Fifteen years old is where you're at in your life. You live in a small town near Boston; it's 1778. As you run down the rocky gravel paths, you see the fiery red blob marching around with guns and riding on their horses. There is fear in your mind as you think of all the possible things they would do to you and your family if they found out that you were patriots. All of a sudden you see one of the Redcoats spot you, "One over there!" a soldier shouts. You sprint as fast as you can because you know that they are going to catch up with you at some point. You decide to jump into the nearest bush, and pray to god that they won't find you. Your heart starts to beat faster and faster with every foot step that crosses your path. Gun shots roar, people scream, dogs howl. Hours later you see the soldiers in canoes riding back up the river; until tomorrow that is. As you run back to your house, you hope that your family is still alright. But you’re not too sure of that, especially when there are bodies everywhere, houses burned to the ground, and everything out of place. You finally reach the spot of your home to see ashes of what used to be your house, scattered everywhere. That's not even the part you feared most, and sadly your fears are becoming reality. Your mother has an arrow through her throat, your father shot, and even your baby brother; dead. You fall to the ground in sobs, wondering why it couldn't have been you and not them. Your mother was an excellent homemaker, and your father was one of the bravest people you had ever come across. Even Joey, your little brother had a long life to still live; how could these people be this cruel? You knew you had to do something about it, you had to fight back in order to defend your family. But how could you when women weren't allowed to fight? In the novel, Hannah Pritchard Pirate of the Revolution by Bonnie Pryor, a girl named Hannah has lost all of her family to the redcoats and now knows that she now must do something to help win The American Revolution. Even if that means becoming a cabin boy on a pirate ship for a couple of months.
To begin, Hannah Pritchard is a fifteen year old girl who has just lost everything she's ever had; her friends, her house, her clothes and even her family. She is a Patriot and the king of England doesn't want anyone around that isn't on his side. Now with nothing left, she is angry with this whole war and wants to get involved. But women are too weak and are unintelligent to help out, and men are just so wonderful and can do anything they want to do. We all know that is not what most people think now but back then, most everyone had that opinion. Men were just superior to women for no reason at all. That's when Hanna Pritchard knew what she needed to do; become a boy for awhile. Now with a bandana on her head, and a gun sash around her waist, Hannah is ready to become a pirate of the revolution.
We are fortunate enough that in today's world women are allowed to fight and help out in the Army, Marines, Navy and even the Air force. But way back when, women were not allowed to fight in the war, they could only be nurses. This was in some way good because they might have been trying to protect the women, but the main reason was because they didn't think the women were intelligent enough or strong enough to handle war. That is not really a fair opinion in my thought considering that studies show more women graduating from high school and college than men. And war doesn’t only take strength, it takes intelligence too. “It will keep youngsters engaged as they learn about history and of a determined orphan who become a pirate for her country during the Revolutionary War. Young girls will find a strong female character to identify with, as they learn that women made history during the war, as well as, the men.” Was said in a review by a school teacher; she thought that this book also showed that women are very strong when given the chance. This review talked about the intelligence Hannah had to use when she changed her identity, “Hannah eventually makes her way to a privateer ship, where she disguises herself as a boy and works in the kitchen. She has many high-seas adventures while helping to steal loot in the name of the patriots' cause, all the while struggling to keep her identity a secret.”
The American Revolution was one of the most historical events in the history of The United States. It involved the British red coats and the Colonists of America. The colonists were fighting for their freedom from England, but it was going to be a long tough battle. It all started in 1775 when the king of England kept putting taxes on tea and many other items, and wanted to keep control of the colonists even when they were overseas. The colonists didn’t want to put up with that anymore and decided to fight for what they believed in; one nation united together. The colonists had no experience and barely any weapons, when on England’s side, they had a lot of experience and many weapons. You’d think that the British would win by a long shot, right?
To conclude, the colonists got their way and started one great nation that we call the United States of America. If the British would have won, who knows what the world would be like today. We might have a king instead of a president, be part of England instead of The United States, and we wouldn’t have nearly as much freedom as we do now. The Americans winning the war was one of the best things that could have possibly happened for America. And we should be grateful to all the brave men who risked their lives for the people of today.
Bibliography
Reviews, A. E. (2008, March 4). Amazon Edtorial Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from Amazon Edtorial Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Pritchard-Revolution-Historical-Adventures/dp/0766028518
Loesch, G. (2008, August 15). Amazon Book Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Pritchard-Revolution-Historical-Adventures/product-reviews/0766028518
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