American Revolution and Jack Peterson By: Mickey Vavala 8-4.

American Revolution and Jack Peterson

By: Mickey Vavala 8-4

Who am I?• Hi there, my name is Jack Peterson. I am a 26 year old soldier. I may look

really tough on the outside, but on the inside, I was the exact opposite of that. I was a very shy man, but once it came to war, I had to be the loudest out of the bunch.

• I am a very busy man, not only with his war, but also with his personal things. However, after always being busy more than ever, I still find some time to write some things in my journal. It meant the world to me.

• My family members had all died, and so the only friend I had was my diary. I always wrote on my dairy, and everyday, I wanted to write for at least 10 minutes IF I was alive.

• There were many obstacles that I had to pass in the war. There were many, many wars still to come, and I didn’t even know what to expect. All I had to do is hope that I could stay alive. There were many obstacles in life that I had to pass, but could I do so until the war would finally end?

The Boston Massacre (March 6th 1770)

• Life is getting pretty insane now, and it kept getting worse and worse. Now that I think about it, I wonder... How did this whole thing start in the first place? I’ll tell you how...

• It was 1765, the year of the Stamp Act. The Parliament (King George) decided that it was time to create the whole new Great Britain. Many things had to be modified, and the stamp act was one of them. King George proposed to add a tax to letters that were being sent, this way, it was the Parliament that got rich, and the citizens that got poor. Believe it or not the people were furious. It even got a tiny bit out of control, therefore it was time for Britain to grit their teeth and get to action.

• It was dawn. I was in my office in England. All of a sudden, there were our inbox was filled of telegrams. What could have happened now? Could it have been the Americans again? Complaining about the darn taxes? As I approached the mailbox, I opened the telegram and it was from the Bostonians. The letter said:

• “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”.

Boston Massacre Continued• All of them were arguing about the taxes. There was too much going on and Boston right now

was becoming very wild. They were too poor to pay all of these taxes.

• Our boss was furious. He didn’t want to hear any more complaints from Boston, therefore the next morning; he sent me and a few other soldiers to change the way that the Bostonians thought about the taxes being raised.

• As we approached Boston, there were many problems. We had been welcomed in a very brutal manner. As soon as we came in Boston, the citizens all came out of their houses with snowballs and sticks. As they approached us, I could tell from their faces that they wanted war. As I told them to stop at once, an ice ball struck me in the face. As I cell to the ground unconscious, I thought it was the end. Luckily, a few moments later, my senses came back to me.

• As I woke up, we were all still ready to fire. Our boss told us in the beginning not to fire because it was totally damage our country reputation. However, as the patriots came closer and closer to us, we began to open fire.

• It was a massacre, and a bit one too. However, there was still something that we could say. Firstly, it wasn’t our fault that THEY attacked first. Those stupid patriots attacked us first and THEY were the ones who forced us to fire. Our boss was furious.

• As he wiped a tear off his face he said: “I never gave the signal”

The Declaration of Independence (July 4th 1776)

• You people won’t believe it, but the case just got even worse. The people wanted independence. They continued to argue and they were still not happy. They wanted independence.

• I have to admit, that I wasn’t that happy also... Honestly, I didn’t want to work for Britain. I wanted independence as much as all the other people. We were all fairly angry. Why would us Americans work for Britain in the first place? We wanted independence. How would it be given to us if no one was going to care?

• America wanted independence, we ALL did. We were always talking to the prime minister about it. In the end, it was the whole United States screaming for independence. At last, our voices had been heard and on July 4, 1776, the continental congress had finally adopted independence. The 13 colonies had split up. By doing so, The United States of America was born. We regarded each other as independent states now and that's why we had to watch out. America however, was now no longer part of the British Empire, and that was a good thing. We were all celebrating. The United States of America had finally been created! Now, we could finally work for our own country and not for the darn British! I was so happy and so were the other citizens.

The Declaration of Independence Continued• The leader John Adams constantly pushed for independence and on July 2, a

committee had drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when congress voted on independence. Thomas Jefferson was a great writer, one of the best in America. Adams had been trying to persuade him to write the original draft of the document. Jefferson wrote it so well that the government had said yes to independence.

• Life had gotten better now that we were all back together fighting for the new United States of America. We were all proud of Jefferson because of what he wrote.

• We wanted to be independent and not fight for the British Empire. We had finally come to an end saying that we were finally fighting for our own country, and not BRITAIN.

• Us soldiers were very proud and surprisingly so were the patriots. It was hard work for all of us, but in the end, independence had finally struck in saving all of us.

• Fighting for our own country not only made us proud, but it also made us soldiers get a lot more confidence in ourselves since we weren’t fighting for Britain anymore, but we were fighting for our OWN country (The United States of America).

• It was all a new generation for us soldiers and patriots, America had United once and for all and now, all that needed to happen was hope for the best, and FIGHT FOR AMERICA.

The Battle of Trenton (December 26 1776)

• Us citizens were all very happy about the whole new Declaration of Independence; however, life had just gotten real again... The British had gone to Trenton to gain the land. We couldn’t allow them to do such a thing! As we heard they were making their way to Trenton, we quickly decided to call reinforcements. The British had brought their soldiers and the Navy... The French had quickly come to America, and as Britain had come to Yorktown we surrounded them. It was a plan straight out of the cookbook. This was all thanks to George Washington. He was the one that planned all of this. We treated him like a king or a god. He did so many good things for America that we had lost count.

• We decided that our plan was going to be hide and shoot. This was going to be the best plan for all of us not only because we had more people, but so we could kill more of their people in a faster manner. As we approached them quickly, we had to not be seen. If we were seen, our plan was going to be destroyed.

• The war had finally begun after the British had opened fire. After they did so, we knew that we had to fight back. It took 8,000 men to die before the British had surrendered.

• I swear, it felt exactly like the Boston war. As soon as we stepped on the land of Trenton, everyone came up to us with ice balls. They continued and continued throwing them, but luckily, they didn’t have the right arm of a pitcher.

Battle of Trenton Continued• Eventually one of us was going to get hit, and it wasn’t me this time! One of my

friends George got his in the arm. With anger, I grabbed my golden shotgun and fired at 20 citizens. I had only killed two, and there were 18 injured. After that however, there was no way that we would stop. We decided to keep going and as we progressed, we captured more and more citizens to work for US and leave America. In the end, we had done everything we could in Trenton, and so, we ended up with capturing 918 citizens to be exact. This was a might increase for us, and it definitely did us good! Not only did it tell America to watch out, but it told US that we sometimes could as well grab some citizens to work for us.

• I couldn’t believe it! America had finally took revenge from the Boston Massacre thanks to George Washington, and we showed Great Britain what we are made of! We were all insanely happy, and so was George Washington. We had given Britain a great lesson and it was an amazing thing to watch. George Washington had changed history, he had promised America for a victory, and it was granted. America didn’t win a war for AGES, and now, finally, thanks to George Washington, the dream of America had finally come true.

The Battle of Yorktown (October 19th 1781)

• After defeating the British, life had gotten better for us, and a bit worse for them. Now, we were two different countries so why would we care in the first place? However, there were going to be more wars to come, and who would expect when? Life was peaceful back then, the war hadn’t made its way for about five years now. It felt like heaven right now, everything was going the way it was supposed to be, until something was needed to happen in Yorktown, and OUR American help was needed. The story was basically like this: when the French Navy had finally defeated the British Navy in September 1781, the British at Yorktown couldn't receive reinforcements or be evacuated by sea. This was a huge problem for the British and they could do nothing about it. This meant that once they were in trouble, the reinforcements could not make their way to Yorktown.

• This was our chance to shine... Once the French had told us what had happened, we quickly both gathered our navies so that it would become America and France against the one and only Great Britain. We were making our way to Yorktown, knowing that victory was going upon us. We were lead by the best leader in America: George Washington. He was a man that gathered and lead the army to success every single war he was in. His tactics were amazing and everyone was happy with him in charge.

The Battle of Yorktown Continued• Anyways the French and us had quickly gone to Yorktown again to try to defeat Britain once and for- ‐

all. We wanted to end the war, and we were the ones that wanted to finish in charge. George Washington’s plan was to play smart. Britain had 1,400 men in charge, and we had a massive 2,400. We wanted to make them surrender slowly... So that we could make them feel as much pain as they never felt in their lives...

• As we were approaching Yorktown, Washington’s plan was to sneak up on Yorktown, and then eventually surround the whole Yorktown with the French and the American Navy combined. This way, Yorktown wouldn’t stand a single chance against us.

• We were making our way to Yorktown as quietly as panthers... We quickly started going around Yorktown. Some went to the West, some to the East, some to the North, and some to the South. This way, we were 100% sure that we were going to surround Yorktown once and for- all. We had finally ‐surrounded Yorktown, and now, the only thing that we could do, is wait for the mighty George Washington’s signal. All of a sudden, we heard these three words: FIRE, FIRE, FIRE. We knew that it was George Washington, and a second later, we were already firing our artillery at Washington like maniacs. Everything was exploding but Britain was not going to give up that easily. It was pretty hard for them. They kept losing men. More and more men were dying, but Britain didn’t care. They wanted to fight to the end. As a matter of fact, it took 4,000 men to die, to confirm the signal to Britain that they had to surrender. It was a tough war. Tougher than any other, but now, it was all over, and we had one. As we all celebrated we all hailed god, George Washington, and THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

The Articles of Confederation (March 1st, 1781)

• The war had finally finished. We were happy and confused at the same time... After the battle of Yorktown a whole new government was formed. After the battle of Yorktown, America wanted to establish new laws.

• Right now, the war was finally over, however, the new government had just begun. All of us didn’t really know what was going on in our hometown; therefore, we wanted George Washington to help us out.

• Since all the different states had now started to work independently on their own lives, this caused the government to become weak. This was because it began to ran out of ideas on how to work the city.

• America had finally began seeing this happen therefore, The U.S. Constitution had established America’s national government and fundamental laws to the citizens. George Washington was the president, and it was thanks to him that the government and the fundamental laws were established. On September 17, 1787, the constitution of Philadelphia had finally established the Constitution Convention.

• Man, I was feeling very weird in these past few days. I mean, I was glad about the war and everything, but once it came to this darn government and the whole America in general, everything was just confusing and it was all getting out of hand,

• with all the taxes and the letters being sent everywhere. America just needed to do one thing: GET THEIR HEADS TOGETHER.

The Articles of Confederation Continued

• America was trying more and more, and finally, in 1787, there was a convention. The delegates wanted to create some sort of different plans. They wanted to earn a stronger and more federal government than what they had right now, and in order to do so, they needed to obtain these three main things: branches- - executive, legislative ‐ ‐ and judicial- - along ‐ ‐with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power.

• There was also needed to be some sort of Bill of Rights. This basically meant that something was going to be reassured. For example, one good Bill of Right that could’ve happened for us right now would be the darn freedom of speech! I mean look at America! No one ever bothers to listen to our voice; no one cares what we think. We seriously needed freedom of speech. Another one would be freedom of religion. People should not be judged because their Muslims or because their Buddhists. People are all the same and they all need to be treated equally.

• Luckily, in 1791, all of these different traits had come together. It was sort of like the 10 commandments. There were a few rules that were meant to be followed in the United States. By following these rules, this could lead the Americans to success. As a matter of fact, it DID in the end! All the people were happy not only because the war was over, but also because America had finally been lead to success once and for all.

• Well dear Diary, I guess this is all I have for my life at the moment. The past is all gone now, only between you and me. I have gotten over very hard moments with you, but now, I think that America has finally done it. Finally, once and for- all, we were FREE. ‐

Conclusion Paragraph 1• The war was finally over, and everyone was happy the way they

were. Great Britain had finally been sent back to where they came from, and America had finally reunited the 13 states again. All of these events that occurred before the America was put together were just unforgettable. One of the most famous ones and the most main one was the Boston Massacre. So many people were killed, and this event changed the whole United States of America. This event was the one that made America rebel against the British Parliament and this is what caused the whole war to start. After this event America had finally gained independence. They wanted to work alone and not for the British Parliament. This event occurred 56 delegates and Thomas Jefferson drafted them all.

Conclusion Paragraph 2

• When it comes to the war however, not everything went as well as it was hoped for the most part... America had sometimes collapsed and they ran out of tactics. This caused them to lose a lot of wars. After this event occurred, many of the citizens’ hope was lost. However, life was not done yet. Hope was just around the corner when George Washington became in charge. He had leaded his troops in an amazing manner with very efficient and effective tactics. This led his troops to victory many times and it had gave the citizens a lot of confidence. After this confidence was given to the citizens they began to be very happy about the war and happy about America.

Conclusion Paragraph 3• In conclusion, every single country in this world gets a lot of war,

and nothing can be done about it. Many people want to gain a lot of land and a lot of food. This is the reason why war occurs in the first place. The reason why war occurs is because every wants these three things: Food, Land and Shelter. Everyone wants these things. Right now, many things are happening right now, many wars are happening and its getting insanely out of control. There are many wars in Syria, Afghanistan and especially Iraq. Many people want all of these three traits and it always gets out of control. The war is over, my dear diary. You have been my best friend for the past many years... But now, that the war is over, its time for me to say goodbye. As I slowly closed my diary, I gave it a grin, and a little teardrop. It was time for the future to come, and now, I was on my own...

Bibliography• BOSTON MASSACRE• www.bostonmassacre.net/plot/• www.ushistory.org/us/9e.asp

• DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE• www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/ • www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/

declaration_transcript.html•

Bibliography 2• THE BATTLE OF TRENTON• www.britishbattles.com/battle-trenton.htm• www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/trentondef.htm• www.history.com/topics/battles-of-trenton-and-princeton• BATTLE OF YORKTOWNwww.britishbattles.com/battle-yorktown.htm www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-yorktown-begins www.exploresouthernhistory.com/yorktown.html

Bibliography 3

• ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION• www.ushistory.org/documents/

confederation.htm• www.usconstitution.net/consttop_arti.html• www.constitutionfacts.com

/us-articles-of-confederation/•