The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their Own Words 1750-1800 [Paperback]

Milton Meltzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1993

A humble shoemaker hears the bells ringing at Lexington and responds to a call to battle. An aide to George Washington recounts his feelings as he crosses the Delaware. A young surgeon describes in his diary the horror of an army camp, where the spread of smallpox, frostbite, and starvation are deadlier than any sword. These are the voices of the American Revolutionaries.

Most of us know about the American Revolution only from secondhand accounts of the fighting or from documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. But listen closely and you can hear the voices-those that tell the truest stories -- of men, women, and children of all races who experienced the Revolution firsthand, who planted the seeds of liberty and passionately struggled to give birth to the United States of America that we know today.

1987 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
The USA Through Children's Books (ALSC)
Best Books of 1987 (SLJ)
Notable 1987 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1987 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
1987 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up Once again Meltzer employs primary source material to make an era come alive. Here, he depicts the American Revolution from the point of view of its participants: its soldiers, its leaders, those who waited at home. Included are excerpts from letters, journals, reports, and official documents, all placed in context by Meltzer's concise and well written introductions which, in themselves, constitute a clear overview of American history from the 1750s to the 1780s. Through his choice of selections, Meltzer demonstrates the central point of view of the rebels, that they could not truly fulfill the promise of their immigration until they governed themselves. Included are writings from participants in the French and Indian War, Lexington and Concord, and the winter at Valley Forge; the framers of the Constitution; and so forth. Familiar names such as Washington, Adams (John and Abigail), and Franklin are includedFranklin delightfully sobut the bulk of the papers come from the common people, and these are the words that give texture to the history and make it stick in the memory: an old woman's memory of the surrendering British general at Yorktown with tears rolling down his cheeks, for example. These give a vivid sense of the struggles and brutalities of the times. Readers need to keep in mind that the purpose of this book is to give the rebel point of view. Balanced accounts exist elsewhere. This tells why one third of the colonies stood up to rebel, and it does so unforgettably. Christine Behrmann, New York Public Library
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Milton Meltzer, a Christopher Award and Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner, is the author of over eighty books in the fields of history, biography, and social reform. His most recent books are The Amazing Potato, a 1993 ALA Notable Children's Book, Gold and Hold Your Horses!. He lives in New York City.

Winner of the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064461459
• ISBN-13: 978-0064461450
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #821,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Revolutionary's review, August 21, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their Own Words 1750-1800 (Paperback)

This book is about the times and diffuculties that the the American soldiers endured. Milton Meltzer gathered lots of information about the war, as in many of the other " A history in You Own Words" series. The book is different because the way the author gives you his information is a first person diary entry account. The emotion pours from the " Entry's in the book." The battles are exciting and the talking seems dull afterwords.
" Whatcha had for breakfast"
" Firecake and water, Sir
later. " Whatcha havin for dinner"
" Firecake and water, sir.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes the ( American)Revolutionary war

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American ideals, October 7, 2008

By 

Red (Tn. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their Own Words 1750-1800 (Paperback)

My kids read a chapter of this every night. They are enjoying the opportunity to get a more translucent perspective of what the American struggle is and the ideals that surrounded the will to preserve it over time. Especially during election time, I highly recommend sharing some of the positive ideals that our country was founded on through the eyes of the people who struggled through it.