Stone Wall on Cemetery Ridge
The Battle of Gettysburg began in 1863. Many experts call this battle the turning point of the Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his troops across the Mason-Dixon Line, heading for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. However, the northern troops, led by General George Mead, met the Confederate troops at Gettysburg. The battle lasted for three days. On the last day of the battle, the rebel troops commenced Picket’s Charge. Fifteen thousand troops tried to assail the Union’s position. The northern troops held, and Lee lost the battle. Idea: Children could make a timeline of the battle. Michael Shaara’s book, Killer Angels, offers in-depth looks at the people fighting on both sides. Children could visit a website at: http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm.
Declaration of Independence was read publicly for the first time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1776 by Colonel John Nixon. The Liberty Bell tolled to bring citizens to hear the reading. Children can read a copy of the Declaration of Independence at: 
Petroleum was discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859. W. A. Smith found oil as he was sinking a shaft in Pennsylvania. The rig was soon producing twenty barrels of crude oil a day. Children can learn more about oil production and refinement at: 
Annapolis Convention was held from September 11 through September 14, 1786, in Annapolis, Maryland. The formal name of the meeting was The Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government. Delegates from New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia met to discuss economic interests. They concluded the meeting by calling for another meeting of all the states. This new group ended up being the Constitutional Convention. Older children can read some of the convention documentation at: 
