It’s the fourth Wednesday of the month…which means my turn on Colonial Quills!
Today, I’m sharing a really cool and inspiring story about a close call George Washington had during the French and Indian War…and how the hand of God was acknowledged by all to have preserved and protected him on that gruesome day.
We just finished up in our home school reading a truly amazing book. Though for young readers, I can attest to the fact that it’s entertaining–and inspiring–for any age.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is the Newbery Award-winning novel based on the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, a man who truly embodies the American dream. From a boy in poverty during the Revolution to a man of wealth, respect, and honor, Bowditch changed the world, and his own life, by nothing but sheer determination…and a fair dose of brilliance.
A quote from the book that had a profound impact on the character of Nat:
“When a ship is becalmed–the wind died down–she can’t move–sometimes the sailors break out their oars…oars are made of ash. So–when you get ahead by your own get-up-and-get–that’s when you sail by ash breeze.”
Some would have said Nat was becalmed when his father indentured him at the age of 12. But he pulled out his oars instead.
If you want to learn more about him, hop over to where I talk about he forever changed the world on Colonial Quills!
It’s my day on Colonial Quills, and today I’m telling you a fun story about General Washington used farmers’ hunting gear–and their newfangled hunting rifles–to strike fear into the British militia.
It’s a fun story! Hop on over to the CQ to read it!
I’m up on Colonial Quills today, and I’m talking about . . . what? A giant screw? A printing press? Huh?
Yep. Our homeschool year has been full to bursting with oh-so-interesting fun facts about early America, but this one won the right to appear on the CQ. 😉 Hop over to read the full article!
The year was 1620. The crowd of passengers crammed into the small vessel
numbered 101. Among them were adventurers, seekers of fortune…and a
group of Separatists who wanted a fresh start in a new land where they
could worship as they saw fit.We’ve all heard the story of the Mayflower. But I confess that
for many years it was just a tale trotted out at the end of November,
and I had always been far more interested in making paper-bag Indian
vests and coloring my cornucopia than in some of the finer details of
the Pilgrims’ journey. Of course, that was before I became a history
nerd, so it’s only to be expected that now, as I’m reading those old
stories to my kids in our homeschool curriculum, they’re the ones
coloring happily away while I pause in my reading to go, “Wow, I never
knew that! Just think of it…”
Hey look at me, actually remembering that I should blog on Wednesdays. 😉 In fact, I’m blogging twice. I have a post up on Colonial Quills today too.
It’s short and sweet and visual, so I thought I’d direct you that way, for a glimpse at some Colonial American art. Take a peek!
This post (written by me) first appeared on Colonial Quills
One thing I really love about the early American era is that so many gentlemen with time on their hands went about interesting pursuits–like invention. I’ve previously talked about some of the inventions of Benjamin Franklin. Today I wanted to take a look at Thomas Jefferson’s.
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One of the most interesting of the inventions to be found at Monticello is the polygraph. In an age well before copiers or computers, Jefferson still wanted multiple copies of his letters–so came up with a way to copy them as he wrote them.
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Though the image above is actually a Confederate era wheel cipher, Jefferson described one of his own creation in a letter. These could be used to encode correspondence, so long as both parties had one.
Looking through the page at Monticello.org featuring Jefferson’s inventions, there are quite a few that utilize the idea of revolving or spiraling objects to maximize the use for a space. The first is a “turning machine” for hanging clothes–much like many of the closet-organizing items to be found today! The “hanger” was a spiral with arms coming out in all directions, over which you would drape the clothing. It seems that only a drawing of it remains, and many mentions of it in the correspondence of those who had visited Monticello.
He also invented a revolving bookstand that could hold up to five books at once, displaying them all. This would also be quite handy for anyone who is comparing various texts. The stand displayed one book on the top and one on each side, and then the reader could spin the devise to show him whichever text he needed. Certainly beats spreading them all out on a table or stacking them one on top of the other!
But Jefferson didn’t stop there. He also created a revolving service door between the dining room and the passageway so that servants didn’t have to physically open a door to bring the food in–always difficult when hands are full. Instead, they slid the food onto the shelves on one side of the door and spun it.
I just love how all these early-American inventions are so very practical–and some are so very surprising. And especially how “gentlemen of leisure” put that leisure to such good use.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 