Following the launch, she would be a guest for high tea at the Chilton home, and Celia would be there, as well.
incredulous—unable or unwilling to believe something
Presently, Adelaide was standing incredulous in the room, followed quickly by Nelda, Julia, and their parents.
infamous—well-known for a bad reason
The infamous revivalist, Jonathan Edwards! Right in their house!
itinerant—someone who moves from place to place, especially to find work “They follow the itinerant preachers, Maggie.”
livery—a uniform
When Hannah opened the door, there stood one of the Chiltons’ footmen, arrayed in his bright green-and-gold livery.
ominous—threatening
“This must not be an ominous occasion,” he said as he pulled a chair nearer to his writing desk and waved her toward it. “Your face is cheery, and all the freckles seem to be glowing at one time.”
paltry—an insignificant amount of something
But even as she made her decision, she wondered how her paltry efforts could ever make a difference.
psalters—books containing psalms, or the book of Psalms
The congregation brought out their psalters as they sang psalms together in lovely harmony.
quaint—having an old-fashioned quality
When Maggie was a little girl, she’d loved all Hannah’s quaint sayings. riled—made angry or irritated
Judith gave the impression of being the perfect mother, never getting riled or speaking a cross word.
sublime—awe-inspiringly beautiful
Adelaide leaped to her feet and spun about. “How sublime. A ball!”
sullen—showing a bad temper by a refusal to talk or to be sociable or cheerful “Yes, ma’am,” she answered, her voice sullen.
tricorn—a three-cornered hat
The same gold braid was repeated on his cocked tricorn hat.
vile—something extremely unpleasant to experience
“Really, it’s quite vile,” Celia said, as she tried to catch her breath.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND THINGS OF 1744
Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut. His family was Puritan. As a student, Edwards learned about the latest trends in philosophy coming from Europe and the debates between the Puritanism of his childhood and the new ways of movements. In 1726, Edwards followed his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, as the pastor of Northampton, Massachusetts, the largest church outside of Boston.
In 1750, the Northampton Church dismissed him when he tried to make it more difficult for congregants to receive the sacraments. From there he went to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he served a small church and was the missionary to some Mohawk families. In late 1757, he accepted the presidency of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He died on March 22, 1758, of complications from a smallpox inoculation.
Edwards’s religious beliefs emphasized the sovereignty of God, the immorality of humankind, the reality of hell, and the need for “New Birth” as a sign of acceptance of Jesus Christ. His writings on signs of sainthood and false beliefs were highly influential, including in the field of psychology. Some have called him the first American philosopher.
Joshua Gee
Joshua Gee was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 29, 1698. He graduated from Harvard in 1717. In 1723, he was ordained as the pastor of the Old North Church in Boston. He served with Cotton Mather until Mather’s death in 1728. Gee served the Old North Church until his death on May 22, 1748.
On July 7, 1743, Gee attended a conference of clergymen to discuss the progress of religion in America. After the conference, he complained to the conference leader that most of the clergy who attended were wrong in their beliefs about salvation and faith.
Some scholars claim that, although Gee was well educated and had great reasoning ability, he was a lazy intellect, making no real effort to change things.
The Revivalist Movement
Also called the Great Awakening, the Revivalist Movement was a populist (rather than upper-class) religious movement of the early 1740s. It extended throughout all of the colonies, including Georgia. Historians consider it the first mass movement in American history.
Due to societal influences such as the Enlightenment, religious fervor had been in decline for many years. Although revivals had been held on the local level under the control of the local minister, the Revivalist Movement saw the birth of the traveling minister, going from place to place to preach for a short period of time. The Reverend Jonathan Edwards was the first to bring the colonial Protestants to a “reawakening” of God, with English preacher George Whitefield continuing the movement.
In these revivalist meetings, services were held outside, and music played a large part in the service. The sermons featured highly emotional language, and often the result was physical responses, such as weeping, shouting, and wild movements, among those in attendance. Many of the traditional clergy saw these services as the work of the devil.
The Revivalist Movement influenced more than religious services. The rhythm of the revivalists can be seen in the work of later poets such as Emily Dickinson, and the movement influenced the social consciousness of America as well. Preacher Henry Ward Beecher used the crowds at his revivals to support abolition, universal suffrage, and other social causes.
HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE TIMELINE
1740–1748—War of Austrian Succession; some battles take place on the North American continent.
1741—William Browning invents mineral water.
December 25, 1741—Anders Celsius develops his own thermometer scale, Celsius. He dies on April 25, 1744.
April 8, 1742—The first performance of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio The Messiah occurs in Dublin, Ireland.
April 13, 1743—Thomas Jefferson, the third U.S. president, is born.
September 13, 1743—The Treaty of Worms is signed between Great Britain, Austria, and Sardinia.
November 11, 1744—Abigail Smith, future wife of second U.S. president John Adams and mother of sixth president John Quincy Adams, is born in Massachusetts.
October 22, 1746—The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) is founded.
1750—Joseph Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella.
January 1, 1752—Betsy Ross is born.
February 11, 1752—Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, opens.
June 15, 1752—Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity.
January 1, 1753—Britain and her colonies agree that January 1 should be New Year’s Day to reflect the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in September
1752.
LIZZIE AND THE REDCOAT: STIRRINGS OF REVOLUTION IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES
VOCABULARY WORDS
bickering—fighting or arguing
“Parliament and the colonies cannot continue this bickering for much longer without consequences.”
contrary—acting stubbornly or having a stubborn attitude against something “Don’t be so contrary. It is not becoming to a young lady.”
controversy—a debate or fight over different opinions
Lizzie was glad Olivia was too young to get involved in the controversy between England and the colonies.
converge—to come together in the same place
The three of them converged on the front door, competing to be the one to pull it open and reveal the source of the ruckus.
effigy—an image or model, especially of a person and often used for making fun of the person
“He was there last night and saw the whole thing. He even got to carry the effigy for part of the time.”
evading—getting out of doing something
“The customs agent thinks Blake is evading the required taxes on goods for the business.”
formalities—the usual rules for being polite or following tradition
T
hey would make a complete report later, but the townspeople would not wait for
formalities.
frenzy—a fit of extreme, sometimes violent, excitement or activity “The indignation may be just; the frenzy is not.”
haggard—having an exhausted look
Although they had cleaned up a bit, they were haggard, and their clothing was not on quite straight.
indignation—anger that is caused by something that is unfair
“He was right when he said that simple indignation could touch off an uncontrolled
emotional frenzy.”
lobsterback—a disrespectful name that colonists called British soldiers because of the bright red coats of their uniforms
“Especially not for a British soldier,” Joshua blurted out. “I’ll not have my brother’s and sisters’ food cut back so that a lobsterback can eat well.”
mesmerize—to fascinate and hold someone’s attention It snapped and crackled, mesmerizing Lizzie.
phaeton—a type of four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage
Blake had expanded the company—and the name—after several years, adding newer models of carriages like the phaeton and the landau.
landau—a four-wheeled carriage with a top in two sections that can be folded away or taken off and with a raised seat outside for the driver Blake had expanded the company—and the name—after several years, adding newer models of carriages like the phaeton and the landau.
reckon—to deal with
“No matter what you think of him,” Papa said, “he is a man to be reckoned with.” ridicule—to make fun of
“I would suggest you take that smirk off your face, Mr. Wallace. I do not take kindly to being ridiculed.“
ruckus—a noisy disturbance
The disagreements between her father and her brother were almost as difficult to listen to as the ruckus outside.
smirk—a know-it-all smile
“I would suggest you take that smirk off your face, Mr. Wallace. I do not take kindly to being ridiculed.“
smuggling—bringing something into or out of a country without obeying the laws “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about smuggling lately. Papa even has a story about it in the newspaper.”
treasury—the money or wealth of a government
They were standing guard outside the Customs House, the brick building where the king’s treasury in Boston was kept.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND THINGS OF 1765
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was born September 27, 1722, in Boston, Massachusetts. After earning his Master of Arts degree from Harvard College in 1743, he entered private business as a clerk. He later joined his father’s business, but eventually lost all the money his father had given him. When his business failed, he became a full-time politician, and was elected to the Massachusetts legislature in 1766. Adams was a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act and other taxes that the British government placed on the colonists. He helped organize the Sons of Liberty and was a participant in the Boston Tea Party. Adams was a member of the first and second Continental Congresses, and was governor of Massachusetts from 1793 until 1797. His cousin, John Adams, would become the second president of the United States. Samuel Adams died October 2,
1803.
James Otis
James Otis was a lawyer and important leader in the politics leading up to the Revolutionary War. He was born in 1725 in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College in 1743. His wife was Ruth and they had three children. In 1761 James Otis began challenging British authority by arguing boldly against the writs of assistance, which were search warrants that would allow British authorities to enter any colonist’s home at any time without giving a reason. Soon after this, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and wrote several important patriotic pamphlets during his life. James Otis is given credit for the phrase, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” He died in 1783 after being struck by lightning.
The Quartering Act of 1765
The Quartering Act of 1765 was passed by British Parliament and forced colonial authorities in America to give British soldiers stationed in their towns places to stay, food to eat, and transportation. It gave specific instructions about where to house soldiers if barracks were not available, such as in local inns, stables, and ale houses, and if those were filled then any empty houses, outhouses, barns or other buildings had to be fixed up for the soldiers. The
Quartering Act affected colonists in New York most of all, and after much rebellion against it, it was finally allowed to expire in 1770.
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a law passed by British Parliament on April 5, 1764, to try to end the smuggling of sugar and molasses into the American colonies from the West Indies and to raise more money for the British government. It reduced the previous tax on molasses but it also created new taxes on foreign foods such as sugar and coffee and it regulated the export of lumber and iron. These new taxes and regulations increased the anger of many colonists under British rule and helped fuel the rebellion that led to the Revolutionary War.
HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE TIMELINE
1760—A Belgian man named Joseph Merlin creates the first known roller skates.
January 1, 1764—Eight-year-old musician and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart plays for the Royal Family at Versailles in France.
May 24, 1764—Boston lawyer James Otis denounces “taxation without representation” and calls for the colonies to join together in opposing Britain’s new tax measures.
June 7, 1767—Daniel Boone begins exploring present-day Kentucky.
October 18, 1767—The famous Mason-Dixon line, the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, is set.
August 26, 1768—Captain James Cook begins his first voyage on the Endeavor in the South Pacific Ocean to eventually find present day Australia and New Zealand.
June 17, 1775—The deadliest battle of the Revolutionary War, the Battle at Bunker Hill, is fought near Boston.
July 4, 1776—The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress in America, and on September 9, 1776, the nation is officially renamed the “Unites States of America” rather than the “United Colonies.”
December 18, 1777—The United States celebrates its first national day of Thanksgiving.
1783—The fighting of the Revolutionary War ends early in the year, and the war officially ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.
If you enjoyed
American Dream
be sure to read
American Challenge
Girls are girls wherever they live—and the Sisters in Time series shows that girls are girls whenever they lived, too! This new collection brings together four historical fiction books for 8–12-year-old girls: Lydia the Patriot: The Boston Massacre (covering the year 1770), Kate and the Spies: The American Revolution (1775), Betsy’s River Adventure: The Journey Westward (1808), and Grace and the Bully: Drought on the Frontier (1819), American Challenge will transport readers back to the formative years of our nation, teaching important lessons of history and Christian faith.
Available wherever books are sold.
American Dream Page 42