Apr 182024
 
Paul Revere

Paul Revere

William Dawes

Paul Revere and William Dawes conducted their famous horse ride at 10:00 PM in 1775. They warned their fellow patriots that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. Children could read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s account of the ride, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” at: Midnight Ride.  They could learn more at: Revere and Dawes.

Jun 012024
 

First recorded American earthquake occurred in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1638. Since English citizens had rarely experienced earthquakes, the colonists did not even have a word to describe their experience. Scientists today believe the earthquake was between a 6.5 to 7 on the Richter Magnitude Scale, making the earthquake one of the strongest ever in New England. Children could visit a WONDERFUL interactive site, including a map of earthquakes that have occurred today, at: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/.

Jul 222024
 

USS Constitution
Courtesy of Hunter Stires

USS Constitution began its maiden voyage in 1798. Nicknamed Old Ironsides, the three-masted, wooden ship was named by President George Washington. She was most active in the War of 1812, and in 1907 she became a museum. Today she is the world’s oldest active vessel. Berthed in the Charlestown Naval Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, she sports a crew of 60 and provides historical perspectives and tours for visitors. Children can learn more at: USS Constitution.

Aug 292024
 

Shays’ Rebellion started formally in 1786. Daniel Shays and other farmers in central Massachusetts were revolting against high taxes and debt policies. At that time if people could not pay their debts, they were put in prison. The resistance was broken around February 1787, and the last vestiges concluded in June 1787. Some experts believe that Shays’ Rebellion influenced members of the Constitutional Convention. Older children could learn more at: Shays’ Rebellion.

Sep 162024
 

Mayflower set sail in 1620 with 102 passengers and a meager crew. Its destination was Jamestown in Virginia, but it encountered terrible storms and was blown off course. It arrived at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1620. The passengers went ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 26, 1620. Children could read On the Mayflower by Kate Waters. They could also visit: Mayflower.

Oct 302024
 
Ball Point Pens

Ball Point Pens

Ballpoint pen was patented in 1888 by John J. Loud of Weymouth, Massachusetts. He received patent number 392,046. A lawyer, inventor, and tanner, he developed the instrument so that he could write on his leather products. Fountain pens, then the most used type of pen, could not write on leather. Loud’s ballpoint pen, however, was not successful when used on paper. Laszlo Biro created a commercially successful ballpoint pen in 1943. Children can view Loud’s patent at: Ballpoint Pen Patent.

Nov 112024
 

Mayflower dropped anchor in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the Mayflower Compact was signed in 1620. This brief but extremely important document, reproduced below, was one of the first steps toward democracy.

In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, 1620.

 

Nov 172024
 

Anne Hutchinson was exiled from Massachusetts in 1637 for speaking against the religious leaders. She, her husband, and others traveled to join Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. Anne Hutchinson’s Way, written by Jeannine Atkins and illustrated by Michael Dooling, accurately portrays Hutchinson’s life and the problems she faced. Older children could learn more at: Anne Hutchinson.