The Lives of Children during the American Revolution

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Who would have thought just a few years ago that we would eventually declare war on Great Britain? Well, we have. Everyone talked about the possibility of it for so long that it wasn’t much of a surprise at the time, but now it’s starting to sink in. In hindsight I think Britain should have seen this coming, but who knows. It was a rather bold move on the colonies’ part. Some people, even Patriots, think that it was a bit too bold. After all, we’re just a group of small colonies that have only been here a hundred years or so. Great Britain is a huge empire with many soldiers, while we only have small militias.
It seems that everyone’s father is going off to join the militia. Mine left to join just a few days ago. John and Timmy begged him to let them come, but Father refused, telling them, “You’re too young. Maybe in a few years, if we haven’t won yet.” It was awful, seeing him go and not knowing if he would return. I miss him already, but Mother says he’ll be all right. I’m not sure if I believe her or not. We have a lot more work to do at home now with Father gone. I don’t think the boys will be staying in school much longer. We need them more here. I personally dropped out of school several years ago.
Some of the older boys from the nearby farms are joining up. I think if you want to fight you have to be at least fourteen, but my friend Tommy told me you could join as young as seven if you were a drummer boy. John and Timmy are seven and six, so I better not tell them that. Charlie and William and Tommy are all joining up together. Their fathers let them, since they’re all at least sixteen. I do hope they come home again. “You never know what could happen in a war,” Mother says. I believe her.
We live out in the country, with...

... middle of paper ...

...earby town got tarred and feathered by a group of Patriots. I hope he doesn’t try something like that.
I hope this war doesn’t last long, and that we win. I want Father and all of the other boys to be able to come home safe and victorious.
Mother’s calling me to come help her begin supper. It shouldn’t take as long now with Father gone and one less mouth to feed. I have to go now.

Works Cited

Hart, Diane, Bert Bower, and Jim Lobdell. History alive!:. Palo Alto, Calif.: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2002. Print.
"American Revolution." for Kids: Daily Life During the Revolutionary War. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. .
"The American Revolution's Children." Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. .

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