America Revolution Diary Entry

1. America RevolutionDiary Entry Character: Jonathan Lewis Writer: Nicholas Heath

2. Entry 1 Boston Troops Firing on Citizens March 6th 1770 Jonathan Lewis It was only a yesterday that British troops fired upon colonist citizens. I was just a lad working on the crop fields in New Jersey coming to sell my crops. I came up on my horse wagon with my crops and saw a mob brewing up as more and more colonist joined. In the mob there was one of my friends, and the mob was screaming “Taxation without Representation”, and “fire if you dare”. As I was unloading my crops and getting my small profit the mob had picked up snowballs and were firing it at the British troops. More and more British troops came to protect the tax collection. There were more than 1,000 British troops there. At about 9 a.m., I heard gunfire go off. The British troops had fired upon citizens. The mob scattered from the firing, and I could see five bodies go down. I quickly got in my wagon and went back to my farm where my family was waiting for me. I told them about what had happened, that British troops fired upon civilians. My father and mother were both colonists from England, and they supported the king. They started asking me to tell them more. I already knew that parliament was putting more taxes on the colonist because of the French and Indian War. The next day I worked the fields and did my chores. I went to see my friend to see if he was fine. I knocked on the door and his father came out. I asked about what happened to Thomas? He told me that he died fighting in the mob. Tension was building up with the colonist and the British. The Parliament and King George III was making all these laws in which we must pay more money. We were being treated as second class citizens. No one that was in American wanted this. I hated the British because I knew how I would see my father stressed out from the extra taxes. I could remember the screaming of the colonist, how the firing by the troops killed their own kind. It was brother fighting brother, and I could see the fear in the eyes of the citizens. All of America all wanted one thing, to be free. The British would not let us. The British wanted to make money, not to make a new country. How many more must die until we got our freedom? I wonder what it was like for each side? Did the British troops want to fire on citizens, or did they wish to do it for their homeland? It was only yesterday that my friend Thomas died. Just yesterday 5 were killed. Just yesterday family’s hearts were broken.

3. Entry 2 Militia fighting British troops Jonathan Lewis June 15th, 1775 It has been five years that I last wrote and five years since the Boston Massacre took place. Also, that was the time and place my friend Thomas had died. I am now 35 years old living with my girlfriend in New Jersey I only knew her for a couple of mouths. The American Revolution has begun with the first shots at Lexington and Concord. Every one was surprised to see these two armies coming to kill each other. Even more surprising was how well the Militiamen fought on that day. There has been another Continental Constitution to talk about Great Britain. They had made it so that we would be totally separate from Great Britain. Its Different from the first Continental Constitution because this will determine if we continue with the revolution. Twelve of the Thirteen Colonies were present in this Constitution. Georgia was were not presented in the first or second Constitution. This war felt like a civil war with people now choosing sides. Every one is scared of the British; patriots have joined the army and loyalists has fled to Britain. Some have run all the way to Canada and some stayed in cities that the British controlled. Many have fled the cities that they thought were going to be battleground. Even my family has fled down south to escape the British control. Since most of the tension was in the north, my family thought that most of the battles would be fought there. Even though the new change of location, it was hard for us I stayed behind. The First Constitution Congress had the Declaration of Independence, and the Second Constitution Congress that had the total separation of England, so are now independent. We have something to fight for to. We must make sure we keep our independents and to make sure that we can defend it. The Constitution has ordered a Continental army to be formed. They will call for any man who is willing to fight for America. I joined just yesterday and the Continental army now has 20,000, men ready for duty. I hope that we get our independents and can be free from Great Britain. How I remember my family. How we used to gather the crops and tend to the field. Also, the taxation without representation that enslaved us all was very unfair. I remember how I would just be a boy working in the field and having fun with my family. I feel that my life is slipping away with my family in the south and the British killing off colonists. Loyalist have joined the British army or fled to Canada. Patriots have joined the Continental army and fled to the south. But many American feel like we have hope against the British. The army is 20,000 men strong and growing. I do not see how we can lose this war.

4. Entry 3 George Washington and his men crossing the Delaware River Journal Entry 3 Dec. 27th, 1776 As many seasons had passed since I was last in Charlestown where I signed up for the army. It was with great sadness that I heard that Charlestown was taken under the command of General Cornwallis. Many had fled the city and some left to work at their plantations down in the south. In the north, our campaign has been only defeat. Our numbers have dropped from when independence was first at hand. My good friend Jeff died at the battle of Long Island; his death was hard to bear. How I wish to go back to the simple, life just having fun and working hard in the cornfield. Our men were slaughtered without mercy by the German Hessians no mercy was found by them. However, just yesterday we won a surprising victory under GeorgeWashington. The Battle of Trenton was that victory, and we have learned that other a few men had died in that battle. The Battle of Trenton was where we fought in heroic fashion. I remember me killing two Hessians on that day. With 2,000 men and 18 artillery pieces we won against what we feared the Hessians. We were at the west bank of the Delaware River and the enemy was at the east bank. It started at 5:00p.m. where we had crossed the river. Our plan was to attack the enemy at nighttime, but it turned out we were delayed and had to attack the Hessians at daytime. As soon as I reached the other side, I was ordered to scout the area for citizens so they wouldn’t go and alarm the Hessians. I found about 5 people, mostly farmers and lovers in the night wandering around. As soon as I came back to the little outpost where more men was arriving I was tried. We didn’t start marching until 3:00a.m. when all our men and artillery was across the river we marched 3 miles to Trenton. We didn’t attack until 8:00a.m. We attacked and from two sides, I was with General Washington’s men. On the other side was General Knox and two of my closest friends. As we ransacked the town, I could hear General Washington saying, “Stay with your officers men For God’s sake stay with your officers” After the Battle of Trenton we saw that we had won, and we had lost few men and had few injures. We captured 1,000 prisoners, and the commander of that army died that day. At the town we got whatever we could find: food cloth and more artillery. As soon as we took every thing we could we had to cross over again. I was tired just as many others in this army. I was very light headed. We had won the day and hopefully there will be many more victories battles like this.

5. Entry 4 The Continental Army fighting the British Red Coats at the Battle of Yorktown Jonathan Lewis Diary Entry 4 October 20th, 1781 America was free at last. Cornwallis’ men just surrendered yesterday, and the war is shining on the Americans. The British were trapped between our forces and the French. We began our siege on Yorktown and our long lost friends the French had finally come and to block the port of Yorktown. I am now 41 years old and a captain in the Continental Army. I control 120 men who are ready to fight for America. Since my last entry on the Battle of Trenton we have gained more men to fight. By the time we attacked Yorktown, we had 8,000 men, 6,000 more men than the Battle of Trenton. When the siege had started my men were ordered to guard the coastline. The Continental Army had covered one side of Yorktown and on the other side were the French. The artillery fired at the town as our men marched in. The French had blocked the port of Yorktown with about 29 ships. 3,100, militia had joined the fight to support us. 8,800 men were French. We had about 19,000 men attack Yorktown. There was a small fort on the other side of Yorktown that my men were going to attack. We were picked up by the French ships and were sent to attack the fort with two other French armies. The fort there was a joke! Why did we have to attack the fort? it was cannon fodder for our men. As the siege keep on going the British troops were getting destroyed. There were attempts to attack the town, but it was better to siege the town. I was sent back to the battleground of Yorktown with my men as soon as we took the fort. Cornwallis knew he had lost, and he had surrender. Cornwallis lost his honor and could never reclaim it. He told his commander to give his sword away because he would go to Britain with no honor. Much cheering was going on as the terms of surrender were being signed. America was finally free from British taxation. We had won the day, and British troop were know being recalled. We had won and because of the celebration, I had married my girlfriend Sarah. It was before the Battle of Yorktown that I got married. I only wonder what will happen to America know with out the help of Great Britain.

6. Entry 5 The three branches of America Jonathan Lewis Diary Entry 5 September 28th, 1787 It has been seven years since I wrote in my diary and since we got our freedom from Great Britain. I know 47 years old. This is my last and final entry that I will be writing because the war was over, and I wish to tell what is happening now. The America’ Constitution has just begun to see what our future will hold. After the war ended, we signed a treaty of peace with the French. I now own the plantation that my father owned, and I am now living with my wife. We have three boys and 2 girls; my father and my mother had died because of old age. I have stored my weapons and army cloth in a chest so that I would never remember the blood shed of the war. The loyalists that were still in America are scared of living here. After the war in 1781 Britain signed a peace treated with America. We live in safety now and I ask the question about what America would come to. The army is still is in uniform so that we have some sort of defense. We were given our pay after the war and were sent home to live our lives. I remember how the Continental army hated the Hessians forces. We would say that the Hessians and Britain have no honor. They fight for profit, but I learned at the end that we all fight for profit. The rest of the world was waiting for America to crumble, but we will show them what we can do. George Washington gave up his position as General and went to his simple life, but he was elected to be the 1st president of America for four years. King George III said he was a great man. On September 27th 1787, the Constitution was adopted. It was created because the Articles of Confederation had many problems. It didn’t clearly state the laws of America. The Constitution needed to talk about what America will do now: What new rules will be put to force. We need a fair government for the people to bring equality to the people. I was there at the Constitution, and they asked every one to see what they would want in America. The Constitution made three branches. Of government; one to make the rules and laws, one that will lead America the laws and one to interpret laws everything in America. The loyalists have run away from America. Some had fled to Canada and some had fled to Britain. I would think that they left because they were scared about how powerful America has gotten. Cowards is what I would call to them. They’re enemies that should be sent to jail or even killed. We had our own trade with other countries; we had started our own government, our own system. We could live with each other as equal men, and most importantly, we were now free. America is now its own nation.

7. Sites http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/revolutionarywartimeline.htm Copy Right 2004American Revolution for studentsCreating a New Nation http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss5/b/effrevwarl.cfm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trenton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yorktown http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Continental_Congress http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Massacre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution

8. Photo sites Photo in Slide 2 http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamericanimages/events1.html Photo in Slide 3 http://cpwv.org/2011/04/19/the-battles-of-lexington-concord/ Photo in Slide 4 http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-trenton.htm Photo in Slide 5 http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/patriots-storm-the-redcoats-at-yorktown Photo in Slide 6 http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/chuck-schumers-three-branches-of-government-no-longer-includes-judiciary-video/