathan Hale Middle School in Norwalk, Connecticut (the departure point for his final mission); and Captain Nathan Hale Middle School in Coventry, Connecticut (his birthplace); as well as middle schools in Northvale, New Jersey; Omaha, Nebraska; Cleveland, Ohio; and Crestwood, Illinois.

There are elementary schools named after Hale in Roxbury, Boston; New London, Connecticut; Enfield, Connecticut; Manchester, Connecticut; Meriden, Connecticut; New Haven, Connecticut; Whiting, Indiana; Schaumburg, Illinois; Lansing, Illinois; Crestwood, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Carteret, New Jersey; Northvale, New Jersey; Mesa, Arizona; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The United States Navy submarine USS Nathan Hale (SSBN-623) was named in his honor.

The Nathan Hale Ancient Fife and Drum Corps from Coventry, Connecticut, is named after him and includes a division called Knowlton's Connecticut Rangers.

"Nathaniel Hale" Battalion is the name of the Battalion for Army ROTC based at the University of Connecticut, with Knowlton Company (Company A) at the University of Connecticut and Sillman Company (Company B) at Sacred Heart University.

Campsite Nathan Hale at Baiting Hollow Scout Camp, Baiting Hollow, New York.

Two early ballads attempt to recreate Hale's last speech. Songs and Ballads of the Revolution (1855), collected by F. Moore, contained the "Ballad of Nathan Hale" (anonymous), dated 1776: "Thou pale king of terrors, thou life's gloomy foe, Go frighten the slave; go frighten the slave; Tell tyrants, to you their allegiance they owe. No fears for the brave; no fears for the brave."; and "To the Memory of Capt. Nathan Hale", by Eneas Munson Sr., was written soon after Hale's death:

"Hate of oppression's arbitrary plan,
The love of freedom, and the rights of man;
A strong desire to save from slavery's chain
The future millions of the western main,
And hand down safe, from men's invention cleared,
The sacred truths which all the just revered;
For ends like these, I wish to draw my breath,"
He bravely cried, "or dare encounter death."
And when a cruel wretch pronounced his doom,
Replied, "'Tis well, - for all is peace to come;
The sacred cause for which I drew my sword
Shall yet prevail, and peace shall be restored.
I've served with zeal the land that gave me birth,
Fulfilled my course, and done my work on earth;
Have ever aimed to tread that shining road
That leads a mortal to the blessed God.
I die resigned, and quit life's empty stage,
For brighter worlds my every wish engage;
And while my body slumbers in the dust,
My soul shall join the assemblies of the just."

Munson had tutored Hale before college, and knew him and his family well, so even though the particulars of this speech may be unlikely, Munson knew first-hand what Hale's opinions were.

Images for kids

Commission of Nathan Hale, captain in the Nineteenth Regiment of foot, commanded by Colonel Charles Webb. Signed by John Hancock. January 1, 1776.

Nathan Hale as depicted in bronze (1890) by Frederick William MacMonnies at the Brooklyn Museum

In Spanish: Nathan Hale para niños

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nathan Hale: The Spy Who Loved His Country More Than His Life Part 1: Beginnings and Revolution
Nathan Ha le, the first man killed for spying for the young United States, didn't grow up thinking he'd be a spy. It just happened that way.

He was born on June 6, 1755, into a family that eventually had 12 children. He was the sixth child of Richard and Elizabeth Hale. The family home was a farm in Coventry, Connecticut.

Young Nathan grew up a "normal" boy, at least normal for that time. He was healthy and athletic. He was smart. His parents loved their new homeland.

When Nathan was 14, he went to college, as was the custom for many young boys then. He went to Yale and dreamed of being a schoolteacher. He learned quickly and graduated in just two years. Soon after, he got his dream job—teaching school.

He worked at Union Grammar School in New London, Conn. He was happy teaching school, helping youngsters learn, showing them the appreciation of learning that he had. But something inside him burned hotter than his desire to learn and to teach.

The early 1770s in America were a difficult and dangerous time. The decade had begun with the Boston Massacre and continued with the Intolerable Acts and other taxes and restrictions by Great Britain and its American colonists. The call for independence was being heeded by many, and the First Continental Congress was discussing ways of expressing the colonists' displeasure to the British government.

Strong among the call for political action was the call for military action. The Sons of Liberty became experts at doing physical things that rankled the British lawmakers and soldiers (such as the Boston Tea Party). As the number of restrictions piled up and the level of resentment came to a fever pitch, Patrick Henry was delivering his famous "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" speech and fighting was breaking out on Lexington Green.

Into all this stepped Nathan Hale, who loved his country and wanted to see it free from British restrictions. Young Nathan (for he was still relatively young at that time) joined the Connecticut militia and then the Continental Army. He wanted to fight to make sure that Americans' rights were protected.

> Page 1, Next page > Spywork and Punishment 2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nathan Hale: The Spy Who Loved His Country More Than His Life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nathan Hale: The Spy Who Loved His Country More Than His Life Part 1: Beginnings and Revolution Nathan Ha le, the first man killed for spying for the young United States, didn't grow up thinking he'd be a spy. It just happened that way.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nathan Hale was an American patriot who famously gave his life for his country. He was an officer who spied on the British during the American Revolution. The British...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who was Patrick Henry? | American History Homeschool Curriculum Sample

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry was one of the founders of the United States. His talents covered many areas, including being an excellent speaker known to inspire those that listened to him. In one of his speeches for freedom, he said: "Give me liberty, or give me death." Although an attorney by trade, Patrick Henry is one of the notable individuals in American history.

Patrick was the son of a judge and tobacco farmer and shared his home with ten brothers and sisters. Patrick went to a one-room schoolhouse and was mostly educated by his father. Patrick was only 16 when he and his brother William opened a local store. While the store failed, it gave him some good lessons.

Patrick married a young lady named Sarah Shelton, and they started a farm. Unfortunately, Patrick wasn't good at farming, and later their home burned down. It was then that Patrick and Sarah were forced to move to live with her parents.

One of Patrick's real talents was in his ability to talk about law and politics. He tapped into that interest and studied law. In 1760 he became a lawyer and had a successful business with many clients.

The colonies were still under the control of the British Crown, and everything that was done had to be approved. His local town passed a law that one of their ministers objected to and complained to the King of England. The King sided with the minister and overturned the law. Patrick took on the legal case against the Crown in the "Parson's Case," with Henry acting as attorney for the colony of Virginia. Although he won the case, he did make a name for himself by calling the King, a tyrant in court.

In 1765 the British enacted the Stamp Act, which added extra taxes on almost everything. Henry was put in the position of being a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and played a critical role in helping to get passed the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions against the Stamp Act.

Where did they live?

In 1774 Henry was elected to the First Continental Congress. This was a group of representatives from each of the colonies that were gathering to talk and plan how they would remove themselves from the control of the British. It was during this time that Henry gave his famous speech, "Give me liberty, or give me death."

It wasn't long before the colonies were involved in the Revolutionary War. Henry was appointed as a Colonel for the 1st Virginia Regiment. He led his group of militia in a fight against Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia. Dunmore was fighting against the militia and made an attempt at taking some supplies and gunpowder from Williamsburg. Henry bravely led a group of militia against Dunmore to stop him. This move was called the Gunpowder Incident.

His success as a leader allowed him to be elected in 1776 as Virginia's governor. At the time, there were only one-year terms, and Henry served quite a few of them as well as on the Virginia state legislature.

Once the war was over, there was a lot of work to be done for the new country. Henry returned to being Virginia's governor as well as working on the state legislature. Henry was against the first version of the Constitution that the founders came up with because he didn't want to see it pass without including the Bill of Rights. It is because of Henry's arguments that the Bill of Rights was amended to the Constitution.

Henry eventually retired and lived at his Red Hill plantation, where he died in 1799 of stomach cancer.

What did you learn?
What two types of work did Henry try and fail at?
opening a store and farming
What case did Henry represent the colony of Virginia and win against the British Crown?
Parson's Case
What group did Henry join with all of the other colonies to decide on how to fight the British Crown?
First Continental Congress
What is the name of the situation that Henry and his militia stopped Lord Dunmore from succeeding at?
Gunpowder Incident
Due to Patrick Henry's argument, what critical piece of legislation was added as a Constitutional Amendment?
Bill of Rights
What two political positions did Henry hold for Virginia?
governor and state legislature

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Patrick Henry was one of the founders of the United States. His talents covered many areas, including being an excellent speaker known to inspire those that listened to him. In one of his speeches for freedom, he said: "Give me liberty, or give me death."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the biography of Patrick Henry, a Founding Father during the Revolutionary War.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Common Sense (Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling" Parody) - @MrBettsClass

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thomas Paine (29 January 1737 - 8 June 1809) was an English pamphleteer, revolutionary, inventor, and intellectual. He lived and worked in Britain until he was 37, when he emigrated to the British American colonies during American Revolution. His main contribution was the powerful, widely-read pamphlet Common Sense (1776).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the biography of Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense and Founding Father during the Revolutionary War.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
History with LEGO Episode 3 - Paul Revere's Ride

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Paul Revere for Kids | American Revolutionary Hero

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about Paul Revere's famous ride of warning the patriots about the British; major event in the American Revolutionary War.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Complete George Washington (Parts 1 - 3) | History Cartoons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
George Washington (1732-1799) President of the USA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the life and achievements of the first president of the United States.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
John Hancock | The Lives of the Founding Fathers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A brief highlight on the life of John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Northwest Native American tribes are believed to have originated when they crossed over the “land bridge” that once extended between

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The American Revolution for Kids - John Hancock - American Revolution for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For Kids: “There, I guess King George will be able to read that,” John Hancock may have remarked at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. This is possibly a misquote, but legend has it he said this or something like this, which is why his signature has the largest size of any…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
John Hancock (January 23, 1737 [O.S. January 12, 1736] - October 8, 1793) was an American merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term John Hancock has become a synonym in the United States for one's signature.

Early life and career

Before the American Revolution, Hancock was one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies, having inherited a profitable mercantile business from his uncle. He began his political career in Boston as a protégé of Samuel Adams, an influential local politician, though the two men later became estranged. Hancock used his wealth to support the colonial cause as tensions increased between colonists and Great Britain in the 1760s.

He became very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seized his ship Liberty in 1768 and charged him with smuggling. Those charges were eventually dropped; he has often been described as a smuggler in historical accounts, but the accuracy of this characterization has been questioned.

Hancock was one of Boston's leaders during the crisis that led to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. He served more than two years in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and he was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence in his position as president of Congress. He returned to Massachusetts and was elected governor of the Commonwealth, serving in that role for most of his remaining years. He used his influence to ensure that Massachusetts had a treaty with the United States Constitution in 1788.

Hancock had several important jobs in Colonial America and the early United States of America. He was president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1774 and 1775. He used his money to support American independence. The British thought him a very dangerous man.

Hancock was president of the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775. He wanted to lead the Continental Army. George Washington got the job instead. With 5,000 troops, he tried to free Rhode Island from the British. He was not successful.

Hancock led the convention that adopted the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780. He was first Governor of the state Massachusetts. He served nine terms. Hancock suffered from gout in his later life. He died in 1793.

Signing the Declaration

Hancock was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed. He is primarily remembered by Americans for his large, flamboyant signature on the Declaration, so much so that "John Hancock" became, in the United States, an informal synonym for signature. According to legend, Hancock signed his name largely and clearly so that King George could read it without his spectacles, but the story is apocryphal and originated years later.

Contrary to popular mythology, there was no ceremonial signing of the Declaration on July 4, 1776. After Congress approved the wording of the text on July 4, the fair copy was sent to be printed. As president, Hancock may have signed the document that was sent to the printer John Dunlap, but this is uncertain because that document is lost, perhaps destroyed in the printing process. Dunlap produced the first published version of the Declaration, the widely distributed Dunlap broadside.

Hancock's name was printed, not signed, on the Dunlap broadside; his iconic signature appears on a different document-a sheet of parchment that was carefully handwritten sometime after July 19 and signed on August 2 by Hancock and those delegates present. Known as the engrossed copy, this is the famous document on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

When he had resigned as governor in 1785, Hancock was again elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, known as the Confederation Congress after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781. Congress had declined in importance after the Revolutionary War, and was frequently ignored by the states. Congress elected Hancock to serve as its president, but he never attended because of his poor health and because he was not interested. He sent Congress a letter of resignation in 1786.

As was the custom in an era where political ambition was viewed with suspicion, Hancock did not campaign or even publicly express interest in the office; he instead made his wishes known indirectly. Like everyone else, Hancock knew that George Washington was going to be elected as the first president, but Hancock may have been interested in being vice president, despite his poor health.

His health failing, Hancock spent his final few years as essentially a figurehead governor. With his wife at his side, he died in bed on October 8, 1793, at 56 years of age. By order of acting governor Samuel Adams, the day of Hancock's burial was a state holiday; the lavish funeral was perhaps the grandest given to an American up to that time.

Images for kids

Portrait of Hancock by John Singleton Copley, c. 1765

Dorothy Quincy, by John Singleton Copley, c. 1772

In John Trumbull's famous painting The Declaration of Independence, Hancock, as presiding officer, is seated on the right as the drafting committee presents their work

Hancock's famous signature on the stern of the destroyer USS John Hancock

John Hancock Center Entrance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
John Hancock (January 23, 1737 [O.S. January 12, 1736] - October 8, 1793) was an American merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The US General Who Was King of the Swamps - The Swamp Fox

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Francis Marion was a Revolutionary War commander known as the "Swamp Fox" for his guerrilla tactics that he employed to harass the British in the South during the last few years of the war.

Marion was born on Feb. 25, 1732, to Gabriel and Charlotte Marion, on their plantation in Berkley, S.C. Francis lived with his parents and siblings for about five years; then, the family moved to another plantation, near Georgetown, S.C.

A young lad with a thirst of adventure, Marion served aboard a schooner that sailed to the West Indies; the adventure turned all too real when a whale sank the boat, killing two of the crew. Young Francis survived being adrift in a small boat for a week and vowed to remain on land.

Like many men his age, Marion served in the British Army during the French and Indian War, for a time serving under William Moultrie. He noted with interest the tactics used by Native Americans like the Cherokee and filed the information away in case he might need it in the future.

He returned to the farm after the war and then served for a time in the South Carolina Provincial Congress. He bought his own plantation, which he called Pond Bluff, in 1773. When the Revolutionary War, Marion found himself captain of a regiment posted to Fort Sullivan, near Charleston, which he and his men built. They repulsed a British invasion, and Marion spent the next three years there. After extensive training, he and his men joined Benjamin Lincoln in the Siege of Savannah in late 1779.

The following year, Marion suffered a bizarre accident, breaking his ankle when he jumped out of a second-story window. He was not in Charleston when the British Army seized the town. Marion and several dozen other men later attacked the town and freed 150 Americans being held captive. Marion was also not with the main army when it suffered defeat at the Battle of Camden.

It was his success in the back country that earned him his fame and famous nickname, the "Swamp Fox." Employing the kind of guerrilla warfare that the Native Americans had used to great effect in the French and Indian War, Marion and his men (who came to be called the Marion Militia) would, using Snow's Island as a base, strike unsuspecting British troops and then melt into the surrounding countryside.

The Marion Militia scored small victory after small victory over their British pursuers, at one point fighting alongside Lt. Col. Henry "Light Horse" Lee. One group of soldiers, led by the infamous Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, chased Marion and his men for 26 miles through swampland without catching them. (It was Tarleton who gave Marion his moniker.)

Marion later fought under the command of Brigadier General Thomas Sumter and the overall southern commander, Nathanael Greene, at the Battle of Eutaw Springs. The British losses by this time were extensive, and the British Army pulled back to Charleston to consolidate. (They left Charleston as well, in 1782.)

He won election to the state senate and was re-elected twice. He was known for his leniency toward Loyalists. He was later named commander of Fort Johnson.

Marion's plantation was a casualty of war. He found a new home, married, and settled down. He later attended the South Carolina constitutional convention. He died at 63 in 1795.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Francis Marion was a Revolutionary War commander known as the "Swamp Fox" for his guerrilla tactics that he employed to harass the British in the South during the last few years of the war. Marion was born on Feb. 25, 1732, to Gabriel and Charlotte Marion, on their plantation in Berkley, S.C.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
(1732?-95). Called "the swamp fox," Francis Marion was one of the boldest and most dashing figures of the American Revolution. Again and again the British were prevented from subduing South Carolina because of the guerrilla warfare waged against them by Marion's men.

Francis Marion was born in South Carolina, probably in St. John's Parish, Berkeley County, in about 1732. When he was about 27, he served in expeditions against the Cherokee Indians. In 1775 he was a member of the South Carolina provincial congress, and when this congress voted money for raising troops he was made a captain. In 1779, by then a lieutenant colonel, he led his regiment in an attack on British positions in Savannah, Ga.

In 1780, taking refuge in forest and swamp, he became the terror of the British in the section around Charleston, S.C. His force, known as Marion's Brigade, ranged from a mere handful to several hundred men. When the enemy was least expecting it, the brigade would dash out, capture a detachment of British troops or rescue a band of American prisoners, and move swiftly back into hiding. Colonel Banastre Tarleton, the British commander, gave him his nickname when he said that it was impossible to catch the old "swamp fox." In the closing months of the South Carolina campaign, as brigadier general of the militia, he cooperated with General Nathanael Greene to win final victory.

In 1781, before the close of the war, Marion was elected to the state senate and served several terms in his later years. As a reward for his war service, the state legislature appointed him commander of Fort Johnson at a generous salary. He married his wealthy cousin Mary Esther Videau in 1786. Marion went to the state constitutional convention in 1790. He died on Feb. 26, 1795, in St. John's.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
(1732?-95). Called "the swamp fox," Francis Marion was one of the boldest and most dashing figures of the American Revolution. Again and again the British were prevented from subduing South Carolina because of the guerrilla warfare waged against them by Marion's men. Francis Marion was born in South Carolina, probably in St.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
This Place in History: Ethan Allen's Cave

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who was Ethan Allen? | American History Homeschool Curriculum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ethan Allen (January 21, 1738 [O.S. January 10, 1737] - February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga early in the Revolutionary War. He was the brother of Ira Allen and the father of Frances Allen.

Allen wrote accounts of his exploits in the war that were widely read in the 19th century, as well as philosophical treatises and documents relating to the politics of Vermont's formation. His business dealings included successful farming operations, one of Connecticut's early iron works, and land speculation in the Vermont territory. Allen and his brothers purchased tracts of land that became Burlington, Vermont. He was married twice, fathering eight children.

Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut Colony, the first child of Joseph and Mary Baker Allen, both descended from English Puritans. The family moved to the town of Cornwall shortly after his birth due to his father's quest for freedom of religion during the Great Awakening. As a boy, Allen already excelled at quoting the Bible and was known for disputing the meaning of passages. He had five brothers (Heman, Heber, Levi, Zimri, and Ira) and two sisters (Lydia and Lucy). His brothers Ira and Heman were also prominent figures in the early history of Vermont.

The town of Cornwall was frontier territory in the 1740s, but it began to resemble a town by the time that Allen was a teenager, with wood-frame houses beginning to replace the rough cabins of the early settlers. Joseph Allen was one of the wealthier landowners in the area by the time of his death in 1755. He ran a successful farm and had served as town selectman. Allen began studies under a minister in the nearby town of Salisbury with the goal of gaining admission to Yale College.

First marriage and early adulthood

By most accounts, Allen's first marriage was unhappy. His wife was rigidly religious, prone to criticizing him, and barely able to read and write. In contrast, his behavior was sometimes quite flamboyant, and he maintained an interest in learning. Nevertheless, they remained together until Mary's death in 1783. They had five children together, only two of whom reached adulthood.

Allen and his brother Heman went to the farm of a neighbor whose pigs had escaped onto their land, and they seized the pigs. The neighbor sued to have the animals returned to him; Allen pleaded his own case and lost. Allen and Heman were fined ten shillings, and the neighbor was awarded another five shillings in damages. He was also called to court in Salisbury for inoculating himself against smallpox, a procedure that required the sanction of the town selectmen.

Allen met Thomas Young when he moved to Salisbury, a doctor living and practicing just across the provincial boundary in New York. Young taught him a great deal about philosophy and political theory, while Allen shared his appreciation of nature and life on the frontier with Young. They eventually decided to collaborate on a book intended as an attack on organized religion, as Young had convinced Allen to become a Deist. They worked on the manuscript until 1764, when Young moved away from the area taking the manuscript with him. Allen recovered the manuscript many years later, after Young's death. He expanded and reworked the material, and eventually published it as Reason: the Only Oracle of Man.

New Hampshire Grants

A few of the holders of Wentworth grants were from northwestern Connecticut, and some of them were related to Allen, including Remember Baker and Seth Warner. In 1770, a group of them asked him to defend their case before New York's Supreme Court. Allen hired Jared Ingersoll to represent the grant-holder interest in the trial, which began in July 1770 and pitted Allen against politically powerful New York grant-holders, including New York's Lieutenant Governor Colden, James Duane who was prosecuting the case, and Robert Livingston, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who was presiding over the case. The trial was brief and the outcome unsurprising, as the court refused to allow the introduction of Wentworth's grants as evidence, citing their fraudulently issued nature. Duane visited Allen and offered him payments "for going among the people to quiet them". Allen denied taking any money and claimed that Duane was outraged and left with veiled threats, indicating that attempts to enforce the judgment would be met with resistance.

Many historians believe that Allen took these actions because he already held Wentworth grants of his own, although there is no evidence that he was issued any such grants until after he had been asked to take up the defense at the trial. He acquired grants from Wentworth to about 1,000 acres (400 ha) in Poultney and Castleton prior to the trial.

Green Mountain Boys

On Allen's return to Bennington, the settlers met at the Catamount Tavern to discuss their options. These discussions resulted in the formation of the Green Mountain Boys in 1770, with local militia companies in each of the surrounding towns. Allen was named their Colonel Commandant, and cousins Seth Warner and Remember Baker were captains of two of the companies. Further meetings resulted in creating committees of safety; they also laid down rules to resist New York's attempts to establish its authority. These included not allowing New York's surveyors to survey any land in the Grants, not just land owned through the Wentworth grants. Allen participated in some of the actions to drive away surveyors, and he also spent much time exploring the territory. He sold some of his Connecticut properties and began buying land farther north in the territory, which he sold at a profit as the southern settlements grew and people began to move farther north.

Friction increased with the provincial government in October 1771, when Allen and a company of Green Mountain Boys drove off a group of Scottish settlers near Rupert. Allen detained two of the settlers and forced them to watch them burn their newly constructed cabins. In response, New York Governor William Tryon issued warrants for the arrests of those responsible, and eventually put a price of £20 (around £3.3k today, or $4.4k) on the heads of six participants, including Allen. Allen and his comrades countered by issuing offers of their own.

The situation deteriorated further over the next few years. Governor Tryon and the Green Mountain Boys exchanged threats, truce offers, and other writings, frequently written by Allen in florid and didactic language while the Green Mountain Boys continued to drive away surveyors and incoming tenants. Most of these incidents did not involve bloodshed, although individuals were at times manhandled, and the Green Mountain Boys sometimes did extensive property damage when driving tenants out. By March 1774, the harsh treatment of settlers and their property prompted Tryon to increase some of the rewards to £100.

Onion River Company

Allen joined his cousin Remember Baker and his brothers Ira, Heman, and Zimri to form the Onion River Company in 1772, a land-speculation organization devoted to purchasing land around the Winooski River, which was known then as the Onion River. The success of this business depended on the defense of the Wentworth grants. Early purchases included about 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) from Edward Burling and his partners; they sold land at a profit to Thomas Chittenden, among others, and their land became the city of Burlington.

The outrage of the Wentworth proprietors was renewed in 1774 when Governor Tryon passed a law containing harsh provisions clearly targeted at the actions of the "Bennington Mob". Vermont historian Samuel Williams called it "an act which for its savage barbarity is probably without parallel in the legislation of any civilized country". Its provisions included the death penalty for interfering with a magistrate, and outlawing meetings of more than three people "for unlawful purposes" in the Grants. The Green Mountain Boys countered with rules of their own, forbidding anyone in the Grants from holding "any office of honor or profit under the colony of N. York".

Allen spent much of the summer of 1774 writing A Brief Narrative of the Proceedings of the Government of New York Relative to Their Obtaining the Jurisdiction of that Large District of Land to the Westward of the Connecticut River, a 200-page polemic arguing the position of the Wentworth proprietors. He had it printed in Connecticut and began selling and giving away copies in early 1775. Historian Charles Jellison describes it as "rebellion in print".

Westminster massacre

Revolutionary War

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

On the afternoon of May 9, Benedict Arnold unexpectedly arrived, flourishing a commission from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. He asserted his right to command the expedition, but the men refused to acknowledge his authority and insisted that they would follow only Allen's lead. Allen and Arnold reached an accommodation privately, the essence of which was that Arnold and Allen would both be at the front of the troops when they attacked the fort.

The troops procured a few boats around 2 a.m. for the crossing, but only 83 men made it to the other side of the lake before Allen and Arnold decided to attack, concerned that dawn was approaching. The small force marched on the fort in the early dawn, surprising the lone sentry, and Allen went directly to the fort commander's quarters, seeking to force his surrender. Lieutenant Jocelyn Feltham was awakened by the noise, and called to wake the fort's commander Captain William Delaplace. He demanded to know by what authority the fort was being entered, and Allen said, "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" Delaplace finally emerged from his chambers and surrendered his sword, and the rest of the fort's garrison surrendered without firing a shot. The only casualty had been a British soldier who became concussed when Allen hit him with a cutlass, hitting the man's hair comb and saving his life.

Raids on St. John

On the following day, a detachment of the Boys under Seth Warner's command went to nearby Fort Crown Point and captured the small garrison there. On May 14, following the arrival of 100 men recruited by Arnold's captains, and the arrival of a schooner and some bateaux that had been taken at Skenesboro, Arnold and 50 of his men sailed north to raid Fort St. John, on the Richelieu River downstream from the lake, where a small British warship was reported by the prisoners to be anchored. Arnold's raid was a success; he seized the sloop HMS Royal George, supplies, and a number of bateaux.

Allen, shortly after Arnold's departure on the raid, decided, after his successes at the southern end of the lake, to take and hold Fort St. John himself. To that end, he and about 100 Boys climbed into four bateaux, and began rowing north. After two days without significant food (which they had forgotten to provision in the boats), Allen's small fleet met Arnold's on its way back to Ticonderoga near the foot of the lake. Arnold generously opened his stores to Allen's hungry men, and tried to dissuade Allen from his objective, noting that it was likely the alarm had been raised and troops were on their way to St. John. Allen, likely both stubborn in his determination, and envious of Arnold, persisted.

When Allen and his men landed above St. John and scouted the situation, they learned that a column of 200 or more regulars was approaching. Rather than attempt an ambush on those troops, which significantly outnumbered his tired company, Allen withdrew to the other side of the river, where the men collapsed with exhaustion and slept without sentries through the night. They were awakened when British sentries discovered them and began firing grapeshot at them from across the river. The Boys, in a panic, piled into their bateaux and rowed with all speed upriver. When the expedition returned to Ticonderoga two days later, some of the men were greatly disappointed that they felt they had nothing to show for the effort and risks they took, but the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point proved to be important in the Revolutionary War because it secured protection from the British to the North and provided vital cannon for the colonial army.

Promoting an invasion

Following Allen's failed attempt on St. John, many of his men drifted away, presumably drawn by the needs of home and farm. Arnold then began asserting his authority over Allen for control of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Allen publicly announced that he was stepping down as commander, but remained hopeful that the Second Continental Congress was going to name "a commander for this department ... Undoubtedly, we shall be rewarded according to our merit". Congress, for its part, at first not really wanting any part of the affair, effectively voted to strip and then abandon the forts. Both Allen and Arnold protested these measures, pointing out that doing so would leave the northern border wide open. They both also made proposals to Congress and other provincial bodies for carrying out an invasion of Quebec. Allen, in one instance, wrote that "I will lay my life on it, that with fifteen hundred men, and a proper artillery, I will take Montreal". Allen also attempted correspondence with the people of Quebec and with the Indians living there in an attempt to sway their opinion toward the revolutionary cause.

On June 22, Allen and Seth Warner appeared before Congress in Philadelphia, where they argued for the inclusion of the Green Mountain Boys in the Continental Army. After deliberation, Congress directed General Philip Schuyler, who had been appointed to lead the Army's Northern Department, to work with New York's provincial government to establish (and pay for) a regiment consisting of the Boys, and that they be paid Army rates for their service at Ticonderoga. On July 4, Allen and Warner made their case to New York's Provincial Congress, which, despite the fact that the Royal Governor had placed a price on their heads, agreed to the formation of a regiment. Following a brief visit to their families, they returned to Bennington to spread the news. Allen went to Ticonderoga to join Schuyler, while Warner and others raised the regiment.

Allen loses command of the Boys

When the regimental companies in the Grants had been raised, they held a vote in Dorset to determine who would command the regiment. By a wide margin, Seth Warner was elected to lead the regiment. Brothers Ira and Heman were also given command positions, but Allen was not given any position at all in the regiment. The thorough rejection stung; Allen wrote to Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull, "How the old men came to reject me I cannot conceive inasmuch as I saved them from the incroachments of New York."

The rejection likely had several causes. The people of the Grants were tired of the disputes with New York, and they were tired of Allen's posturing and egotistic behavior, which the success at Ticonderoga had enhanced. Finally, the failure of the attempt on St. John's was widely seen as reckless and ill-advised, attributes they did not appreciate in a regimental leader. Warner was viewed as a more stable and quieter choice, and was someone who also commanded respect. The history of Warner's later actions in the revolution (notably at Hubbardton and Bennington) may be seen as a confirmation of the choice made by the Dorset meeting. In the end, Allen took the rejection in stride, and managed to convince Schuyler and Warner to permit him to accompany the regiment as a civilian scout.

On September 24, he and Brown, whose company was guarding the road between St. John's and Montreal, met at Longueuil, and, according to Allen's account of the events, came up with a plan in which both he and Brown would lead their forces to attack Montreal. Allen and about 100 men crossed the Saint Lawrence that night, but Brown and his men, who were to cross the river at La Prairie, did not. General Carleton, alerted to Allen's presence, mustered every man he could, and, in the Battle of Longue-Pointe, scattered most of Allen's force, and captured him and about 30 men. His capture ended his participation in the revolution until 1778, as he was imprisoned by the British. General Schuyler, upon learning of Allen's capture, wrote, "I am very apprehensive of disagreeable consequences arising from Mr. Allen's imprudence. I always dreaded his impatience and imprudence."

Imprisonment

Much of what is known of Allen's captivity is known only from his own account of the time; where contemporary records are available, they tend to confirm those aspects of his story.

Allen was first placed aboard HMS Gaspée, a brig anchored at Montreal. He was kept in solitary confinement and chains, and General Richard Prescott had, according to Allen, ordered him to be treated "with much severity". In October 1775, Gaspée went downriver, and her prisoners were transferred to the merchant vessel Adamant, which then sailed for England. Allen wrote of the voyage that he "was put under the power of an English Merchant from London, whose name was Brook Watson: a man of malicious and cruel disposition".

In January 1776, Allen and his men were put on board HMS Soledad, which sailed for Cork, Ireland. The people of Cork, when they learned that the famous Ethan Allen was in port, took up a collection to provide him and his men with clothing and other supplies. Much of the following year was spent on prison ships off the American coast. At one point, while aboard HMS Mercury, she anchored off New York, where, among other visitors, the captain entertained William Tryon; Allen reports that Tryon glanced at him without any sign of recognition, although it is likely the New York governor knew who he was. In August 1776, Allen and other prisoners were temporarily put ashore in Halifax, owing to extremely poor conditions aboard ship; due to food scarcity, both crew and prisoners were on short rations, and scurvy was rampant. By the end of October, Allen was again off New York, where the British, having secured the city, moved the prisoners on-shore, and, as he was considered an officer, gave Allen limited parole. With the financial assistance of his brother Ira, he lived comfortably, if out of action, until August 1777. Allen then learned of the death of his young son Joseph due to smallpox.

According to another prisoner's account, Allen wandered off after learning of his son's death. He was arrested for violating his parole, and placed in solitary confinement. There Allen remained while Vermont declared independence, and John Burgoyne's campaign for the Hudson River met a stumbling block near Bennington in August 1777. On May 3, 1778, he was transferred to Staten Island. Allen was admitted to General John Campbell's quarters, where he was invited to eat and drink with the general and several other British field officers. He stayed there for two days and was treated politely. On the third day Allen was exchanged for Colonel Archibald Campbell, who was conducted to the exchange by Colonel Elias Boudinot, the American commissary general of prisoners appointed by General George Washington. Following the exchange, Allen reported to Washington at Valley Forge. On May 14, he was breveted a colonel in the Continental Army in "reward of his fortitude, firmness and zeal in the cause of his country, manifested during his long and cruel captivity, as well as on former occasions," and given military pay of $75 per month. The brevet rank, however, meant that there was no active role, until called, for Allen. Allen's services were never requested, and eventually the payments stopped.

Vermont Republic

Return home

Following his visit to Valley Forge, Allen traveled to Salisbury, arriving on May 25, 1778. There he learned that his brother Heman had died just the previous week and that his brother Zimri, who had been caring for Allen's family and farm, had died in the spring following his capture. The death of Heman, with whom Allen had been quite close, hit him quite hard.

Allen then set out for Bennington, where news of his impending return preceded him, and he was met with all of the honor due to a military war hero. There he learned that the Vermont Republic had declared independence in 1777, that a constitution had been drawn up, and that election had been held. Allen wrote of this homecoming that "we passed the flowing bowl, and rural felicity, sweetened with friendship, glowed in every countenance". The next day he went to Arlington to see his family and his brother Ira, whose prominence in Vermont politics had risen considerably during Allen's captivity.

While Allen's service as a judge in Vermont was brief, he continued to ferret out Tories and report them to local Boards of Confiscation for action. He was so zealous in these efforts that they also included naming his own brother Levi, who was apparently trying to swindle Allen and Ira out of land at the time. This action was somewhat surprising, as Levi had not only attempted to purchase Allen's release while he was in Halifax, but he had also traveled to New York while Allen was on parole there and furnished him with goods and money. Allen and Levi engaged in a war of words, many of which were printed in the Connecticut Courant, even after Levi crossed British lines. They would eventually reconcile in 1783.

Early in 1779, Governor Clinton issued a proclamation stating that the state of New York would honor the Wentworth grants, if the settlers would recognize New York's political jurisdiction over the Vermont territory. Allen wrote another pamphlet in response, entitled An Animadversory [sic] Address to the Inhabitants of the State of Vermont; with Remarks on a Proclamation under the Hand of his Excellency George Clinton, Esq; Governor of the State of New York. In typical style, Allen castigated the governor for issuing "romantic proclamations ... calculated to deceive woods people", and for his "folly and stupidity". Clinton's response, once he recovered his temper, was to issue another proclamation little different from the first. Allen's pamphlet circulated widely, including among members of Congress, and was successful in casting the Vermonters' case in a positive light.

In a dispatch to Clinton from Westminster, two prisoners from New York sentenced after Allen's intervention pleaded with the governor to free them from being at "the disposal of Ethan Allin [] which is more to be dreaded than Death with all its Terrors."

In 1779, Allen published the account of his time in captivity, A Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen's Captivity ... Containing His Voyages and Travels, With the most remarkable Occurrences respecting him and many other Continental Prisoners of Observations. Written by Himself and now published for the Information of the Curious in all Nations. First published as a serial by the Pennsylvania Packet, the book was an instant best-seller; it is still available today. While largely accurate, it notably omits Benedict Arnold from the capture of Ticonderoga, and Seth Warner as the leader of the Green Mountain Boys.

Negotiations with the British

Later years

As the war had ended with the 1783 Treaty of Paris, and the United States, operating under the Articles of Confederation, resisted any significant action with respect to Vermont, Allen's historic role as an agitator became less important, and his public role in Vermont's affairs declined. Vermont's government had also become more than a clique dominated by the Allen and Chittenden families due to the territory's rapid population growth.

In 1782, Allen's brother Heber died at the relatively young age of 38. Allen's wife Mary died in June 1783 of consumption, to be followed several months later by their first-born daughter Loraine. While they had not always been close, and Allen's marriage had often been strained, Allen felt these losses deeply. A poem he wrote memorializing Mary was published in the Bennington Gazette.

In these years, Allen recovered from Thomas Young's widow, who was living in Albany, the manuscript that he and Young had worked on in his youth and began to develop it into the work that was published in 1785 as Reason: the Only Oracle of Man. The work was a typical Allen polemic, but its target was religious, not political. Specifically targeted against Christianity, it was an unbridled attack against the Bible, established churches, and the powers of the priesthood. As a replacement for organized religion, he espoused a mixture of deism, Spinoza's naturalist views, and precursors of Transcendentalism, with man acting as a free agent within the natural world. While historians disagree over the exact authorship of the work, the writing contains clear indications of Allen's style.

The book was a complete financial and critical failure. Allen's publisher had forced him to pay the publication costs up front, and only 200 of the 1,500 volumes printed were sold. (The rest were eventually destroyed by a fire at the publisher's house.) Allen took the financial loss and the criticism in stride, observing that most of the critics were clergymen, whose livelihood he was attacking.

Second marriage

The notable exception to this was when land was claimed by the Connecticut-based owners of the Susquehanna Company, who had been granted titles to land claimed by Connecticut in the Wyoming Valley, in an area that is now Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The area was also claimed by Pennsylvania, which refused to recognize the Connecticut titles. Allen, after being promised land, traveled to the area and began stirring up not just Pennsylvania authorities but also his long-time nemesis, Governor Clinton of New York, by proposing that a new state be carved out of the disputed area and several counties of New York. The entire affair was more bluster than anything else, and was resolved amicably when Pennsylvania agreed to honor the Connecticut titles.

Allen was also approached by Daniel Shays in 1786 for support in what became the Shays's Rebellion in western Massachusetts. He was unsupportive of the cause, in spite of Shays's offer to crown him "king of Massachusetts"; he felt that Shays was just trying to erase unpayable debts.

In his later years, independent Vermont continued to experience rapid population growth, and Allen sold a great deal of his land, but also reinvested much the proceeds in more land. A lack of cash, complicated by Vermont's currency problems, placed a strain on Fanny's relatively free hand on spending, which was further exacerbated by the cost of publishing Reason, and of the construction of a new home near the mouth of the Onion River. He was threatened with debtors' prison on at least one occasion, and was at times reduced to borrowing money and calling in old debts to make ends meet.

Allen and his family moved to Burlington in 1787, which was no longer a small frontier settlement but a small town, and much more to Allen's liking than the larger community that Bennington had become. He frequented the tavern there, and began work on An Essay on the Universal Plenitude of Being, which he characterized as an appendix to Reason. This essay was less polemic than many of his earlier writings. Allen affirmed the perfection of God and His creation, and credited intuition as well as reason as a way to bring Man closer to the universe. The work was not published until long after his death, and is primarily of interest to students of Transcendentalism, a movement the work foreshadows.

On February 11, 1789, Allen traveled to South Hero, Vermont with one of his workers to visit his cousin, Ebenezer Allen, and to collect a load of hay. After an evening spent with friends and acquaintances, he spent the night there and set out the next morning for home. While accounts of the return journey are not entirely consistent, Allen apparently suffered an apoplectic fit en route and was unconscious by the time they returned home. Allen died at home several hours later, without ever regaining consciousness. He was buried four days later in the Green Mount Cemetery in Burlington. The funeral was attended by dignitaries from the Vermont government and by large numbers of common folk who turned out to pay respects to a man many considered their champion.

Allen's death made nationwide headlines. Although most obituaries were positive, a number of clergymen expressed different sentiments. It is not recorded what New York Governor Clinton's reaction was to the news.

Allen's widow Fanny gave birth to a son, Ethan Alphonso, on October 24, 1789. She eventually remarried. Allen's two youngest sons went on to graduate from West Point and serve in the United States Army. H.M. Allen was the 7th graduate, a member of the Class of 1804, and served until 1813. E.A. Allen was the 22nd graduate, a member of the Class of 1806, and served until 1821. His daughter Fanny achieved notice when she converted to Catholicism and entered a convent. Two of his grandsons were Henry Hitchcock, Attorney General of Alabama and Ethan Allen Hitchcock, served as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Reportedly General Hitchcock strongly resembled his famous grandfather. Two of Henry Hitchcock's sons were Henry Hitchcock and Ethan Allan Hitchcock.

Disappearance of his grave marker

Sometime in the early 1850s, the original plaque marking Allen's grave disappeared; its original text was preserved by early war historian Benson Lossing in the 1840s. The inscription read:

In 1858, the Vermont Legislature authorized the placement of a 42-foot (13 m) column of Vermont granite in the cemetery, with the following inscription:

The exact location within the cemetery of his remains is unknown. While there is a vault beneath the 1858 cenotaph, it contains a time capsule from the time of the monument's erection. According to the official 1858 report on the Ethan Allen monument, the funeral of Ethan Allen had taken place within Green Mount Cemetery; however the reason his remains had not been found at his memorial plaque {tablet} was because "... by the fact that some twenty years since, the dead of the Allen family had been arranged in a square enclosed by stone posts and chains, by Herman Allen, the nephew of Ethan Allen, and this tablet, then lying upon a dilapidated wall of brick work, was reconstructed with cut stone work, and it is presumed that, as a matter of convenience in giving a regular form to the enclosure, was removed some feet from its original position ..." It was thus apparent it was actually a cenotaph tomb reconstruction that Benson Lossing sketched and presumed to be the actual tomb of Ethan Allen in his 1850 "The Pictorial Field-book of the Revolution".

Likenesses

No likenesses of Allen made from life have been found, in spite of numerous attempts to locate them. Efforts by members of the Vermont Historical Society and other historical groups through the years have followed up on rumored likenesses, only to come up empty. Photographs of Allen's grandson, General Ethan Allen Hitchcock, are extant, and, Hitchcock's mother said that he bore a strong resemblance to her father. The nearest potential images included one claimed to be by noted Revolutionary War era engraver Pierre Eugene du Simitiere that turned out to be a forgery, and a reference to a portrait possibly by Ralph Earl that has not been found (as of Stewart Holbrook's writing in 1940).

Allen's final home, on the Onion River (now called the Winooski River), is a part of the Ethan Allen Homestead and Museum. Situated in Burlington, Allen's homestead is open for viewing via guided tours.

Two ships of the United States Navy were named USS Ethan Allen in his honor, as were two 19th-century fortifications: a Civil War fort in Arlington County, Virginia and a cavalry outpost in Colchester and Essex, Vermont. The Vermont Army National Guard's facility in Jericho, Vermont is called the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site. A statue of Allen represents Vermont in National Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol. A city park in the Montreal borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve commemorating his capture bears his name.

The Spirit of Ethan Allen III is a tour boat operating on Lake Champlain. Allen's name is the trademark of the furniture and housewares manufacturer, Ethan Allen Inc., which was founded in 1932 in Beecher Falls, Vermont. The Ethan Allen Express, an Amtrak train line running from New York City to Burlington, Vermont, is also named after him.

The Ethan Allen School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

In Spanish: Ethan Allen para niños

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ethan Allen was a patriot and a soldier. He won an important early victory in the American Revolution. Allen led a band of fighters called the Green Mountain Boys against the British at Fort Ticonderoga, in what is now New York.

Ethan Allen was born on January 21, 1738, in Litchfield, Connecticut. In 1757 he fought in the French and Indian War. In 1762 Allen became an ironworker. Several years later he moved to what is now Vermont.

Vermont was not a separate colony at the time. New Hampshire and New York both claimed the territory. To aid the New Hampshire side in the dispute, Allen organized the Green Mountain Boys. (The name of Vermont comes from the French words for "green mountain.") After the start of the American Revolution, the group fought the British.

On May 10, 1775, the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga. Later that year Allen was captured by the British during an unsuccessful attack on Montreal, Canada. He was released in 1778. The Army then made him a colonel, but he fought no more in the war.

Allen spent his later years trying to make Vermont a state. New York still wanted the territory for itself and interfered with his efforts. After the war Allen even talked with the British about making Vermont part of Canada. This hurt his reputation as an American patriot. He died on February 12, 1789, in Burlington, Vermont.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ethan Allen was a patriot and a soldier. He won an important early victory in the American Revolution. Allen led a band of fighters called the Green Mountain Boys against the...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Flag Day: Betsy Ross, George Washington, and More! S5 E24

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Legend says that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag of the United States in 1776. The flag was known as the Stars and Stripes.

Elizabeth, or Betsy, Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended a Quaker (a type of Christian) school. She married John Ross in 1773. The couple worked together in an upholstery business that he started. John died in 1776.

There is no solid proof that Betsy Ross sewed the first U.S. flag. But most people accept the following story as true. In 1776 a secret committee of three people, including George Washington, asked Ross to sew a flag. The flag was to have 13 stars and 13 stripes, to stand for the 13 American colonies. Ross suggested that the stars have five points instead of six, as Washington had chosen. Ross then made the flag at her house. Whether this story is true or false, in 1777 the United States accepted the Stars and Stripes as its new flag.

Ross married and then lost two more husbands. She continued with her upholstery business until she was 75. She died in Philadelphia on January 30, 1836.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Legend says that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag of the United States in 1776. The flag was known as the Stars and Stripes. Elizabeth, or Betsy, Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended a Quaker (a type of Christian) school. She married John Ross in 1773.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Abigail Adams | Mrs. President | History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was the First Lady of the United States in 1796. Her marriage to John Adams thrust her into the spotlight of the American people.

Unlike Martha Washington, Abigail was opinionated and had beliefs against slavery, believed in equal rights for men and women, and thought that everyone deserved an education.

One of Abigail's and John's six children was John Quincy Adams, who later became President of the United States.

It is thanks to the over one thousand letters shared between John and Abigail that we have learned so much about what was happening on the front lines during the Revolutionary War.

Where did they live?

Born in 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts, her father was a minister, and only her two brothers went to school.

Abigail's mother taught her to read and write, and Abigail used her father's extensive library to self-educate.

This experience led to frustration and her later argument for women's rights.

Marrying John Adams

When John Adams and Abigail met, he was a country lawyer. She loved his sense of humor, and he admired her wit and intelligence. Over the years, the couple had six children with two dying very young.

By 1768 the family relocated to Boston during the tense time between the colonies and the British Empire. John chose to become involved in the growing revolution, and in 1775 he was selected to attend the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, PA. In the same year, the American Revolutionary War started.

John was away from home for much of the time, and Abigail made all of the decisions in the family and home care, including finances, taking care of their farm, and ensuring that the children were educated.

During part of the war, she was only twenty miles away from part of the battles, and she hid some of the soldiers that were escaping in her home as well as donated her kitchen utensils for them to melt for musket balls.

Abigail and John Adams were known to be devoted to each other, and during the separation of war, they never stopped writing letters to each other.

Once the war was over, John Adams went to Europe to work for Congress. Abigail decided to take her daughter Nabby and go to Paris. During her trip to Europe, Abigail met Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. She liked Jefferson and did not like Franklin. Later Abigail went to London and met the King of England.

Once Abigail and John returned home, it didn't take long before George Washington selected John as Vice President in 1788. Abigail advised John of her thoughts on many political topics.

By 1796, John Adams was elected president, and Abigail became the First Lady. Abigail was friends with Martha Washington, but unlike Martha, Abigail had set political opinions.

She was worried that people wouldn't like her and continuously concerned about saying the wrong thing.

Equal Rights

Abigail was a staunch supporter of equal rights for women and people of color, against slavery, and fought for the right of all to be educated.

John always looked to Abigail for a woman's point of view on many subjects.

Retirement

Abigail and John retired to Quincy, Massachusetts, and by 1818 Abigail came down with typhoid fever, which killed her.Advertisement

She didn't live long enough to see her son. John Quincy Adams become president.

Facts about Abigail Adams

Born in 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusett

Her nickname as a child was "Nabby".

Abigail and her sisters were homeschooled

She married John Adams on October 25, 1764

She was the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States

John and Abigail exchanged over 1100 letters

She was an early women's rights, advocate

Abigail died on October 28, 1818, in Quincy, Massachusetts

Her Son John Quincy Adams became president in 1825

What did you learn?
What were three of the political beliefs held by Abigail Adams?
Against slavery, equality for all, everyone should be educated
What was Abigail Adams' big concern about being First Lady?
Her political opinions and that they might upset people
How did Abigail Adams become educated?
Her mother taught her to read and write and she used her father's library to educate herself
What do we give John and Abigail credit for in learning about the front lines of the Revolutionary War?
The over 1,000 letters that they exchanged
What is the name of Abigail's son that went on to become president?
John Quincy Adams
How many children did John and Abigail have?
Six

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Abigail Adams was the First Lady of the United States in 1796. Her marriage to John Adams thrust her into the spotlight of the American people. Unlike Martha Washington, Abigail was opinionated and had beliefs against slavery, believed in equal rights for men and women, and thought that everyone deserved an education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the biography of Abigail Adams, First Lady with John Adams and human rights activist. Mother of John Quincy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Constitution Facts for Kids | Classroom Social Studies Lesson

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
History Brief: The First Continental Congress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The  Declaration School House Rock   Copy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kid President’s Sleepover Under The Declaration of Independence!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How a Bill Becomes a Law | Kids Discover Online