Learning From Our Past

President's day

2012-02-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I haven't been doing my blog, but I have been busy. Well I have a few fun facts on the first , second , and third presidents. I got this info from some flash cards that I have.

George Washington:

Born on February 22,1732
Died December 14,1799
Terms of office: April 30,1789-March 3,1797
His father and brother educated him
Turned down the offer of being king to America
Married a wealthy widow and helped raise her children from a previous marriage
Served as commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War
The only president to be elected unanimously

John Adams:

Born October 30,1735
Died July 4,1826
Term of office: March 4,1797- March 3,1801
opposed unfair british taxes
Helped to write Declaration of Independence in 1776
Also helped Write Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783
Was the first vice president and served under the first president, George Washington
Was the first president to live in the White House
He died 50 years after signing the Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson:

Born April 13,1743
Died July 4,1826
Terms of office: March 4,1801-March 3,1809
Founded the University of Virginia
Was governor of Virginia
He designed his own home, Monticello
He invented a type of copying machine
He is known as the father of the Declaration of Independence
Bought Louisiana from Napoleon which doubled the size of the United States
He sent Louis and Clark on their famous expedition
He was a politician, educator, architect, inventor, musician, and a writer.

These facts are from the Brighter Child, U.S. Presidents. Please comment on which president you thought was the most interesting. Thank You.

Christmas in Williamsburg, VA

2011-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

My mom and I recently went to Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg,VA for a few days. Colonial Williamsburg is one of my mom's favorite places in the world. It is like stepping back in time. While we were there we went on a christmas decoration tour. I was fascinated by how they figured out what might have been on the doors of Colonial Virginian's houses. We learned that if you had apples, pineapples or some type of imported goods, it showed wealth. The only thing was the colonials would never put fruit like apples and pineapples on their doors. They would put them on the table as a center piece in order to show their prosperity.

Ladies would have tiny Lady apples so they could nibble politely. Wealthy women would never eat a normal size apple because it would be impolite to open their mouth wide.

I took a bunch of photos on the tour. Here is a collage of modern Williamsburg doors that are interpretations of how the doors would be decorated.

You can go back in time too by visiting Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum. Be sure to stay in one of the colonial houses to feel like you are in 1775.

Thanksgiving Fun Fact

2011-11-21T17:24:00.000-08:00

I have been researching for a while and I could only find one thing and here it is...

Did you know that 45 million turkeys are sold on Thanksgiving, but that is only one sixth of the turkeys that are sold through out the year.

Maybe someone can comment some questions and answers and I will post them. Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-14T16:44:00.001-08:00

Since thanksgiving is coming soon I decided to write about the first thanksgiving. Check back in a few days to read some thanksgiving fun facts. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah Becomes Madame CJ Walker

2011-10-22T09:07:00.001-07:00

Then Sarah got married to Charles Joseph Walker in 1905. After a few years they divorced but she kept the name Madame CJ Walker.

Soon Sarah's hair products business took off. It was a small business called Madame C.J. Walker's Manufacturing Company. Sarah donated money to Frederick Douglas and the Tuskegee Institute. She travelled to the Caribbean and Latin America to promote her business and teach her hair care methods. In 1917, she constructed and estate called Villa Lewaro in Irvington On Hudson New York. Sarah was one of the richest African Americans and women of her time. Madame C. J. Walker named her first beauty school Lelia College. Sadly Sarah died in 1919 at the age of 51. Madame Walker help to prove men and women were equal. She showed that a women could run a million dollar company and invent many products.

Fun Fact: My Dad grew up in Irvington On Hudson. It is a town close to New
York City.

Madame CJ Walker

2011-10-02T14:31:00.001-07:00

Madame CJ Walker was born December 23rd, 1867 with the name of Sarah Breedlove. She was an African American and the first person in her family to be born free. Her family lived in a dirt floor shack when she was born on a plantation in Delta, Loiusiana. Her family and the Burney family were sharecroppers but the Burney family owned the cotton fields. By five years olds she worked on the plantation in the cotton fields for 12 hours per day. Soon the long hours in the sun started to damage Sarah's hair. Sarah became determined to put a stop to her hair loss with home remedies and began experimenting.

At the age of 14 , she married Moses McWilliams. When she was 18 years old, they had a baby named Lelia. In 1887, when Sarah was 20 years old, Moses McWilliams was killed by a lynch mob. Some people think Moses was killed because Sarah supported an anti-lynch mob organization. The organization raised money to help stop lynching. Now despite her sorrow Sarah now had to find a way to support herself and her young child.

Help me choose who to post about next

2011-09-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry. I had a lot of homework the past few weeks. I also have very busy weekends with soccer games and other stuff. I will be doing famous women this month. I will need your help to decide who to post about next. Should I do Eleanor Roosevelt, Madame C.J. Walker, Mary Todd Lincoln,or Queen Elizabeth the first ?

Virginia: A Williamsburg Tale Part 3

2011-09-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

“I’m running away. I have brought all my treasures.” Annabella sobbed. “You have to hide me and promise you won’t tell anyone I am here.”

Annabella then had something I have never seen before. “Whose necklace is that?” I said.

“It is my Grandmother Katharina’s necklace. She passed away last year and she gave this to me before she died,” Annabella said.

“I am very sorry,” I said with feeling.

Then one tear rolled down Annabella’s red cheek. “I think it is time for us to go to work. I could sneak you out of my house without anyone seeing you,” I said I opened the window. The blazing hot air of the day started to rush into my bedchamber from outside. I quickly grabbed Annabella. “Out the window,” I declared. Annabella leaned out the window and saw a wooded ladder. She sighed and got on the ladder. As soon as she got to the ground, I got on the ladder. Half was down the ladder, I heard something. It sounded like a shriek that had come from the front yard. Instead of climbing down the rest of the ladder, I jumped. “Stay hidden,” I demanded. I ran to the front yard and I saw my sister Kate lying on the ground as pale as snow. “Kate… Kate!” I yelled. I started to panic. Then my mother Mary ran out the door panting like a dog.

“What is going on?” she managed to ask.

“Kate,” I mumbled. “I thought I saw Kate’s mouth move. Kate!” I screamed happily. Kate looked up. She slowly got up and hugged me. She told me she was bitten by a bee and had fainted. Then Mary carried her daughter Kate into the house.

The air smelled like many different pastries. I ran to the backyard and grabbed Annabella. We dashed down the path to the seamstress shop. Annabella and I help the seamtress to sew dresses on the weekends. “That’s strange the shop is closed,” Annabella exclaimed. So we walked around the town for hours. Then we snuck home. We ate some dried meat and apples in my room. Then we fell asleep in my cozy bed to dream about the day.

Days went by and we did the same things. Then one day we saw a sign on the door of the seamstress shop that said, “I am very sorry for my absence. I am going on a voyage to England with my daughter Mary to see my ill mother. Sincerely, Ann Calie.” Then I walked with Annabella for two hours until Annabella spotted something and started to burst into tears. “Annabella, what’s wrong?” I asked.

She pointed to a sign that said… “My thirteen year old daughter Annabella Kane has gone missing. She is female 5’4”, hair color brown. If anyone finds who I just described please bring her to the store Kane and Co. and ask for Mr. Kane. Once you return her to me then I will give you fifty dollars as a reward.”

Annabella finally said, “You should return me to my father. He will give you the fifty dollars. He won’t care who returns me. He just wants me back safe.” It was late, so I brought her back the next day to Mr. Kane. He proudly gave me the fifty dollars. Then Mr. Kane gave Annabella a hug and walked with her into his counting room. Williamsburg was back to normal.

The End

Virginia: A Williamsburg Tale - Part 2

2011-09-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping on the slim trees of the governor’s green. The sun looked like a golden slice across my face. It looked liked it was going to be another hot Virginia day. I sat up, rubbing my sleepy blue eyes and peered across the room. Something made me feel different like something bad was going to happen today. I jumped out of bed, got dressed and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Right when I was about to take a shiny red apple I heard a loud knock at the door. I slowly walked over and opened the door. My friend Annabella grabbed my arm and dragged me all the way to her house.

We ran up the stairs of her house and into her bedchamber. Then I tried to slip my wrist out of her grip. Finally she let go. “Why were you holding onto my arm so tightly” I questioned her.

“I have something to show you,” she yelled excitedly. “Wait right here I will go grab it from downstairs.”

As Annabella came to the place where she had to turn to get down the rest of the stairs, she heard her father say, “Harry punched another boy today.” Annabella gasped under her breath. “Annabella let him out of her sight again. So now she has to watch him all the time.” Her father boomed at her mother, “I will also pay that that Getty girl to keep an eye on him.”

By what Annabella just overheard, she almost screamed, “No! I will not look after my brother and my best friend Virginia Getty will not keep on eye on us not even if she gets paid.” But she quietly turned around and walked up the stairs.

“Virginia may I stay at your house tonight?” Annabella asked. Her usually beautiful face was covered with red blotches and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“Of course,” I said.

Then Annabella ran over to me. While she was hugging me tightly she said, “Thank you.” Annabella gathered her things in a cloth bag and said, “Let’s go out the window.” We climbed out the window and into the bustling streets of Williamsburg.

“I know a quicker way to my house,” I said. We started down the Duke of Gloucester Street. We stopped at a big opening surrounded by trees and tall plants.

“Do you really know where you are going?” Annabella asked.

“Yes, here is a path that should lead us to the woods by the governor’s green,” I said. Taking the path we finally arrived at my house. Annabella bolted into my room and onto my bed.

Then she cupped her hands and placed her face on them. Annabella looked at her cloth bag, leaning against her pillow and opened it. She got up holding seven dresses, seven shifts and four aprons. Then she got out two pairs of shoes, two ear caps, six pairs of socks and six garters. She shoved them all into my empty drawer on the very bottom of my dresser. “Why are you unpacking so much for one night?” I asked.

To be continued....

A Williamsburg Tale - Part 1

2011-09-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy few weeks. We were in the Bahamas when the hurricane Irene hit and then it took us two days to get home. Irene hit my town and knocked out the power. Luckily we were still away and our house had power when we returned. Unfortunately 60% of our town is still without power and my internet/phone is not always working. Right now the internet is working so I thought I would quickly post a historical fiction story I wrote for school. It is long so I will be posting it over several days.

Virginia: A Williamsburg Tale

By Michaela

Hello, I am Virginia Getty from Williamsburg, VA and I would like to tell you about the warm summer of 1774 when I was thirteen. I was just the right size for my age. I had long golden brown hair that was put up in a bun and covered with my favorite ear cap trimmed with floral lace. My eyes were sky blue like my mother’s but the golden brown hair was the same as my father’s. The thing my family thought I was the most is independent. Well the story starts like this…

“Hello”, I said as my mother approached me.

Mary Getty yelled, “Virginia Getty! Why are your petticoats muddy?”

“Mother”, I said calmly. “I spilled chocolate (which was a liquid in 1774) while I was helping out at the Charlton Coffee House. I tried to wash it off with a wet cloth, but only a little bit came off. Anyway, I was on my way to Kane and Co to see if they have anything I might like in stock. I will be back before dinner.”

Just then my five year old sister Kate Getty came out of my best friend Annabella Kane’s father’s store Kane And Co. She ripped the fife from her mouth and said, “Oh Gini, Harry Kane punched a boy and now he is not allowed out of his bedchamber unless Annabella Kane comes with him.”

I happily ran up the stairs of Kane and Co. and stumbled through the brightly colored main door. It was early summer and the store smelled of spices and coffee. There was already no more tea so most Loyalists did not shop there anymore. Then from the corner of my eye I saw a beautiful shiny blue fabric that was on a shelf with many other colors such as, pink, red, yellow and green. I slowly reached into my pocket and pulled out five dollars. Then I rushed over to the fabric shelf. I looked at the price tag my golden brown hair slipping out from under my ear cap. It was three dollars. I grabbed the fabric my heart racing and I screamed, “Mr. Kane!”

Mr. Kane walked out of his counting room and said “Miss Getty, how may I help you?” I handed him the bolt of fabric and four dollars. He gave me back a dollar in change and the roll of shiny blue fabric. Then I ran out of the store carrying my purchase.

I looked at a clock that I saw in a window. It was 5:30 pm and we ate dinner at 6:00pm but my parents liked me home by 5:45pm. I ran to my house my shoes banging against the pebbles on the streets that soon after went flying behind me. I finally reached my house and I ran inside. As I stumbled through the doorway I smelled chicken and noodles in broth.

After my family and I finished dinner I went upstairs into my bedchamber. My shadow was creeping behind me as I hopped into my soft cozy bed and fell into a deep sleep.

To be continued.....

Two Quotes From Robert E Lee

2011-08-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here are two quotes from Robert E Lee.

It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.

Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.

Robert E. Lee, The Military Man

2011-08-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

Robert went to Virginia on a short leave from the army. Shortly after his mother fell ill and died. He was then sent to Cockspur Island to help build Fort Pulaski. The island had lots of swamps and lots of pesky mosquitos. Robert was assigned to watch the building of the drainage ditch. The project at Cockspur was soon abandoned and Robert was assigned to Fort Monroe. When he was twenty four he went back to Virginia to visit some relatives. There Robert meet a distant cousin named Mary Anne Randolph Custis. Robert got married to Mary at the Arlington House in Alexandria Virginia. He got married to her because he liked her big brown eyes and her bubbly personality. Mary was the great grand daughter of Martha Washington.

Afterward he moved with his wife to Fort Monroe. The first of his seven children was born in the fort. His name was George Washington Custis Lee. He was named after Mary's father. They moved to St.Louis. Two more kids were born there. Mary and William Fitzhugh Lee. The Lee's moved to Fort Hamilton, New York where they lived for five years. During the Mexican War Lee's job was to scout enemy positions. General Scott asked Lee to cross a rough lava bed called Pedreagal to find a route where troops could advance. He found the path and also the enemy campgrounds. The treaty of Guadalupe ended the Mexican War. The U.S. got the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, California, Nevada and Western Colorado. The Harper's Ferry raid led by John Brown. Robert E. Lee took a unit of Marines to Harper's Ferry and overpowered Brown's troops.

In 1860 South Carolina split from the Union. Six other states followed. In 1861 Texas did too. They were called The Confederate States of America.

Some of Lee's friends like Joe Johnston, Jeb Stuart, Richard Ewell and John Hood joined the confederate army along with Lee's three of his sons and a nephew. After thirty six years in the United States Army, Lee must now fight against it. What laid ahead for the nation he loved?

So Busy

2011-08-14T08:29:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy weekend. I am doing research right now and will post later today. Thank you.

Word Search Fun 1

2011-08-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Print this post and see how many words you can find.

Lincoln Word Search

Find these words..

Patriot

Civil War

Birth

Past

Speech

Mary Todd

Equality

Abraham

Battle

Term

Abolish

Theatre

Election

Actor

Lincoln

Shot

Grace

Union

New Salem

North

April

South

General

President

Robert E. Lee Before He Was a General

2011-08-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford Hall in Alexandria VA on January 19th 1807. His parents names were General Henry Lee and Anne Carter Lee. In 1812 another war between the Patriots and the British started. Henry was against the war. Since General Henry Lee assisted antiwar causes he was attacked by an angry mob and was seriously injured. To regain his health he went to Barbados without his family. The family struggled for many years to make ends meet with out their father. Years later while returning home from Barbados Henry Lee died.

Robert attended Alexandria Academy in Virginia. After graduating from the academy he went to The U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In June of 1825 Robert took a stagecoach to New York City and from there he took a steamer up the Hudson. When Robert climbed the steep hill to West Point he knew that it would be his home for the next four years. Robert and forty six other men were now cadets. They got up at 5am in the morning and walked in formation, also known as drills. Robert attended classes and studied hard 9-10 hours a day.

Some of his fellow cadets would get drunk and break the rules. Robert never joined them. They called him "Marble Model". This bothered the young Lee. He made two good friends at West Point Jack Mackay and Joe Johnston both from the South. He graduated 2nd highest in his class of forty six cadets. He had zero demerits. Robert was made a second lieutenant and appointed to the Engineer Corps.

Robert in his engineer corps uniform.

Guess who I am posting about next?

2011-08-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

I am going to tell you some clues and you can comment and tell me who you think it is. Here are the clues.

. He was born at Stratford Hall in 1807.
. He married Mary Custis Bottom at the Arlington House.
. He refused an offer from Abe Lincoln to be a Union general.
. He died October 12th, 1870 at the age of 63.

So guess who! I'll be waiting to see who you think it is. Please post your guess in the comments section.

Abe's Election And Presidency.

2011-07-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am just so happy that it is my first full day and I already have 12 followers and 163 people that have visited my new blog. Thank you to all of you for your support and kindness. It means a lot. Now to Abe.

Abe before his whiskers

While he was running for President, a girl around eleven named Grace Bedell wrote him a letter. She told him to grow a beard. She thought it would help him win the election. It did. He was running against Stephen Douglas. Abe won that election. On March 4th 1861 he started four years of presidency.

During the Civil War one of his most famous sayings was "A house divided against itself cannot stand." In 1863 Abe issued the Emancipation Proclamation which abolished slavery in the United States. Also in November 1863 he delivered a very famous speech called The Gettysburg Address at Soldier National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA. Gettysburg was the site of a major battle in the Civil War. Lincoln spoke about the equality of man and a new birth of freedom.

Five days before his death

Abe ran for a second term as president and he won. On April 14th 1865, five days after the Civil War ended Lincoln and his wife attended a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. While they were watching the play "Our American Cousin", a crazed actor from the south that didn't like President Lincoln snuck into the presidential box after the guard left his post and shot the president in the back of his head. Everyone thought it was part of the play but it wasn't. A man in the crowd yelled, "The President is DEAD!" John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln. Booth jumped off the box and onto the stage. He yelled some latin words and ran out the stage door. John had broken his leg from the fall so it was hard to run. He jumped on his horse and road off. The men that were searching for him found him in a barn in Maryland. They set the barn on fire but they decided to get him out. They wouldn't be any better than him if they just let him die. Unfortunately President Lincoln died on April 15th 1865 because he was badly wounded from being shot. He was 56 years old. There was a big memorial for him and his body was brought back to Illinois to be buried in his home town.

Fun fact: Abe's oldest son was saved by John W. Booth's brother. Abe's son fell on the train tracks when a train was coming and Booth's brother saved him.

My next post will be about Abe's actions and what we can learn from them. Then I will be putting up a poll with the question "Who should I post about next?".

My Favorite President

2011-07-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Abraham Lincoln at 37

Welcome everyone to my brand new blog. I am excited to share my love for history with you. I am starting my blog with a post about my favorite president Abraham Lincoln. Abe Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809. He had an older sister named Sarah. When he was young his mom died. When Sarah cried about their mom, Abe would comfort his sister with a baby raccoon. Soon someone claimed the Lincoln land and they moved. Shortly after Mr. Lincoln got remarried. Abe went to school only little bits at a time. During his free time he read by the fire. He read books about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. That is how he was so smart and in his later life became a lawyer.

When he was 21 he went to Illinois by boat to a small town named New Salem. Lincoln worked for the people of the town. He helped them fight small battles. Abe became a lawyer for the townspeople. His friend's son was put in jail for murder but she knows he is innocent. The boy had been in a fight. Another man in the crowd supposedly ran over to see if the injured man was OK after the fight. Instead he stabbed him killing the injured man and blaming the friend's son for it. Lincoln defended the boy. The jury then found the man from the crowd guilty and let the boy free.

One night Abe met a wealthy young woman from Kentucky at a party. Her name was Mary Todd. She soon became Mary Todd Lincoln. They had four sons but only one lived to be old.

Mary Todd Lincoln

Please join me tommorow for my next post where I will write about Lincoln's election and presidency.