Day 5- Valley Forge

Went to Valley Forge and it was incredible!!  What's Valley Forge you might ask? Why do I care?  Well, to start out let's dismiss some of the myths:

Myth #1- Valley Forge is famous for being super cold and wintery.
       In truth, Valley Forge was one of the warmest winters that the Continental Army faced- which turned out to be the problem.  Without the ground freezing, supplies couldn't travel along the muddy roads and disease spread rapidly.

Myth #2- The soldiers were all alone in camp.
      False! In almost all winter camps, women and children were there as well. In fact, Martha Washington went to every winter camp and stayed with her husband, George Washington.  Women followed the army often with their children for a few reasons, but the main reason was for security.  They provided morale, did laundry, sewed, and nursed the troops.  THEY DID NOT cook however, since soldiers were expected to do this.

Myth #3- Valley Forge was in an area where the British couldn't see them.
      Actually, Valley Forge is only about 18-20 miles away from Philadelphia where the British were having there winter camp.  Valley Forge was picked because it had good water sources, a vantage point of the British (only about a days march), and plenty of forage (food) nearby.

Myth #4- Valley Forge was a famous battle.
      Valley Forge was simply where the Continental Army camped.  In those days, during the winter armies would camp for the winter and then resume fighting in the spring, summer, and fall.

Here is what the cabins looked like.  The cabins were two rows wide for a mile down this road when they were first constructed back in December of 1777-1778.

The men were instructed to build each cabin 14 feet wide, 16 feet deep, and 6 1/2 feet high.  Twelve men would live in each hut.  There were no windows, just a door and a fireplace. Each hut had four sets of triple bunks.  Here are two pictures: The first is what the cabins looked like inside, and the second are two teachers who bravely climbed into the bunk.  A tight fit for sure!!

One of the worst problems they faced was disease during the stay at Valley Forge.  One thing that contributed to disease was that soldiers were not going to use the latrines (which were far from camp) at night.  Instead they would use the bathroom outside of their cabin.  It became such a problem that George Washington ordered that any man caught, would be given 5 lashes with a whip.  Even after that  order, men were still not going to the latrines.  SO...he ordered that if they were caught...they would be shot in the leg!  Filth was unbelievable here at this camp!!

Any idea what this is????  This is actually a field oven.  They would heat it with fire and wood inside until it was hot enough.  How did they know it was hot??  Well..... they would pick a "volunteer" and they would stick their arm in for 5 seconds.  If the hair on their arm burned...the oven was READY!! :-)  They would then be able to use it for 3 hours to bake.  (*How many times could you volunteer?? Well twice of course! You only have two arms! HA!)

Another neat place that we were able to go to was Isaac Potts house.  This was where Washington stayed at Valley Forge and used it as his headquarters.

Outside would also be a flag.  This flag is the commander's flag and designated wherever the commander was.

This house is an original!! So what does that mean?? While walking up the stairs...I was actually touching the same railing that George Washington did himself.  It gave me total goosebumps!!

So....why do we care about Valley Forge?  Well for three reasons:

#1- Valley Forge had the highest death toll during the Revolutionary War.  The reason though was disease.....

#2- General Von Steuben came.  Von Steuben was a military officer from Germany who came over to help the American Army.  What he ended up doing was standardizing everything.  Prior to his arrival, each colony, regiment, or what-have-you had their own drills and fighting routines.  Von Steuben changed all of that.  He made all of the soldiers, including officers, train, march, and learn how to fight together.  It was at Lexington and Concord where the Continental Army was born, but it wasn't until Valley Forge and Von Steuben that the "American" Army was created.

#3- It was a Valley Forge that the Frech became our allies. Without the aide of the French...we would be speaking British and drinking tea. :-)

Day 5- Battle of Germantown

The Battle of Germantown happened before Washington went into winter camp at Valley Forge.  But, what is unique about this battle is that it all concentrated around a mansion.  I was fortunate enough to go this mansion-Cliveden.

Inside the mansion, they actually still have evidence of the fight. Check out the musketball hole in the wall!

The Battle of Germantown was the FIRST time that General Washington had ever gone on the OFFENSE.

Day 4- Franklin Institute

We spent the first half of the day at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.  One of the first things that you see when you walk in this giant statue of Benjamin Franklin himself.

You can see how large it is by the lady on the right who is walking by it.

Here at the Franklin Institute they have an AMAZING museum with tons of hands on activities for kids.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to go through all of it.  Instead, I was busy in a meeting where I was able to actually TOUCH some really cool objects that dealt with Franklin himself.

The first thing that I was able to see was an ORIGINAL book entitled, Experiment and Observations on Electricity.  Hmmm....does that sound familiar at all?? Well it should!  After Franklin retired from his printing business, he started working on his science. This of course is what many of us remember most about Franklin.

This was probably one of the coolest things that I got to hold and look through all day.  If you notice, it's an original publication from 1751. The curator there said that there were eventually five other publications but this was his first.  If you notice at the bottom the price is 2s. 6 d.  Any idea of what that means? Well it was 2 shillings and 6 pence for this book in 1751. Today...you would pay MUCH more for this precious book. :-)

Has anyone ever wondered WHY Benjamin Franklin was interested in electricity or how it all started?

Well... believe it or not his experiments all started from simple parlor games.  Static electricity was common parlor game and Franklin wanted to find out more.

This book earned Franklin the prestigious Copley Prize given by the Royal Society in London.  It made Franklin a super star of his time!!

I was also able to HOLD one of Franklin's original lightening rods that he used.

Notice how crooked and twisted it is!!

Another thing I was able to see was a Collinson Tube that was given to Franklin.

This was actually quite heavy to hold since it was made of glass.  What is a Collinson Tube? Well, you would rub a piece of cotton on the outside and create electrical charges on the inside.  You could then transfer or "pour" them into a lightening jar (notice the cork at the end) and it was essentially a primitive battery.  Even then, Franklin wanted to know how to use and SAVE electricity.  Pretty cool.

Another cool think that I got to see was one of Franklin's wills. (He wrote a few over his lifetime) This one was dated 1755 and if was entirely written in his hand.  Check out how pretty his signature was!!

                                  

















Last but NOT least, I got to hold Franklin's ceremonial sword that he took when he went to France.  It was BEAUTIFUL!! The sword wasn't meant as a weapon, but simply part of the dress he needed to wear at the French court.

Day 4- Philadelphia Museum of Art

Later on in the day we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Does it look familiar?  Well for those of you movie buffs, this is where the iconic movie shot of Rocky running up the stairs took place. (And, yes of course we did it as well. :)

They even have the exact spot so that you can be just like Rocky himself!

While in the museum, we looked at specific pieces of American art and I learned a lot about how to use art as a primary source in the classroom.  It was really neat!

What about the big Washington's Crossing painting? Sorry folks...that's in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Internet Disruptions

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lag in posts.  Internet connection was pretty spotty on most of the trip and it was difficult to upload pictures, video, etc.  I've been busy typing up the blogs and will update them shortly. :-)

Also, I will be adding some more pics and video eventually to the posts I've already added as well.

Day 3- Battle of Trenton

We also went to the Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey where the Battle of Trenton took place.  Remember how Washington crossed the Delaware?  Where did he cross to? Why.... Trenton!

While we were there we were brought in as new recruits.  We had to learn how to march, shoot, get inoculated for small pox, and find out how much we were paid and what we ate.


How many teeth did you need to have in order to be a soldier in the Continental Army?

Well, you only needed two teeth. (as long they met -one on the top and one on the bottom)  The reason? So that you could tear your powder cartridge.  But, what if you didn't have two teeth that met? Then you were assigned to the artillery.  I guess this means that you would not only have teeth but you would be deaf too!!

Here is a picture of our drill sergeant at the barracks. We were told that we were NOT the best set he's seen :-)

How long were recruits there?

Recruits had to be there for about 6-8 weeks.  While there, we also had to be inoculated for small pox.  This was a requirement by General Washington.  Inoculation was a way to make sure that the disease didn't spread.  First they would purge you of all liquids by giving you a special syrup that made you throw up or something to give you bad diarrhea and clean out your bowels.  Then they would take an old scab of smallpox, grind it up, scratch your skin, and then rub the small pox onto it.  You might get a little sick and break out all over your arm, but it was sure better than getting the full blown virus.  This might have been one of the strongest reasons why the Americans eventually won the war.

What would happen if you tried to desert, or leave?

Typically if you were caught deserting, you would be executed.  BUT, because there was low enrollment into the army they decided to not do that.  Instead, they would whip you anywhere from 80-1000 lashes with a cat-o-nine tails. YIKES!!

What did you eat while you were there?

You actually ate pretty well.  You were guaranteed bread, vinegar (to keep the disease scurvy away), a pint of beer, and meat while you were training at the barracks.  When you were actually out on the campaign and fighting....you weren't guaranteed food.  They tried to get you salted pork or beef (it traveled and kept well) and some bread.

What were you paid like?

Well...the Continental Army wasn't quite the best at paying the soldiers.  You were the highest paid soldiers in the world though at $6.50.  Except, you would be paid in paper money...which was basically worthless.  You would have rather have been paid in gold or silver like the British army.





We also went to go see the actual place where the battlefield took place at the Mercer House outside of Princeton. (Where the actual university is.  I went there later that day!)

The Mercer House is right behind me when I took this picture and looking out towards the battlefield.  You can kind of see small white pillars in the background of this picture.  Can you imagine over a thousand British soldiers marching towards you all at once here? I would be scared senseless at the sight!!!

Inside of the house:

There was a really neat museum over the battle.  In it I was able to see a really nice display of guns that would have been used during the Revolutionary War.

The guns shot out musket balls.  These little balls could do a LOT of damage.  To illustrate, the guide showed us an example he has used for school kids when they come and visit.  Notice the first picture that shows the way a musket ball would enter a body: (musket all is situated on top and the bullet hole is in the middle of the phone book)

NOW...check out what it looks like when it is coming out the back........

IMAGINE THAT GOING THROUGH YOUR BODY!!!!!

Day 3- Washington's Crossing

This was the area where Washington crossed the Delaware...although imagine it as snowy and the water chocked full of icy flows......

When did Washington’s Crossing happen?

Washington’s Crossing happened on December 25, 1776

What was happening in America right before Washington’s Crossing?

It was only in July that the Declaration of Independence was signed.  Six short months later, the war was almost over.  New York had fallen to the British and the British had chased the Americans across New Jersey.  George Washington and his troops were only saved by going across the Delaware, so the British stopped the campaign to set up for winter camp.

How did Washington get across?

Washington and his men got across on Durham boats. These looked like big canoes.  But, what about all of the artillery and horses? Well they went across on larger ferry vessels, like the picture I have taken.  It might be hard to see...but that is ONE big BOAT!! (A fellow teacher from the trip is on so you can see how big it is)

Day 2- Walking Tour of Philadelphia

On the second day I went on a walking tour of Philadelphia!! Boy did I see a lot!! Instead of writing one solid piece, I decided to break it up into like minded things. Hope you enjoy:


I had yet another fantastic day learning more about America's history.  What I think makes me most interested aren't the common facts I can read in history texts, but the corrections to that history and the flaws and interesting parts to the men involved.

Today I went to Independence Hall here in Philadelphia.  I took this picture quite a distance away, but if you look closely you can see the people in front of it. It's a gorgeous old building.  It is most famous for being the place where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated, created, and signed.   

Here is a video of the assembly room where the Declaration and Constitution were signed. (Not sure if this will work, internet is slow here) Will fix when possible :-) 

But another thing that many people DON'T realize, is that this area served as our nation's first capitol, while work was going on in Washington, D.C. to build it.  You can barely see a small side of the house on the right side of the Hall. That was the building that was used as our FIRST Congressional Hall. The Senate and the House of Representatives both met in that house.

One of the first tests of our country’s Constitution, was when Washington finished his second term.  Who was going to be president??  Would Washington give up power?  Thomas Jefferson and John Adams ran against one another, and Adams won just by 3%.  This was the FIRST time that our president was not elected unanimously. (Can you imagine that? A whole congress and country united behind ONE candidate?!)

If you go up into the upper part of Congress Hall, you will also see two huge portraits hanging up.  One is of King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.  Apparently to remind the United States of their friendship with France, they gave them portraits of themselves.  Isn’t that what you do with your friends??

After that we were off to the American Philosophical Society.

**Many phrases of speech we know today are relics of the past. Have you ever heard of the phrase "stand trial"?  Well in the 18th Century, when you were charged of a crime you actually had to stand the entire duration of your trial on a platform with bars all around it.

Day 2- American Philosophical Society

The American Philosophical Society is very concerned with natural philosophy and it was Benjamin Franklin’s attempt at bettering human kind through reasoning.  Franklin was extremely interested in the world around him, looking at the environment around him and using his reasoning to figure out its function.  Benjamin also wrote many papers on his thoughts, observations, and letters over new ideas.

A letter from Benjamin Franklin to "His Excellency John Hancock, Esq."  Look at that signature!!!

This was one of Lewis and Clark's journals from their expedition.  I actually got to see and read a facsimile (exact replica/copy) of it.  It was incredibly detailed and the descriptions were unreal! Just looking at the picture you can see all of the teeny tiny writing.  The entire journal is the size of my hand and no thicker than a deck of cards.

One of the coolest things that I saw here was an original pamphlet of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.  This was the pamphlet that helped instill many of the ideas that led to the American Revolution.  Another cool tidbit was that I saw a recollection and record of a treaty that took place.  Even though I have read about and heard about the tactics of rhe Americans to swindle Native’s out of their land, it was still mind boggling to see it in writing. (Picture to be added later)

Day 2- Franklin's Privy and Printshop

Franklin Court was in the heart of the city in Benjamin Franklin’s day.  There I was able to see where Franklin’s house was, his printing shop, and his privy.

Are you wondering what a privy is? Well a privy was a bathroom.  A privy would be dug about forty feet deep and lined with stone so that it wouldn’t cave in upon itself.  Chamber pots would be emptied into it, but also it was a common trash area.  For example, say I was working one day and I dropped a tea pot on the ground and it shattered. I would sweep up the pieces and go dump them into the privy.

Over time the privy would fill up and be filled in.

As time goes on, all of the human waste disintegrates and all that is left is the garbage.  When archeologists find a privy, they get very excited.  From here, they can tell what daily life was like for whichever family lived there.  For instance, remember that tea pot? Well an archeologist would find the shattered pieces, try reassembling them together, and maybe find a stamp on the bottom telling where it was bought.  From here, they would be able to figure out if we could afford “x amount of money” for a tea pot then we were probably a lower, middle, or upper class family. 

Who knew a privy could tell the future so much?!

As a side note, there was also a capped off water well near the privy? Guess how far away???  Only about 10-20 feet away!  That tells you what people back then did NOT know about disease.

What did Benjamin Franklin do?  Most of us think of Franklin as an inventor? Diplomat? Scientist?  But, did you know that Franklin was actually a printer?

Franklin grew up in Boston, and was apprenticed to his older brother as a printer.  Ben didn’t like that though, and he ran away to Philadelphia, which was a growing city.  He worked as an apprentice in a print shop there, later went to England, and then came back to open up his own print shop. 

For the first 30 years of Ben’s life, he was a “leather apron guy” and always thought of himself as a tradesman.  Franklin retired since most people died of an early age at 42, and then began is life as a scientist, and then eventually as a diplomat.  He ended up living until the age of 84, but still considered himself a printmaker.  While we were here, I was able to see a demonstration of how printmaking was done in Ben Franklin’s time.

Day 2- Quaker Meeting House

What’s a Quaker?  You have probably seen or heard of them, even if you aren’t quite sure.  For example, ever eaten Quaker Oatmeal?

One famous Quaker, was William Penn, the man who was issued a tract of land in the colonies, which we now call Pennsylvania.  Quakers were peaceful people and believed that all men were equal.

         Does that mean they didn’t own slaves?

Nope! Much to my surprise, some Quakers did own slaves.  They were businessmen and slavery was common throughout the colonies.  That did begin to change during the 1800’s in the lead up to the Civil War.  Quakers played a large role in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement of the 1850’s.

Are Quakers still around?

Yes! Quakers are still around and I had to opportunity to go into their meeting house and meet a few.  They look no different than you or I.

How did Quakers worship?

Quakers are very interesting in that they have no dogma in their religion. (Dogma would be considered the rule book to how you worship)  Their meeting house is set up with multiple pews are facing one another in a square pattern.  They have no church leaders, no minister, no preacher. (In fact, their meeting house is very plain inside with no ornamentation at all!)  Instead, they sit for about ten minutes silently and then someone might stand to say something.  From there, people think about their words and then someone might comment back a few minutes later.  In fact, would be completely acceptable for an entire meeting (about an hour) to be silent the entire time.

         Were Quakers liked?

Not entirely.  In the time period, Quakers were often criticized because they did not show proper respect.  If you were walking down the street and met someone of a higher rank or station ( a judge perhaps) it was expected that you would stop, tip you hat, and say good morning.  But, Quakers did not do this since they believed that all were equal.  This was seen as a big NO NO in the time period!

Day 2- Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground

Have you ever heard of Christ Church?  How about the Episcopalian Church? Well, Christ Church is the mother church of all Episcopalian churches the United States over. (Episcopalian churches began after the split with the church of England)

When you walk into the church you might realize that you are walking on the people’s tombs.  This was a common English practice which carried over into colonial America.  On the outside of the church are also tombs.  When tombs are on the outside, you are supposed to not walk on them.  BUT, when it comes to graves inside of the church, it is considered good luck to walk upon the dead.  These men who were buried here, wanted to become a literal part of the church when they died.

When was Christ Church’s last service?

Christ Church is still an active church.  They hold services every day as well as being a historic landmark.

Who attended Christ Church?

Some of the people who attended Christ Church might sound very familiar to you: George Washington, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin, and Betsy Ross.

Where did they sit?

When you went to Christ Church you actually paid for your seat.  You had your own private pew and the most important towns people (aka the rich) had the pews closest to the pulpit.  Those who were not as rich would sit closer to the back of the church.

How long has Christ Church been around?

                 Christ Church was found in 1695, but the current church was built in  1744.  To put that in perspective, Christ Church has only had TEN                ministers since our country was born in 1776. That means that today I am only teaching the TWELTH generation of Americans!!! (Makes you think!)

I was also able to go and see Christ Church Burial Ground.  It’s very unique because there are lots of gravestones all around, but you can actually read very few.  Why? Well because most of the stones are made of limestone and they have been worn away through time and erosion.  One of the men running the burial ground realized this years ago and actually went around and drew a map of all of the graves that he could still identify. Unfortunately, many of the stones were already in a condition where they couldn't be read, so we do know that certain people were buried there...just not where.

Why are some of the stones two different colors?

One set of stones that I saw was two different colors.  The top was unreadable and the bottom perfect! Why? Well the tombstone had sunk overtime and they pulled them back up.  These tombstones actually belonged to Philip Syng (pronounced sing) and his wife.  Syng was a famous silversmith and it was an inkwell that was used in both the signings of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Here is a picture I took.  Based on the picture…who is buried here and WHY are there pennies on the tombstone?? (Answer at end of blog)

 Why are some people buried there, when they aren’t from Philadelphia?

Back then, transportation was difficult and transporting dead bodies was just not something you did.  If you died in a city, you were buried there.

Who is all buried at Christ Burial?

There are many people who we know and don’t know buried at the church, but most famously there are four signers of the Declaration of Independence:  Dr. Benjamin Rush, Francis Hopkinson, Joseph Hewes, Benjamin Franklin, and George Ross.

**ANSWER: The tombstone is of Benjamin Franklin.  People leave pennies because of Franklin’s famous saying, “A penny saved, is a penny earned.”

Day 2- President's House

When our country first began and Washington D.C. was getting built, our countries first capital was Philadelphia.  Not too far away from Independence Hall was where President Washington lived.  Today you can go and see where his house was and peek into some excavation archeologist have done to find out more about his home.

One story that people have given about his home is that President Washington had a window and he would open it for an hour once day.  As long as people were polite, they could walk by and talk to him about any concerns or grievances that had.  Do you think our President today would be able to do that?!

Was George Washington nice to his slaves?

This was a question that many students have asked.  I am still finding out more information to fully answer this question, but here’s what I have found out so far.

Washington had a personal manservant (slave) who was his constant companion.  He even rode into battle with Washington and it’s recorded that they were very good friends.

But while Washington was President, he did have 8 slaves attempt to run away and 2 who did successfully.  In his diaries, Washington can be seen lamenting that one of his slaves, Hercules, he had treated “nicely” so he didn’t understand why he had run.

The truth of the matter is….they were still slaves.