Washington lived for many years quietly at Mount Vernon, and he did not intend to have anything more to do with a soldier's life. He was fond of hunting and fishing. He sometimes helped to haul a seine in the Potomac River. He rode over his large plantation to see that all went well, and he made maps of all his fields and kept his accounts carefully and neatly, as he had always done. All traveling strangers were sure of welcome at his house, and the poor, when in danger of suffering, were provided with corn from his granary.
But, as time went on, the English Parliament tried to collect a tax from the Americans. The Americans declared that, so long as they elected no members of Parliament, that body had no right to tax them without their consent. But the men who governed in England did not think that people in the colonies had the same rights as people in England, so they oppressed the Americans in many ways. Without asking consent of the colonies, they put a tax on all the tea that came into America; and when some of the tea got to Boston, the people turned Boston Harbor into one big teapot by pitching the whole shipload of tea into the water. The English government resolved to punish Boston, but the other colonies took sides with the people of that town.
In order to make the English government cease their oppressions, the Americans agreed not to wear any clothes made out of English cloth, nor vise anything brought from England. Washington and other great gentlemen of that time put on home-spun American clothes, which were coarse, for the Americans had not yet learned how to make fine goods. American ladies who had been extremely fond of tea, which they drank from pretty little cups brought from China, now gave up their favorite drink. Instead of it, they sipped a tea made from the leaves of the sage-plants in their gardens, or from the roots and flowers of the sassafras. Probably they tried to drink these homegrown teas with cheerful faces, and to make believe that they liked sage and sassafras as well as the real tea from China. It must have been a pleasure to feel that they were fighting a battle for liberty over their tea-tables.
Washington, in his quiet way, was a strong supporter of liberty against the king of England and the Parliament. In order to bring all the thirteen colonies to stand by one another against England, a meeting, called a "Congress," was appointed in 1774, and men were sent from each colony to attend it. Washington was a member of this Congress, which sent a letter to the king, demanding that they should be allowed the same liberties as his subjects in England.
But neither the king of England nor the English Parliament would repeal the laws which the Americans disliked. As the Americans would not obey them, the quarrel grew hotter, and English troops were sent to bring the Americans to submit. On the 19th of April, 1775, the Revolutionary War was begun by a battle at Lexington, near Boston, between British troops and American farmers. These farmers, who were called " minute-men," drove the troops back into Boston, firing on them from every field and fence as they retreated.
Seeing that war had begun, Congress looked about for a leader. They remembered the prudent and brave conduct of Colonel George Washington, when a young man, in the French and Indian War. He was chosen to be general and commander-in-chief of all the armies of the colonies.
Before Washington reached the army near Boston, the battle of Bunker Hill had taken place. In this battle the Americans had been driven from the hill, but their little force of plain countrymen had fought so stubbornly against the well-trained English troops that all America was encouraged.
For many months Washington kept a fine British army shut up in Boston. When he was strong enough he suddenly sent a body of troops to Dorchester Heights, near Boston, where, by the help of bales of hay, breastworks were built in a single night. When the English general saw these works, he said, "The rebels have done more in one night than my army would have done in one month." The Americans began to throw shells from the Dorchester battery into Boston, which soon became so uncomfortable a place to stay in that the English army got into ships and sailed away.
The Americans at first were only fighting to get their rights as subjects of England. But since neither the king nor the Parliament of England would let them have their rights, they got tired of calling themselves Englishmen. They determined to set up as a country to themselves. On the 4th of July, 1776, Congress declared the colonies "free and independent." This is called the "Declaration of Independence."
Soon alter the Declaration was adopted the English government sent a fleet and an army to take New York. Washington fought against the English army on Long Island and was defeated and forced to give up New York. After a while, he had to fall back across New Jersey. It seemed as though all was lost. But though his men were too few to fight the whole English army, Washington felt that he must strike a blow at some part of it in order to give the Americans courage. The English people did not like the war against the Americans, so the king had hired some Hessian soldiers to fight for him. About a thousand of these were in Trenton, N. J., while Washington was on the other side of the Delaware, a little way off. On Christmas night the Hessians were celebrating the day. Washington celebrated it in his own fashion. He took part of his army and crossed the Delaware in the midst of floating ice. There was a severe snowstorm, and two of his men were frozen to death. He marched quickly to Trenton, and after a sharp fight he took about a thousand prisoners, as Christmas presents for his country.
Washington got back across the Delaware with his prisoners, but in a few days, he was again in Trenton, where he came near being surrounded and captured by the English general Cornwallis. The Delaware was so full of ice that the Americans could not get back to the other side of it, and a strong English force was pressing upon them in front. Something must be done quickly. So at night, Washington had all his campfires built up in order to deceive the enemy. He put a few men to digging in the trenches and had them make as much noise as possible. Then he took his army silently by a back road around the English army until he got behind it. While Cornwallis thought he had Washington cooped up in Trenton, the Americans were marching on Princeton, where there was a detachment of the English troops. Washington, after a sharp battle, defeated the English in Princeton. Cornwallis had gone to bed boasting that he "would bag the fox" in the morning; but when morning came, "the fox" was gone. Cornwallis thought at first that the Americans had retreated across the Delaware, but soon he heard the booming of cannons away behind him at Princeton; then he knew that Washington had outwitted him. He had to hasten back to New Brunswick to save his stores, while Washington went into the hills at Morristown, having forced the British to give up the greater part of New Jersey.
Happy at Mount Vernon with Martha, George Washington never intended to become a soldier again. Then the English Parliament tried to tax the colonies. The English taxed the tea, and when some tea arrived by boat at Boston harbor, the American people threw the tea into the sea. The colonists further protested by refusing to buy or use things made in England. America's thirteen colonies united against the British, and each colony sent one member to join a Congress. George Washington was a member of the Congress. The Congress sent a letter to the English King demanding the same rights as the people in England. The English King refused and sent troops to quell the Americans. In 1775, the Revolutionary war began with a battle at Lexington, near Boston. George Washington was chosen to be a general and commander-in-chief of all armies. Washington and his men drove the British out of Boston. On July 4th, 1776, Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence, announcing America's independence from England. Washington battled the English, but suffered defeats, losing New York and retreating to New Jersey. English troops, reinforced with one thousand Hessian soldiers were in Trenton, New Jersey, and Washington was on the other side of the Delaware River. Washington and his troops launched a surprise attack on Christmas morning and took one thousand prisoners. British General Cornwallis tried to attack Washington in Trenton, but Washington and his troops snuck off and attacked the British in Princeton. The British had to give up much of their gains in New Jersey.
Vocabulary
Tax: Money paid to the government other than for transaction-specific goods and services. Colony: A settlement of emigrants who move to a new place, but still ruled by their original country. 13 Colonies: The thirteen British colonies that revolted and later formed the United States. (New Hampshire, Massachusetts+Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York+Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia+West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). Tea: 1) The dried leaves or buds of the tea plant. 2) The drink made by infusing the dried leaves or buds of the tea plant in hot water. Seine: A long net for catching fish, which is dragged through the water by men pulling on each end of it. Granary: A building for the storing of grain. Parliament: A body of men that makes laws in England, consisting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Breastworks: Ridges of earth thrown up to protect an army in battle. Fleet: A number of ships of war under the command of one officer. Outwitted: Defeated by greater ingenuity or cunning.
Enrichment
Activity 1: Narrate the Story
Narrate the events aloud in your own words.
Activity 2: Study the Story Picture
Study the story picture, 'Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth,' by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze and describe how it relates to the story.
Activity 3: Map the Story
Find New Jersey (NJ), the state where Washington attacked the Hessians.
Activity 4: Complete Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Art
Click the crayon above. Complete pages 41-42 of 'American History Copywork, Narration, Dictation, and Art for Third Grade.'
Activity 5: Listen to the Music of the Revolutionary War
Listen to the sound effect of the gunfire, fifes, and drums of the Revolutionary War.
Review
Question 1
Why did the colonists throw the tea overboard at Boston Harbor?
1 / 7
Answer 1
The colonists threw the taxed tea overboard in protest of England's taxation without their consent.
1 / 7
Question 2
In addition to the Boston tea party, how else did the Americans protest England's taxes.
2 / 7
Answer 2
The colonists further protested by refusing to buy or use things made in England.
2 / 7
Question 3
How were the members of the American congress chosen?
3 / 7
Answer 3
Each of the thirteen colonies sent one member to create the congress. One member was George Washington.
3 / 7
Question 4
What happened in 1775 at Lexington, near Boston?
4 / 7
Answer 4
The start of the Revolutionary war happened in 1775 at Lexington, near Boston.
4 / 7
Question 5
How did George Washington outwit the English troops?
5 / 7
Answer 5
George Washington launched a surprise attack Christmas morning, then snuck out of Trenton and attacked at Princeton.
5 / 7
Question 6
Who was chosen to be a general and commander-in-chief of all American armies?
6 / 7
Answer 6
George Washington was chosen to be a general and commander-in-chief of all American armies.
6 / 7
Question 7
What do Americans celebrate with fireworks every fourth of July?
7 / 7
Answer 7
Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and America's independence from England every fourth of July.
Why did the colonists throw the tea overboard at Boston Harbor?
The colonists threw the taxed tea overboard in protest of England's taxation without their consent.
In addition to the Boston tea party, how else did the Americans protest England's taxes.
The colonists further protested by refusing to buy or use things made in England.
How were the members of the American congress chosen?
Each of the thirteen colonies sent one member to create the congress. One member was George Washington.
What happened in 1775 at Lexington, near Boston?
The start of the Revolutionary war happened in 1775 at Lexington, near Boston.
How did George Washington outwit the English troops?
George Washington launched a surprise attack Christmas morning, then snuck out of Trenton and attacked at Princeton.
Who was chosen to be a general and commander-in-chief of all American armies?
George Washington was chosen to be a general and commander-in-chief of all American armies.
What do Americans celebrate with fireworks every fourth of July?
Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and America's independence from England every fourth of July.
References
'Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze. (between circa 1851 and circa 1854, {PD-old-auto-1923})' Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BattleofMonmouth.jpg. n.p.