READ-ALOUD PLAYS: Symbols of America

Transcription

1 READ-ALOUD PLAYS: Symbols of America by Mack Lewis P ROFESSIONAL B S C H O L A S T I C OOKS N E W Y O R K T O R O N T O L O N D O N A U C K L A N D S Y D N E Y M E X I C O C I T Y N E W D E L H I H O N G K O N G B U E N O S A I R E S

2 To all past and present Room 3 Kids. Each and every one of you is important! Make history. Excerpts on page 70 are from I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Professional Books, 557 Broadway, New York, NY Cover design by Josué Castilleja Cover and interior illustrations by Holly Jones Interior design by Solutions by Design, Inc. ISBN: X Copyright 2003 by Mack Lewis. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A

3 Introduction....4 Read-Aloud Plays Contents The Liberty Bell...8 A Bell for the Statehouse...9 Bubble Quiz...15 The American Flag...16 Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction?...17 Bubble Quiz...23 The American Bald Eagle Eagles Over the Battlefield Bubble Quiz...30 The Star-Spangled Banner...31 The Defense of Fort McHenry...32 Bubble Quiz...37 The White House...38 Tearing Down the White House...39 Bubble Quiz...44 Mount Rushmore...45 Argument at Mount Rushmore...46 Bubble Quiz...51 Presidents Day...52 Presidents Day Dream...53 Bubble Quiz...58 Veterans Day War Stories...60 Bubble Quiz...64 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day I Have a Dream...66 Bubble Quiz...71 Independence Day...72 As American as Apple Pie...73 Bubble Quiz...80

4 Introduction Help students meet the social studies standards with ten captivating read-aloud plays about the White House, the Liberty Bell, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and more! Each play tells the story of an American symbol, holiday, or person in a unique and compelling way. What would the presidents on Mount Rushmore say if they could talk? Did Betsy Ross really make the first flag? Each reproducible play comes with background information, extension activities, book links, Web links, and a multiple-choice quiz. These read-aloud plays can be used in a number of ways to enhance your curriculum, make social studies topics more meaningful and engaging, and help students read with greater fluency. Why Use Drama? L ots of kids begin school already knowing how to read. They haven t had formal lessons. Their parents haven t been trained in the latest methodology. They haven t used a single worksheet or textbook. Yet there they are, reading. Why? My own children had a few favorites among their ready supply of books. I recall my oldest boy latching on to Amos & Boris and a Sesame Street book entitled Don t Forget the Oatmeal. As a toddler, Darryl would ask us to read these books over and over again. Soon, he started reading them to us. Oh, he s not really reading, we d tell ourselves. He s just heard the book so many times, he s memorized the words. But based on brain research by Vygotsky and others, some experts believe the difference between reading and memorization is slight. Kids get an emotional charge out of reading proficiently whether memorized or not and when the brain recognizes it, it produces chemicals that form the neural pathways that make reading (and learning) possible. Because Darryl had consumed Don t Forget the Oatmeal so often, he d mastered the text, prompting his brain to construct new pathways. Now consider what we often do in the classroom. We ll take a book or story and ask kids to read it one time, expecting mastery on the first attempt. We ask kids to pass computerized tests, complete worksheets, and discuss content after a single reading. Because they can decode at grade level, we assume they can read anything at grade level. It s a fallacy and a tragedy. Instead of experiencing a positive emotion that builds pathways, many kids in this situation suffer a negative emotion that causes them to withdraw and resist reading altogether. y 4 y

5 I played a mean trumpet back in college. I knew the language of music well. Just as beginning readers can identify the difference between the letter a and the letter b, I could distinguish between A and B-flat. Just as beginning readers can correctly enunciate the sound made by the letter d as opposed to those made by the letter c, I could correctly play D, high C, or any other note in the language. But, that didn t mean I could automatically play every jazz chart set in front of me. Even those at my level still presented a challenge the first time through. When we were introduced to a new sheet of music, we would sight read. That meant we d muddle through a first reading just to get a feel for the piece. It rarely sounded like the song it was supposed to be. Only after numerous readings and much practice would any given piece of music be suitable for performance. Only after numerous readings would we master a piece of music. Asking a young reader to read aloud a piece of text he or she is looking at for the very first time is akin to asking a musician to perform in public a piece of music he or she has never played before. Only the most talented can do it, and even they rarely do. Just like playing music, reading requires repetition for mastery. Students need the chance to sight read, to practice, and then to perform the material you want them to master. Plays are the perfect format. While many students are reluctant to reread an entire book, if you give them a script and schedule a performance, they ll be more than happy to read and reread it twenty or more times. By the time they re asked to read it in front of the class, even struggling readers will read with greater fluency. Even shy kids will be more willing to read out loud. Plays give you the opportunity to teach repetitive reading without the resistance you would get asking a child to reread a traditional text. Students acquire mastery, which chemically changes the brain, making them superior readers who are better able to comprehend. How to Use This Book There are several ways you can use these plays. Here are some suggestions: READERS THEATER: This is the easiest performance method and a great starting point. Students simply practice reading their lines and then read the play aloud in front of the class. STAGE PERFORMANCE: Even if the stage is just the front of the room, kids love to act out their plays. Help students focus on speaking up, facing the audience, and reading fluently on cue. As students improve their oral reading skills, have them add props, simple sets, and voice characterization. Look around your school for playground structures, courtyards, and other settings that could be used as a stage. Be sure to invite families and other classes to watch. You might even hold a performance for the community. y 5 y

6 RADIO DRAMA: You ll need a reliable tape recorder, a microphone, and a quiet half hour when you and the actors can meet to record the play. Kids enjoy adding sound props, such as doorbells and footsteps. Explain to students that their willingness to redo a scene ensures a better final product. BROADWAY: All right, maybe the main stage at your school isn t Broadway, but to a middle school student it s the next best thing. Once you re comfortable with directing plays in the classroom, consider collaborating with a music or drama teacher on a full production for a larger audience. Put together three or four short plays that fit a theme. Create sets, make costumes, and invite friends and families. Make it a big event with programs and a post-performance party. It s a commitment, but the end result will be memorable for everyone involved. TELEVISION PRODUCTION: If you have access to video cameras and VCRs, consider producing a simple television show. Like radio drama, you have the opportunity to redo scenes, and you also have a finished product that can be copied and sent home. Whichever format you choose, it s important that students read the same script repetitively. I split my class into three play groups of six to twelve students. Each group meets for about twenty minutes at the director s table two or three times a week. During this time, the students at the director s table practice reading their play while students in other groups work independently on other assignments. The Delicate Nature of Assessing Drama If you choose to assess your students performance, it is helpful to share your assessment standards with students before you begin and consistently revisit them as they practice. If you re having students perform the plays during class, ask the student audience to provide feedback. After the performance ask, What did they do well? Not only will the audience provide valuable feedback, they ll also synthesize evaluative factors they will then apply to their own performance. Maureen spoke loudly, is one comment you re likely to hear. You can also ask, What do they need to work on? and you ll get answers such as Trey should move his script away from his face so the audience can hear him better. Because these comments come from other students, the performers are better able to receive them without the negative impact of a low grade. Evaluating a play s content is also important. You can ask the same questions you ask in any literary or social studies discussion for example, What is the setting? or How does this play demonstrate George Washington s personality? y 6 y

7 Of course, not every play will go smoothly. Unexpected absences can sometimes derail performances. Kids, no matter how responsible, often lose or forget their scripts. Intercoms and fire drills sometimes interrupt. And of course, there s plain old misbehavior. I once stopped a stage performance mid-scene and had the students sit down and continue it using the Readers Theater format. It was The Daring Escape of Henry Box Brown, a play about slavery I had written for Storyworks magazine. Our rehearsals had been great, and it was a fun play to enact, but for whatever reason, once the kids got on stage they became so giddy they lost focus. They stumbled through their lines, missed their cues, and laughed in all the wrong places. They forgot where their props were, and even wrestled offstage. Finally, when they accidentally pulled down our makeshift curtain, I put an end to it. A month later, with a new set of plays, the same kids were super. If you commit to enhancing your reading program with drama, you ll soon be rewarded with a bank of favorite plays you come back to year after year, a class full of engaged readers, and a ton of great entertainment you can t find on television. BUBBLE QUIZZES ANSWER KEY A Bell for the Statehouse (page 15) 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. C 6. B Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction? (page 23) 1. A 2. A 3. B 4. A 5. B 6. D Eagles Over the Battlefield (page 30) 1. B 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B 6. A The Defense of Fort McHenry (page 37) 1. A 2. B 3. D 4. B 5. C 6. D Tearing Down the White House (page 44) 1. B 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B 6. A Argument at Mount Rushmore (page 51) 1. C 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. B 6. A Presidents Day Dream (page 58) 1. D 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. C 6. B War Stories (page 64) 1. B 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. D 6. C I Have a Dream (page 71) 1. B 2. A 3. A 4. C 5. B 6. C As American as Apple Pie (page 80) 1. C 2. C 3. A 4. B 5. B 6. A y 7 y

8 The Liberty Bell Long before it was known as the Liberty Bell, the old statehouse bell became a symbol of freedom and independence. Its story begins in 1751 when the Pennsylvania Assembly needed a bell for the new statehouse. The assembly wanted to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Pennsylvania Constitution. They sent 60 pounds, 14 shillings, and 5 pence (about 300 dollars) to a foundry in England. Even though they weren t yet openly talking about freedom from British rule, they had the bell engraved with a verse from the Bible: Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. (Lev. 25:10) Little did they know, these would be words of inspiration during both the American Revolution and the Civil War. When the bell cracked during its very first ringing, two foundry workers volunteered to recast it. They broke the bell in pieces and melted it down. But when the job was finished, it made a jarring sound. They recast it again, this time to everyone s satisfaction almost. Assemblyman Isaac Norris requested a new bell be sent from England, but when it arrived, it sounded no better than the original bell s E-flat tone. The bell is 12 feet around at its lip and it weighs 2,080 pounds. It was used to gather people for important events and announcements. The bell tolled when Ben Franklin left for England to speak to Parliament. It tolled when George III became King of England. And it tolled extra loudly when Colonel John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence on July 8, During the American Revolution, patriot leaders had all bells hidden. They feared the British would melt down the bells, which were made mostly of lead, in order to make bullets. The statehouse bell was taken to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it was hidden under the floor of the Zion Reformed Church. In 1837, when the New York Anti-Slavery Society began using the bell as its symbol, people started calling it the Liberty Bell. Its message to proclaim liberty inspired many abolitionists in the years before the Civil War. The Liberty Bell cracked for the last time 59 years after the reading of the declaration. Even so, it remained in use until Finally, during a celebration of George Washington s birthday, the crack grew so large the bell could no longer be rung. Today it can be seen at the Liberty Bell Pavilion in Philadelphia. R ESOURCES If You Lived in Colonial Times by Ann McGovern (Scholastic, 1992) The Liberty Bell (Cornerstones of Freedom) by Gail Sakurai (Children s Press, 1996) The Liberty Bell (Symbols of Freedom) by Tristan Boyer Binns (Heinemann, 2001) The Liberty Bell: The Sounds of Freedom by Jon Wilson (Childs World, 1998) Frederick Loeser, Patriot: Liberty Bell Museum: U.S. History.org: E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Make a life-size model of the bell. Use papier mâché or cardboard and aluminum foil. The actual bell is three inches thick and has a circumference of twelve feet. It is seven and one half feet around at the crown and three feet tall from lip to crown. The crack is two feet four inches long. Explore bell tones. Listen to as many different bells as possible. Is there a relationship between the sound of a bell and its size? Try to match each bell s tone to the notes on a xylophone. y 8 y

9 A Bell for the Statehouse CHARACTERS Town Crier Storekeeper Bell Statesman 1 Dressmaker Redcoat 1 Statesman 2 Farmer Redcoat 2 Cobbler Foundry Worker Tinsmith Carpenter SCENE 1: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania CRIER: One day in 1751, the cobbler was working in his shop when two statesmen walked by. STATESMAN 1: Isn t the new statehouse a grand building? STATESMAN 2: Yes, but what good is the steeple without a bell? STATESMAN 1: You re right. It does need a bell. STATESMAN 2: Why don t we have a bell cast? The best bell ever! STATESMAN 1: But where will we find a bellmaker in Philadelphia? There is no one in all the colonies who can make such a bell. STATESMAN 2: Why not order one from the Old Country? We can send for it today. CRIER: Hear ye, hear ye: Big bell to be ordered from England! y 9 y

10 SCENE 2: Philadelphia CRIER: Months later the cobbler noticed everyone running past his shop. COBBLER: What s all the excitement? Where is everyone going? CARPENTER: No time to talk. I have to get to the docks. COBBLER: You there. What s going on? STOREKEEPER (not stopping to talk): Haven t you heard? COBBLER: I guess I haven t. CRIER: Others ran by. They were all too excited to talk to the cobbler. COBBLER: Excuse me, sir. Excuse me. Will someone please tell me what s going on? CRIER: Finally someone stopped. DRESSMAKER: Just listen, friend. Listen to the town crier. CRIER: Hear ye, hear ye: The big bell has arrived from England. It s on the ship Matilda! COBBLER: The big bell! No wonder everyone is so excited. DRESSMAKER: Now put your shoes away and follow me! CRIER: The cobbler didn t even lock up his shop. He ran to the docks to see the bell. SCENE 3: Philadelphia CRIER: The good people of Philadelphia followed the bell to the statehouse. FARMER: That s quite a bell, all right. COBBLER: It weighs more than two thousand pounds! FOUNDRY WORKER: And it came all the way from England! DRESSMAKER: Look there! What does it say on it? FARMER: Can anyone here read? COBBLER: It says, Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land! DRESSMAKER: Liberty! STATESMAN 1: Ladies and gentlemen, it s time for all of us to hear it. May its ring proclaim liberty forevermore! CRIER: The statesman raised the clapper. y 10 y

11 BELL: DING! COBBLER: How beautiful! CARPENTER: Loud, too! BELL: DONG! STOREKEEPER: What a wonderful sound! BELL: THUD! COBBLER: What happened? FARMER: I think it broke. Look! There s a crack in it! CRIER: Everyone was stunned. Hear ye, hear ye: There s a crack in the bell! STATESMAN 1: I guess we re not quite ready to proclaim liberty. FARMER: Can t we get it fixed? STATESMAN 2: What? Send it back to England? COBBLER: Why not fix it right here in Philadelphia? DRESSMAKER: That s right. What do we need England for? STATESMAN 1: But who would fix it? There aren t any bellmakers in the colonies. FOUNDRY WORKER: I can fix it. STATESMAN 2: But you re not a bellmaker. FOUNDRY WORKER: But I know how to melt and pour metal into a mold. And what I don t know, I ll learn. COBBLER: That s right. We can t depend on England for everything. If this bell is supposed to proclaim liberty, we have to learn to take care of ourselves. SCENE 4: Philadelphia CRIER: Two foundry workers spent many hours melting down and remaking the bell. STATESMAN 1: I hear the bell is finished. COBBLER: You see, it looks as good as new. My friends here have done a great job. CRIER: The statesman raised the clapper. STATESMAN 1: Gentlemen, for liberty! BELL: TIIIINGGHH. y 11 y

12 CRIER: Hear ye, hear ye: The bell is making a terrible, high-pitched sound! FOUNDRY WORKER: I m sorry. We ll try again. CRIER: The two men tried once more to recast the bell. This time, they were successful. BELL: DING, DONG, DING, DONG! STATESMAN 1: Beautiful. At long last our bell can proclaim liberty! SCENE 5: Philadelphia CRIER: The bell rang for years to come. Then, in 1776, the American colonies wanted freedom from England s rule. Hear ye, hear ye: Congress proclaims independence! STATESMAN 2: It s time we listened to the bell and proclaimed our own liberty. STATESMAN 1: Today we signed a document that echoes the sound of our bell. STATESMAN 2: When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another CRIER: It was the Declaration of Independence. The thirteen American colonies were proclaiming themselves free of English rule. STATESMAN 2: We declare that these United Colonies are Free and Independent States. BELL: DING, DONG, DING, DONG! CRIER: Hear ye, hear ye: The United States of America is born! BELL: DING, DONG, DING, DONG! SCENE 6: Philadelphia CRIER: But King George did not want the colonies to be free. He sent his army to America to stop the revolution. Hear ye, hear ye: The British are coming! COBBLER: Is it true? Are the redcoats marching toward Philadelphia? STATESMAN 1: It s true. They re coming to arrest our patriot leaders. STATESMAN 2: But don t be alarmed. Our leaders have escaped to the countryside to hide. DRESSMAKER: Not all of them. STATESMAN 2: What do you mean? Who is left? FOUNDRY WORKER: Not who what. It s the bell. The British will melt her down to make bullets. y 12 y

13 COBBLER: Bullets that they ll use against us. STATESMAN 1: I ll order American soldiers to defend the statehouse. STOREKEEPER: It will never work. The British outnumber us ten to one. FOUNDRY WORKER: We need to hide the bell just like we ve hidden our patriot leaders. STATESMAN 2: She weighs two thousand pounds and she s at the top of a steeple! How will we get her down? COBBLER: We can do it. We ll have to find a way. STATESMAN 1: But the British troops have already surrounded the city. FARMER: I can get her out of the city. I ll hide her in my wagon. SCENE 7: Outside Philadelphia CRIER: The people worked all day to rescue the bell. She seemed to clang nervously as they lowered her from the steeple. BELL (softly): CLING, CLANG. FARMER: Put her in the wagon. Cover her with hay. You see, you can t even tell she s there. COBBLER: She s ready to go then. Good luck. FARMER: Don t worry. This bell will be proclaiming liberty long after this war is over. CRIER: As night fell, the farmer led his oxen out of town. He was soon met by redcoats. REDCOAT 1: You there, halt in the name of King George! REDCOAT 2: What brings you this way, farmer? FARMER: Just hauling hay. If the king s horses are hungry, I d be happy to share. REDCOAT 1 (rudely): If the king s horses were hungry, we d take as we please. REDCOAT 2: But as it is, the king s horses and soldiers are well fed. REDCOAT 1: Be on your way. FARMER: Yes, sirs. CRIER: The farmer hid the bell in the countryside until the redcoats had passed. y 13 y

14 SCENE 8: Philadelphia CRIER: Soon the bell was back in its steeple. Then, in 1781, it rang louder than ever. BELL: DING, DONG, DING, DONG! COBBLER: Have you heard the news? BELL: DING, DONG! TINSMITH: It must be good the way the old bell is ringing. BELL: DING, DONG, DING, DONG! CRIER: Hear ye, hear ye: American troops have beaten the British at Yorktown. King George has surrendered! FOUNDRY WORKER: You mean the war is over? BELL: DING, DONG, DING! COBBLER: At long last, the bell is proclaiming liberty throughout the land. BELL: DING, DONG, DING, DONG! The End y 14 y

15 Name: Date: A Bell for the Statehouse BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. What is this play mainly about? A. bells and the sounds they make B. the different kinds of jobs people had during the revolution C. how the statehouse bell became a symbol of liberty 2. Why did the statesmen have to order the bell from the Old Country? A. English bells were better than American ones. B. There weren t any bellmakers in the colonies. C. They wanted an old bell. 3. Who or what was Matilda? A. a dressmaker B. the ship on which the bell arrived C. the farmer s ox D. the bell s nickname 4. What does the word proclaim mean? A. to keep secret B. to announce or declare C. to lift something heavy 5. Where did the cobbler live when the bell first arrived? A. the United States B. England C. the American Colonies 6. The play uses some old-fashioned words for certain jobs.what job today is most like that of the town crier? A. shoemaker B. reporter C. teacher WRITING PROMPT In Scene 7, the farmer offered to share his hay with the redcoats even though he knew the bell was hidden underneath.why? y 15 y

16 The American Flag Imagine saying the Pledge of Allegiance to a bright yellow flag featuring a coiled rattlesnake. How about saluting a white flag with a green pine tree in one corner? The United States had many flags before June 14, It was then that Congress decided to make the Stars and Stripes the official design. But who came up with the idea of thirteen stripes and white stars on a blue field? According to legend, George Washington and two other men went to a seamstress named Betsy Ross for help. While George Washington is said to have suggested the basic design, Betsy Ross made several changes. For example, she made the flag wider and put the stars in a circle. Later, Washington raised the flag during the battles of Princeton and Trenton. Today Betsy Ross is called an American hero. The house in Philadelphia where she supposedly created that flag is a national historic landmark. In many classrooms, the story of Betsy Ross is taught with other events we know to be true, such as Washington s crossing of the Delaware and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But did Betsy Ross really create the nation s first flag? There are no records or receipts to prove the government hired her to do the work. Betsy Ross never wrote about her contribution to American history either. And, until 1870, the public had never heard of the now famous seamstress. As a result, many historians believe her story is just a legend. After the Revolutionary War was over, Francis Hopkinson presented the government with a bill for designing the first flag of the United States. Hopkinson was a member of Congress whose signature appears on the Declaration of Independence. Though the government rejected his request for payment, some historians believe that he, not Betsy Ross, created the Stars and Stripes. Others think he only created a flag for the United States Navy. What s the truth about the creation of the flag? While there is evidence in support of both arguments, no one knows for sure. What do the students think? As the historian in our play suggests, Let the people hear the facts and decide for themselves. R ESOURCES The American Flag by Thomas Parrish (Simon & Schuster, 1973) Betsy Ross, American Patriot by Susan Martins Miller (Chelsea House, 2000) Betsy Ross: Patriot of Philadelphia by Judith St. George (H. Holt & Co., 1997) Your Flag and Mine by Alice Curtis Desmond (Macmillan, 1960) The Betsy Ross Homepage: Early U.S. Flags: Guidelines for Displaying the Flag: George Washington Picture Gallery: revolution/wash-pix/gallery.htm E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Create your own historical society. Research the real facts about Betsy Ross and Francis Hopkinson online and at the library. Then hold a panel discussion or debate. Research flag etiquette. Have your students find answers to these and other questions, such as: What is the proper way to handle a United States flag? Is it okay to use the flag in advertisements? Why is it inappropriate to print the flag on disposable materials? y 16 y

17 Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction? CHARACTERS Historians 1, 2, and 3 William Canby (Betsy s grown grandson) Rachel Britt and Hannah Wetherill (two young neighbors) Betsy Ross Colonel George Ross (Betsy s uncle) General George Washington Robert Morris (a wealthy supporter of independence) Audience Member (a granddaughter of Francis Hopkinson) SCENE 1: Philadelphia, 1870 HISTORIAN 1: We would like to welcome our audience to this meeting of the Pennsylvania Historical Society. First, we will hear a presentation by Mr. William Canby. WILLIAM CANBY: I m here to talk about the nation s first flag. HISTORIAN 2: We ve heard legends about the creation of the flag, but we ve never seen any real proof. Most of these stories turn out to be more fiction than fact. y 17 y

18 HISTORIAN 3: Do you have any new information to add? WILLIAM CANBY: Yes, I do. My grandmother created the first Stars and Stripes. HISTORIAN 2: Your grandmother? It s been almost a hundred years since Congress chose a design for the flag. How can you know your grandmother had anything to do with it? WILLIAM CANBY: My grandmother was a humble woman. She never sought public attention for her contribution to our country. But privately she told the story often. As a boy, I heard it many times. HISTORIAN 1: Very well. We re listening. WILLIAM CANBY: It was June of My grandmother was still a young woman. She was working in her upholstery shop. As they often did, some neighborhood girls were visiting. SCENE 2: The Ross Upholstery Shop, Philadelphia, June 1776 RACHEL BRITT: Is there any work we can do for you today, Mrs. Ross? HANNAH WETHERILL: We could sort the buttons or fold the fabric. RACHEL BRITT: We could stack the spools. Or we could sweep the stoop. We re good at that! BETSY ROSS: And what do you want in return for these services, ladies? HANNAH WETHERILL: Just a few scraps of leftover fabric, Mrs. Ross. RACHEL BRITT: We re working on a quilt. BETSY ROSS: Very well. But I warn you, I don t have much. I m all alone now, and the British are driving up prices. If I don t get some new customers soon, I don t know what I ll do. WILLIAM CANBY: The girls went to sweep the stoop, but came rushing back. Three men had arrived outside. HANNAH WETHERILL: Here come some customers now, Mrs. Ross. And they look important! COLONEL ROSS: Good afternoon, Mrs. Ross. This is Mr. Morris, and I think you already know Mr. Washington. HANNAH WETHERILL (aside): Look, Rachel. It s General Washington! BETSY ROSS: Good afternoon, sirs. It s nice to see you again, Mr. Washington. ROBERT MORRIS: We d like to hire you to make a flag. BETSY ROSS: I ve made flags before. Would you like a Grand Union flag? GENERAL WASHINGTON: No, there has been some confusion about the Grand Union. When we raised it during a battle a few months ago, the British thought we were surrendering. y 18 y

19 ROBERT MORRIS: We re looking for something different. Something that shows our independence. COLONEL ROSS: Something that doesn t look like a British flag. GEORGE WASHINGTON: This is what we had in mind. WILLIAM CANBY: The general showed Betsy a drawing of a square flag. Each of its stars had six points. GENERAL WASHINGTON: There are thirteen red and white stripes, one for each of the thirteen colonies. The stars are to be white in a blue field. They stand for a new constellation. BETSY ROSS: Very nice, sir. But wouldn t it be better to have a rectangular flag? It would set it apart from the English flag, plus it would stream in the breeze. GENERAL WASHINGTON: Yes, that is a grand idea. BETSY ROSS: We could also arrange the stars in a circle so they all have equal standing. COLONEL ROSS: Another good idea! WILLIAM CANBY: They agreed on a price. The men were leaving when one of the girls interrupted. RACHEL BRITT: But Mrs. Ross, what about the stars? BETSY ROSS: What about the stars, Rachel? RACHEL BRITT: Don t six-pointed stars have to do with English royalty? Five points would be better. GENERAL WASHINGTON: But a five-pointed star is too difficult to make. HANNAH WETHERILL: Begging your pardon, sir, but Mrs. Ross can make a perfect fivepointed star with one snip of her scissors! COLONEL ROSS: Come now! RACHEL BRITT: It s true. It s like magic! BETSY ROSS: It s really very simple, gentlemen. Any good seamstress can do it. WILLIAM CANBY: Betsy folded a piece of paper several times. Then after a single cut, a perfect five-pointed star remained. GENERAL WASHINGTON: That is amazing! COLONEL ROSS: Five points would further set our flag apart. ROBERT MORRIS: We are agreed then. We will be back in two weeks. WILLIAM CANBY: When the men left, Betsy scolded the girls. BETSY ROSS: It isn t proper for young ladies to speak when not spoken to! y 19 y

20 RACHEL BRITT: Oh my goodness! That was George Washington! BETSY ROSS: That was a customer! What if they had been offended and taken their business elsewhere? HANNAH WETHERILL: We re sorry, Mrs. Ross, but you do make a wonderful five-pointed star. RACHEL BRITT: We couldn t let General Washington leave without knowing so! BETSY ROSS: Oh well. I suppose it worked out. Can you use red, white, and blue scraps in your quilt? HANNAH WETHERILL: Could I have something else instead? Could I have the star you cut for General Washington? SCENE 3: Philadelphia, 1870 HISTORIAN 2: That s a very good tale, Mr. Canby, but where is the proof? WILLIAM CANBY: As I have said, my grandmother told me of these events herself. I also have letters signed by her daughter and her niece. Both claim that she told them the story as well. HISTORIAN 3: But all this happened a year before Congress decided on a flag design. WILLIAM CANBY: Yes, doesn t it make sense that Congress would select a flag already being used? At the very least, wouldn t they create a sample? HISTORIAN 2: But why would George Washington himself bother to visit a seamstress? WILLIAM CANBY: Ah, this is easy to explain. General Washington and Colonel Ross went to the same church as Betsy Ross. After church one Sunday in March 1776, they talked about my grandmother s troubles. It was just a few months before they asked her to make the flag. SCENE 4: Christ Church, March 1776 COLONEL ROSS: General Washington, you remember my niece, Betsy. She has a seamstress shop here in the city. GENERAL WASHINGTON: Why, yes. She sits in the pew across from me. I once hired her to sew some cuffs. COLONEL ROSS: Her husband my nephew was in the Pennsylvania Militia. Two months ago he was killed while on guard duty. GENERAL WASHINGTON: What a shame. This fight for freedom is costly. COLONEL ROSS: Indeed. In this case, it has left young Betsy to support herself. As you can imagine, it isn t easy to be a widow during such difficult times. I worry for her. y 20 y

21 WILLIAM CANBY: Washington gave this some thought. GENERAL WASHINGTON: Say, do you remember when we talked about creating a new flag? What if we asked your niece to do the work? COLONEL ROSS: I m sure she would do a fine job. Shall I set up a meeting? GENERAL WASHINGTON: Yes. It is important that we show support for the widows of our war heroes. WILLIAM CANBY: They talked with Betsy. GENERAL WASHINGTON: Good morning, Mrs. Ross. I am sorry to hear of your husband s passing. Please know that his sacrifice will not be in vain. BETSY ROSS: Thank you, General. COLONEL ROSS: Betsy, the general and I were just talking about a job we need done. May we come by your shop? BETSY ROSS: Of course. I cannot afford to turn away any business. GENERAL WASHINGTON: Mrs. Ross, I have other matters that are more pressing, but we will visit soon. BETSY ROSS: Thank you, gentlemen. I look forward to it. SCENE 5: Philadelphia, 1870 WILLIAM CANBY: Though more than two months would pass, you can see why my grandmother wasn t at all surprised by General Washington s visit to her shop. HISTORIAN 2: If Mrs. Ross created the first flag, why is there no mention of her flag in any historical documents? WILLIAM CANBY: But there is. You re familiar with the work of Charles Willson Peale? HISTORIAN 2: Yes, he s one of the most important artists of revolutionary times. WILLIAM CANBY: His painting of the Battle of Princeton shows the flag was in use before Congress chose the design. HISTORIAN 1: Peale s paintings are so detailed I suppose that they could be considered historical documents. WILLIAM CANBY: There are other paintings, too, all showing Betsy Ross s flag the Stars and Stripes streaming in the breeze! HISTORIAN 3: It does seem to make sense. HISTORIAN 1: And these letters tell the same story. y 21 y

22 AUDIENCE MEMBER: Wait! I have something to say! HISTORIAN 2: Is there a problem? AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes! My grandfather served in the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His name was Francis Hopkinson. HISTORIAN 1: What does he have to do with all this? AUDIENCE MEMBER: Francis Hopkinson not Betsy Ross created the nation s first flag, and I have the receipts to prove it. HISTORIAN 3: May we see those? HISTORIAN 2: This is just the kind of proof we ve been looking for! Now we know that Francis Hopkinson designed the nation s first flag! HISTORIAN 1: This is a bill for payment, but it looks as though it was rejected. AUDIENCE MEMBER: They asked my grandfather to resubmit it with proof. That s why there s a second receipt. HISTORIAN 1: But the second receipt is for the first naval flag. AUDIENCE MEMBER: I believe my grandfather designed both flags. HISTORIAN 3: But these receipts prove only that Hopkinson made a flag for the navy. Based on what we ve heard today, I think Betsy Ross is more likely to have created the Stars and Stripes. HISTORIAN 2: But at least there s a receipt for the Hopkinson flag. Certainly, he could have designed the nation s first flag. HISTORIAN 1: Will we ever know for sure who created the first flag of the United States? Let the people consider the facts and decide for themselves. WILLIAM CANBY: There is one more thing. HISTORIAN 2: And what might that be? WILLIAM CANBY: This star. It s been kept in Samuel Wetherill s safe since HISTORIAN 3: It s a five-pointed star. WILLIAM CANBY: That s right. It s the five-pointed star. The very one. The End y 22 y

23 Name: Date: Betsy Ross: Fact or Fiction? BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. What is meant by the word troubles in the third scene? A. Betsy s husband had died in the war, so she had to support herself. B. Betsy was in trouble with the government for not paying taxes. C. The British wanted to arrest Betsy for helping General Washington. 2. Why didn t Rachel and Hannah think a six-pointed star was a good idea? A. Six-pointed stars stood for English royalty. B. Six-pointed stars were too hard to make. C. Five-pointed stars were more common. 3. Which of the following statements is an opinion? A. Betsy Ross was a seamstress. B. A five-pointed star is better than a six-pointed star. C. Francis Hopkinson signed the Declaration of Independence. 4. How did Betsy Ross and George Washington know each other? A. They went to the same church. B. They were neighbors. C. George Washington was Betsy Ross s uncle. 5. What is another name for a seamstress? A. hatmaker B. tailor C. flag maker 6. Where could you find more information about who designed the first American flag? A. library B. Internet C. history books D. all of the above WRITING PROMPT How does the five-pointed star Canby presents in the final scene support Betsy Ross s case? y 23 y

24 The American Bald Eagle According to legend, the bald eagle played an important role during an early battle of the American Revolution. Noise from the battle stirred hundreds of eagles from nearby nests. They circled above the battlefield, screeching alarm. They are shrieking for freedom! shouted the Americans. Inspired, the patriots fought bravely, turning back the British and winning the day. It s not surprising that the eagle became the national emblem in 1787 when the Great Seal of the United States was officially adopted. In 1776, the Second Continental Congress asked Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to create an emblem for the Great Seal. Though this play shows them settling on the eagle, their actual design was rejected by Congress. Only the Latin phrase E pluribus unum ( Out of many, one ) was kept. It wasn t until six years later that a Philadelphia man drew a seal that included the eagle. Congress liked the design. The eagle stood for freedom. Its strength and majestic appearance made it the ideal symbol for the young nation. Some people did not like the design. They said the bird looked too much like a wild turkey. Benjamin Franklin, who probably saw the humor in all of it, went so far as to say the turkey would have been a better choice. The turkey, wrote Franklin, is a bird of courage and more respectable than the eagle. The bald eagle gets its name from its white head. Note that bald did not always mean hairless. At one time the word meant whiteheaded. Bald eagles grow to be up to 3 feet tall and weigh up to 14 pounds. They have a wingspan of up to 7 feet! Today about half of the world s 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. The Great Seal shows an eagle holding an olive branch in one claw and a bundle of 13 arrows in the other. The olive branch is a symbol of peace, while the arrows stand for strength. The eagle appears on many of the nation s gold and silver coins and on the back of the one dollar bill. R ESOURCES If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore (Scholastic, 1998) American Bald Eagle Information: The Bald Eagle An American Emblem: The Great Seal of the United States: E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Examine the eagle emblem on the back of the dollar bill. What patriotic elements can students identify in the design? Look at the Great Seal online at and explore the meanings of its symbols and Latin phrases. Compare and contrast the bald eagle with the wild turkey. Have students research each creature. After they look at the birds physical appearance, ask them to consider their character traits. Is the bald eagle really of low moral character? Is the turkey as loyal as Franklin claimed it was? Engage students in a classroom debate. If they had been in Congress in 1787, which bird would they have chosen? y 24 y

25 Eagles Over the Battlefield CHARACTERS Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson John Adams Ben Franklin Messenger Puckett (a young soldier) Soldier 2 (the messenger during a battle) Soldier 3 SCENE 1: Philadelphia NARRATOR 1: The leaders of the new nation have many decisions to make. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton must decide on an emblem for the young country. NARRATOR 2: Though the revolution isn t over yet, they want to choose a symbol to represent the United States. y 25 y

26 NARRATOR 1: But they have been arguing for some time. NARRATOR 2: Tempers have begun to flare. ALEXANDER HAMILTON: Let s vote again, gentlemen. If we are to take the matter to Congress, you must all agree. Those in favor of the eagle, say aye. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Aye. JOHN ADAMS: Aye. BEN FRANKLIN: Nay. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Nay? BEN FRANKLIN: Yes, nay! I still like the wild turkey. JOHN ADAMS: What is so special about the wild turkey? BEN FRANKLIN: The turkey is a bird of courage. He would not be afraid to attack a British soldier who happened to invade his farmyard wearing a red coat. THOMAS JEFFERSON: The turkey wouldn t care if the soldier s coat were red or blue. He attacks everyone! BEN FRANKLIN: It was the turkey that helped the Pilgrims survive! THOMAS JEFFERSON: Which just goes to show a turkey s worth more when it s dead than when it s alive. BEN FRANKLIN: At least the turkey is a true American. JOHN ADAMS: That s a good point. Eagles can be found all over the world. ALEXANDER HAMILTON: Let s vote on the turkey then. Those in favor of the wild turkey, say aye. BEN FRANKLIN: Aye. JOHN ADAMS: Aye. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Nay! BEN FRANKLIN: Nay? THOMAS JEFFERSON: That s right, nay! JOHN ADAMS: Perhaps we should choose some other animal. How about the groundhog? Or maybe we should meet halfway and choose the turkey vulture. THOMAS JEFFERSON and BEN FRANKLIN: The turkey vulture?! BEN FRANKLIN: You must be crazy, John. ALEXANDER HAMILTON: Mr. Jefferson, would you like to repeat the reasons for choosing the bald eagle? y 26 y

27 THOMAS JEFFERSON: The eagle is a symbol of strength. His sharp claws and powerful beak tell his enemies to stay clear. BEN FRANKLIN: He is too lazy to fish for himself. He watches the hard work of the hawk, and then uses that big beak to steal his dinner! He is a bully! THOMAS JEFFERSON: The eagle stands for freedom. He lives freely atop lofty mountains. He soars into the heavens and swoops into the valleys as he pleases. BEN FRANKLIN: He is a coward. The little kingbird attacks him boldly. It drives him from the skies and chases him out of the valleys! THOMAS JEFFERSON: The eagle simply can t be troubled with small birds of such low rank. He is a bird of majesty and independence, not an ugly, flightless thing like the turkey! BEN FRANKLIN: At least the turkey is honest! THOMAS JEFFERSON: The turkey is all feathers and no brain! ALEXANDER HAMILTON: Gentlemen, enough fighting. Let s vote again. THOMAS JEFFERSON: There is no reason to vote! Mr. Franklin is as stubborn as his bird! BEN FRANKLIN: And Mr. Jefferson is as vain as his! NARRATOR 1: The argument grew worse. BEN FRANKLIN: I say turkey! THOMAS JEFFERSON: I say eagle! NARRATOR 2: Fortunately, they were interrupted by a messenger. MESSENGER: I bring news from General Washington. NARRATOR 1: He handed Jefferson a note about a battle. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Thank you, young man. MESSENGER: Sir, permission to speak? THOMAS JEFFERSON: Yes, what is it? MESSENGER: I couldn t help overhearing. You are talking about the bald eagle? JOHN ADAMS: Yes, what s it to you, soldier? MESSENGER: Sirs, I was in a battle near Concord. These eagles, they showed their true colors. BEN FRANKLIN: Yellow, no doubt! MESSENGER: With all due respect, sir, allow me to explain. y 27 y

28 SCENE 2: A Battlefield NARRATOR 1: The messenger spoke of a battle early in the war. MESSENGER: The sun was just peeking over the mountains. Everything was quiet. I was on guard duty with a soldier named Puckett. He was just a kid, a farm boy from Concord. PUCKETT: It s too cold for this! What are we doing out here anyway? SOLDIER 2: We re protecting the gunpowder. If the British get hold of it, our hopes for independence will be dashed. PUCKETT: What hope do we have anyway? The redcoats are the most powerful army in the world! SOLDIER 2: General Washington thinks we have a chance. He wouldn t be setting up the Continental Army if he didn t. PUCKETT: I don t know. I m scared. MESSENGER: Suddenly, musket fire echoed through the hills. I felt a ball fly past my face. PUCKETT: Look, there they are! SOLDIER 2: My gosh, there are hundreds of them. PUCKETT: Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm! MESSENGER: We sounded the alarm. Our men scrambled from their tents, but we were outmatched from the start. PUCKETT: We need to retreat! SOLDIER 2: We haven t been given the order to retreat. Stand your ground! MESSENGER: The redcoats marched forward. There were more shots. PUCKETT: My musket is jammed! MESSENGER: Suddenly, Puckett was down. SOLDIER 2: Puckett! MESSENGER: As cannonballs exploded around us, I knelt over him. He was in bad shape. PUCKETT: Don t give up. Don t let them take our freedom. SOLDIER 2: I have to get you out of here. The redcoats are too much for us. MESSENGER: That s when Puckett noticed them. PUCKETT: Look! The eagles are circling. MESSENGER: All the noise had stirred the eagles from their mountaintop homes. Hundreds of them were soaring above the battlefield. y 28 y

29 PUCKETT: Listen, they re shrieking for freedom. Freedom! MESSENGER: I don t know why, but the eagles gave us courage. SOLDIER 2: They re shrieking for freedom! The eagles are shrieking for freedom. MESSENGER: Around me, others repeated the call. SOLDIER 3: Freedom! MESSENGER: Inspired, we charged forward. We were on the redcoats before they could reload their muskets. SOLDIER 2: They re retreating! SOLDIER 3: After them! Chase them all the way back to England! MESSENGER: When I got back to Puckett, it was too late. But thanks to the eagles, we beat the redcoats that day. We may have been just a bunch of farmers and shopkeepers, but like the eagles, we were strong. We were determined to be free. NARRATOR 2: The room fell silent. SCENE 3: Philadelphia JOHN ADAMS: Thank you, young man. You may go. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Its true colors indeed! The eagle is not yellow, but red, white, and blue through and through! BEN FRANKLIN: I am at a loss. How can I top a story like that? ALEXANDER HAMILTON: All in favor of choosing the American bald eagle as the symbol of the United States, say aye. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Aye. JOHN ADAMS: Aye. NARRATOR 1: Franklin paused. HAMILTON: Mr. Franklin? BEN FRANKLIN: I was just thinking. If the turkey were our national symbol, what would we eat on Thanksgiving? It seems to me a drumstick would never taste the same again. NARRATOR 2: And so it was the eagle, full of the spirit of freedom, that became the national emblem of the United States. The End y 29 y

30 Name: Date: Eagles Over the Battlefield BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. What was Puckett doing on the morning of the battle? A. sleeping in his tent B. protecting the gunpowder C. watching for the British D. watching the eagles 2. What happened to Puckett? A. He chased the redcoats back to England. B. He died on the battlefield. C. He went back to his farm near Concord. 3. Which of the following reasons was NOT given by Benjamin Franklin for choosing the turkey? A. The turkey is a true American. B. The turkey helped the Pilgrims survive. C. The turkey is a strong flier. D. The turkey is an honest bird. 4. Why did the room become silent at the end of Scene 2? A. Everyone was impressed by the messenger s story. B. Franklin told everyone to be quiet. C. The men refused to vote. 5. Why is a turkey worth more when it s dead than when it s alive? A. Its feathers are worth a lot of money. B. It makes a good meal. C. The bird is a pest. 6. Who or what are the redcoats? A. British soldiers B. French soldiers C. a kind of squirrel commonly found around Concord WRITING PROMPT What other creature might have made a good symbol for the young United States? Write a paragraph explaining why. y 30 y

31 The Star-Spangled Banner The Star-Spangled Banner shows the pride Americans have in their country. That s why it is our national anthem. The song became the anthem in 1931, but it was written more than 100 years earlier during the War of Just as in the revolution, the United States was fighting the British. England was the most powerful nation in the world, while the United States was made up of just 18 small states. The United States seemed outmatched and lost many battles. The White House was burned to the ground. And a popular doctor named William Beanes was taken prisoner. In August 1814, the British fleet sailed into Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore. The British planned to crush the United States once and for all. Meanwhile, some local people went to Francis Scott Key for help. Key was a lawyer. They asked him to negotiate the doctor s release. It was a dangerous mission. Key had to sail his small boat through the British war fleet. Who was to say the British would not take him captive as well? Fortunately, the British respected Key s white flag of truce and listened to his request. After much negotiating, more than this play has room for, the British freed the doctor. But they would not allow the Americans to return home until the attack on Fort McHenry was over. While watching the bombing, Key began writing his famous poem. The flag over McHenry was made especially for the battle. It was 30 feet by 42 feet wide. Because the United States was still changing, an official flag design had not yet been created. McHenry s flag had 15 stars and 15 stripes. Today it is on display at the Smithsonian Institute. The bombing lasted 25 hours. The British launched 1,500 shells, each weighing about 200 pounds. They also fired small rockets. Key worried that the fort would be destroyed. But when dawn of the second day came, the American flag was still flying. It proved the American soldiers at Fort McHenry had never given up. Against all odds, they had turned back the mighty British fleet. R ESOURCES The American Flag by Lynda Sorensen (Rourke Book Co., 1994) Our National Anthem by Stephanie St. Pierre (Millbrook Press, 1994) The Star-Spangled Banner by Peter Spier (Doubleday, 1973) The Flag of the United States: Fort McHenry: E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Help students understand the anthem s vocabulary. Cut out 15 large stars (you might try Betsy Ross s method). On one side of each, write a challenging word from the anthem. Together (or individually if resources are available), use a thesaurus or dictionary to identify a common synonym. Write the synonym on the back of the appropriate star. For example, on the star marked hailed you might write saluted. Play a guessing game in which students try to recall the original word that matches each synonym. For example, show the star marked saluted and see if students can remember hailed. Practice etiquette. Discuss appropriate anthem behavior, and then practice while listening to recorded versions. Try a different recording every day for a week or once a week for a month. Call your local librarian for recordings. Listen to patriotic music. Listen to and explore the history behind other patriotic songs such as Yankee Doodle, America the Beautiful, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. For an excellent short history on each, refer to the book Our National Anthem, by Stephanie St. Pierre. y 31 y

32 The Defense of Fort McHenry CHARACTERS Narrator 1 First Mate Narrator 2 Admiral Alexander Cochrane Francis Scott Key Dr. William Beanes Woman 1 Newsboy Woman 2 Customer 1 Colonel John Skinner Customer 2 SCENE 1: Georgetown (a Town in the District of Columbia) NARRATOR 1: War it s a nasty business! NARRATOR 2: But during the War of 1812, something special happened. NARRATOR 1: America discovered one of its most patriotic symbols. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: What can I do for you ladies? WOMAN 1: When the British burned the Capitol, they took Dr. Beanes prisoner. WOMAN 2: Now they re holding him on a British ship. y 32 y

33 FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: That s a shame. Why have you come to see me? WOMAN 1: We want you to ask the British to give him back. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: But ladies, we re in the middle of a war! WOMAN 2: We know it will be dangerous. WOMAN 1: But we fear for the doctor s life. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: All right. I ll see what I can do. NARRATOR 2: A few days later, Mr. Key said goodbye to his 11 children. NARRATOR 1: He headed for Chesapeake Bay, where the British fleet was anchored. SCENE 2: Chesapeake Bay NARRATOR 1: Key asked for help from Colonel John Skinner. NARRATOR 2: Under a flag of truce, they searched the bay for the right ship. COLONEL SKINNER: Ahoy there! FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Who commands this ship? FIRST MATE: That would be Admiral Cochrane. COLONEL SKINNER: May we speak with him? FIRST MATE: Come aboard. NARRATOR 1: It was the H.M.S. Tonnant, a British warship. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: I am Admiral Cochrane. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: I am Francis Scott Key and this is Colonel Skinner. We come in peace. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: So you say. What is it you want? COLONEL SKINNER: You re holding Dr. Beanes. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: We have a letter from President Madison asking you to give him back. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: Give him back? Dr. Beanes is a prisoner of war. FIRST MATE (interrupting): Admiral, the cannons are ready to fire. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: Very well. Prepare the rockets. COLONEL SKINNER: But Dr. Beanes isn t even a soldier. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: He is an enemy of the Crown. Her Majesty doesn t want to give him back. y 33 y

34 FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Sir, look at these letters. They re from British soldiers. They tell how Dr. Beanes healed them when they were injured. COLONEL SKINNER: Judging by these, it seems Dr. Beanes is no man s enemy! NARRATOR 2: The admiral looked at the letters. NARRATOR 1: They were from British soldiers wounded during the war. FIRST MATE: Admiral, General Ross is waiting for you in the ready room. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: So the good doctor cared for Her Majesty s soldiers, did he? We may need his help again very soon. All right then. You may have him. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY and JOHN SKINNER: Thank you, Sir. Thank you! NARRATOR 2: Dr. Beanes was brought from below. The three men were leaving when the admiral called to them. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: Halt there! FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Sir? ADMIRAL COCHRANE: Though your time here has been short, you have seen too much. We can t have you running back to tell of our plans. You can t return home until the battle is over. COLONEL SKINNER: But Admiral, we have families. ADMIRAL COCHRANE: We all have families, my good fellow. How am I to know that asking for the doctor wasn t just an excuse to spy on us? No, you ll have to stay aboard the ship you arrived on. We will watch you until the fighting stops. SCENE 3: Key s Boat NARRATOR 1: A few days later, British soldiers attacked Fort McHenry. COLONEL SKINNER: The enemy is returning. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Yet the American flag is still flying. COLONEL SKINNER: But our fort is no match for their missiles. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: I fear the worst. NARRATOR 2: Suddenly, the British ships began firing at Fort McHenry. NARRATOR 1: Bombs burst in the air above the fort, showering it with fire. NARRATOR 2: For 25 hours, the red glare of British rockets lit the sky. NARRATOR 1: Yet the brave American soldiers kept fighting. COLONEL SKINNER: Can you see the flag? y 34 y

35 FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Look! There it is, still flying above the fort! DR. BEANES: But for how much longer? COLONEL SKINNER: As long as that banner waves, we know we haven t been beaten. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: As long as we can see those broad stripes and bright stars, we know America is still the land of the free and the home of the brave. NARRATOR 2: The fighting continued through the night. NARRATOR 1: The men worried. Whose flag would be seen in the morning? NARRATOR 2: In the middle of the night, the bombing suddenly stopped. COLONEL SKINNER: Listen, the battle has ended! DR. BEANES: What does it mean? Have the British taken the fort? FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Or have they given up? NARRATOR 1: But in the darkness, there was no way to tell. NARRATOR 2: The three Americans waited for the dawn s early light. FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: There! There she is! COLONEL SKINNER: We ve won! The British have given up! DR. BEANES: Our brave soldiers at the fort never surrendered! ALL THREE: Hooray! NARRATOR 1: Key was so inspired by the victory that he began to write a poem. DR. BEANES: What s that you re writing, Mr. Key? FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: A poem: Oh say! can you see, by the dawn s early light COLONEL SKINNER: A poem about the flag? FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Yes, about how it kept waving throughout the battle, proving the American soldiers hadn t given up. SCENE 4: Baltimore, Maryland NARRATOR 1: A few days later, the poem was handed out in the streets. NEWSBOY: The Defense of Fort McHenry. Get your copy here! CUSTOMER 1: I ll take one! CUSTOMER 2: I hear it s very patriotic! y 35 y

36 CUSTOMER 1: It s all about American courage. CUSTOMER 2: And how we defeated the British once again. NARRATOR 1: Later that week it was in newspapers all over the United States. NARRATOR 2: And still later it was put to music. NARRATOR 1: Today we know it as The Star-Spangled Banner. NARRATOR 2: It s our national anthem. SCENE 5: Baltimore FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: Oh say! can you see, COLONEL SKINNER: By the dawn s early light, DR. BEANES: What so proudly we hail d WOMAN 1: At the twilight s last gleaming? WOMAN 2: Whose broad stripes and bright stars, NEWSBOY: Through the perilous fight, CUSTOMER 1: O er the ramparts we watch d, CUSTOMER 2: Were so gallantly streaming? CUSTOMER 1: And the rocket s red glare, NEWSBOY: The bombs bursting in air, WOMAN 2: Gave proof through the night WOMAN 1: That our flag was still there. DR. BEANES: O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave COLONEL SKINNER: O er the land of the free FRANCIS SCOTT KEY: And the home of the brave? The End y 36 y

37 Name: Date: The Defense of Fort McHenry BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. Who is the main character in this play? A. Francis Scott Key B. Dr. Beanes C. the H.M.S.Tonnant 2. What was the original title of Key s poem? A. The Star-Spangled Banner B. The Defense of Fort McHenry C. The Flag Was Still There 3. What is the main idea of Francis Scott Key s poem? A. Americans knew they had won the battle when they saw the United States flag was still there. B. Key was proud to be an American when he saw the flag still waving. C. We should all be proud to be Americans because of the courage shown at Fort McHenry. D. All of the above statements show the main idea. 4. Where was the British fleet anchored? A. Washington, D.C. B. Chesapeake Bay C. Pacific Ocean 5. In Scene 3, what is meant by the word showering? A. It was raining outside. B. The soldiers all needed to take a shower to clean up. C. Bombs and sparks were falling on the fort like rain. 6. Why did Admiral Cochrane let Dr. Beanes go free? A. President Madison insisted on it. B. The Queen of England told him to. C. Key and Skinner demanded that the doctor be released. D. Beanes had been kind to wounded British soldiers. WRITING PROMPT In Scene 2, Admiral Cochrane stops Key and Skinner from leaving because they had seen too much. What do you think they might have seen while on board Cochrane s ship? y 37 y

38 The White House T he long history of the White House makes it one of America s greatest patriotic symbols. George Washington himself selected the design and the site back in Since then it has been home to more than 40 presidents and their families. The first capital of the United States was Philadelphia. But early American leaders were worried about setting up the federal government there. They feared the new government might favor Pennsylvania. What they needed was a capital city not in a state, but separate and alone. They decided to map out ten miles in the wilderness between Virginia and Maryland. The new Federal City would be located there. George Washington mapped out what today is called Washington, D.C. Of course, it is named for George Washington, but until he retired, he always called it the Federal City. The White House took eight years to build. It was called the President s Mansion. Thomas Jefferson believed mansion was too fancy, so he changed it to the President s House. It has also been called the President s Palace and the Executive Mansion. During the War of 1812, the British burned down the White House. After the war it was rebuilt and painted a gleaming white, so people started calling it the white house. Finally, in 1901, President Roosevelt had the name officially changed to the White House. That s what everyone calls it anyway, he said. Whenever there were new inventions, they were placed in the White House first. It was one of the first homes to have indoor plumbing, gaslights, electricity, telephones, and even bathtubs. When the modern bathtub was first invented, people were afraid President Fillmore might drown! During World War II, the army wanted to paint the White House black so that enemy aircraft wouldn t be able to see it. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said no. He thought Americans would be ashamed. I never forget that I live in a house owned by all the American people, he said. When Harry Truman became president, the White House had been rebuilt, remodeled, and repaired so many times, it was in poor condition. Were it a normal house, it probably would have been torn down. But because it is such a patriotic symbol, Congress decided to leave the walls standing and rebuild just the inside. Much of our nation s history has taken place at the White House. The White House is not just a well-run home for the Chief Executive, said President Eisenhower. It is a living story of past pioneering, struggles, wars, innovations, and a growing America. R ESOURCES Children of the White House by Christine Sadler (Putnam, 1967) The Story of the White House by Natalie Miller (Children s Press, 1966) The White House by Lynda Sorensen (Rourke Book Co., 1994) The White House: Cornerstone of a Nation by Judith St. George (Putnam, 1990) Visiting DC: featured.htm Official White House page: E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Pace off the dimensions of the White House. Take students to a playground or soccer field. Using corner markers, pace off or use a measuring instrument to find the length of each side of the White House (168 by 85 feet). Make a White House time line. Challenge students to create a time line showing the construction, remodeling, and rebuilding of the White House. Include the dates for each president. y 38 y

39 Tearing Down the White House CHARACTERS Tour Guide 1 Dolley Madison Tour Guide 2 Jennings (her servant) President Harry Truman Bystander 1 Congressman 1 Bystander 2 Congressman 2 President Andrew Jackson President George Washington President James Polk Architect James Hoban President Millard Fillmore President John Adams President Theodore Roosevelt Abigail Adams President Calvin Coolidge President James Madison President Franklin D. Roosevelt SCENE 1: The White House TOUR GUIDE 1: Hello and welcome! My name is and this is. We will be your guides on this historic tour of the White House. TOUR GUIDE 2: The year is Congress is meeting with President Truman. HARRY TRUMAN: Members of Congress, the White House is falling apart. y 39 y

40 CONGRESSMAN 1: Falling apart? Why, it s been the president s home for 150 years! HARRY TRUMAN: Yes, but it has been rebuilt or remodeled so many times, it is standing only out of habit. Last week, the leg of my daughter s piano sunk through the floor. And my bathroom is about to fall into the Red Room! CONGRESSMAN 2: We should tear it down and build a new White House. CONGRESSMAN 1: Tear down the house that George built? CONGRESSMAN 2: It s a national treasure! CONGRESSMAN 1: It s one of America s most patriotic symbols. What would the world think? TOUR GUIDE 1: The debate lasted well into the night. Should the White House be torn down? Or would its rich history save its fate? SCENE 2: Large, Swampy Field TOUR GUIDE 2: It was 158 years earlier, in 1790, when Congress first decided the president should live in a mansion. TOUR GUIDE 1: Two years later, George Washington chose a design and decided where the mansion should be built. GEORGE WASHINGTON: The front door shall be here! JAMES HOBAN: Here, in the middle of the wilderness? GEORGE WASHINGTON: It will not be wilderness for long. Our new Federal City will be built around it. The government plans to move here from Philadelphia in Surely in eight years, you can build a fine mansion. JAMES HOBAN: It will be a building worthy of you, Mr. President. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Mr. Hoban, it must be a building worthy of America. SCENE 3: The President s Palace TOUR GUIDE 2: Building in the swampy wilderness was hard work. TOUR GUIDE 1: But after eight years, the mansion was ready for the president. TOUR GUIDE 2: President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, that is. JOHN ADAMS: You look cold and tired, my dear. ABIGAIL ADAMS: We got lost in the woods. The house is so dark, it was hard to find! JOHN ADAMS: But you are finally here in the President s Palace. y 40 y

41 ABIGAIL ADAMS: How wonderful it will be to live in our new home! JOHN ADAMS: It might not be wonderful at first. The plaster is still damp, the floors are unfinished, and the workers hammer all night long. Only six rooms are finished, and they all seem like giant caves. TOUR GUIDE 1: The next morning, Mrs. Adams looked out the window and saw nothing but mud. ABIGAIL ADAMS: I can t hang clothes out there. Where will I dry the laundry? TOUR GUIDE 2: She decided to hang a clothesline in the East Room. TOUR GUIDE 1: Though the mansion was unfinished, Abigail came to love it. ABIGAIL ADAMS: This house is built for ages to come. JOHN ADAMS: May none but honest and wise leaders ever dwell under this roof! SCENE 4: The President s Palace TOUR GUIDE 2: When Thomas Jefferson moved in, the name of the President s Palace was changed to the President s House. TOUR GUIDE 1: It remained so during James Madison s presidency. TOUR GUIDE 2: At the time, the United States was fighting the War of JAMES MADISON: The British are marching through Maryland. I am riding out to see how bad the situation is. DOLLEY MADISON: Be careful, my dear, and return quickly. TOUR GUIDE 1: Two days later, a message arrived. JENNINGS: Madam Dolley, a note from the president! DOLLEY MADISON: Tell me, Jennings, what does it say? JENNINGS (reading): Dearest Dolley, we are being beaten and the British are marching toward Washington. You must be ready to leave at a moment s notice, whether I return or not! I will be with you soon. JENNINGS: Shall I get your carriage? DOLLEY MADISON: I will not leave until I know my husband is safe. Set the table for dinner. I m sure the president and his men will be along any time. After all the fighting, they ll be hungry! TOUR GUIDE 2: Throughout the day, Dolley packed away important papers and watched for her husband s return. y 41 y

42 JENNINGS: Madam Dolley, a messenger has arrived. He says the president has sent him to take you to safety. DOLLEY MADISON: Where is my husband? Is he safe? JENNINGS: Madam, we must go now. The British are almost here. They plan on burning the house and they hope to take you captive. DOLLEY MADISON: Very well, but we cannot leave without the portrait of General Washington. JENNINGS: But it s a very large portrait. And the frame is screwed into the wall! DOLLEY MADISON: Break the frame if you must! The painting must be saved! We promised Washington s family that it would never fall into enemy hands! JENNINGS: Listen, you can hear the redcoats cannons! TOUR GUIDE 1: It was a tense moment, but the painting was torn from the wall. TOUR GUIDE 2: And the first lady was whisked to safety. TOUR GUIDE 1: That night, the British burned the President s House and the rest of the Capital. TOUR GUIDE 2: Only the stone walls remained. SCENE 5: Burnt Remains of the President s House TOUR GUIDE 1: Though the Capital City had been ruined, America went on to defeat the British. TOUR GUIDE 2: But the president no longer had a house. JAMES MADISON: The walls are cracked and blackened with fire. I cannot tell you what sickness I feel as I walk among them. JENNINGS: What shall we do? JAMES MADISON: We must show that America can rise above such trouble. The President s House must be restored. JENNINGS: Restored? But there s so little left of it! JAMES MADISON: As long as even one stone of the original house remains, it cannot be said that the old house has been replaced. TOUR GUIDE 1: Two years later, the President s House was ready for a new leader. BYSTANDER 1: Now that s a house worthy of America! BYSTANDER 2: President Monroe is calling it the Executive Mansion. y 42 y

43 BYSTANDER 1: It is a mansion indeed. Look how it gleams! BYSTANDER 2: Look everyone! Look at the white house! SCENE 6: The Executive Mansion TOUR GUIDE 2: In the years that followed, many presidents lived in the Executive Mansion. TOUR GUIDE 1: And many changes were made. ANDREW JACKSON: Plumbing was added while I was president. JAMES POLK: During my presidency, gaslights replaced candles. MILLARD FILLMORE: People worried when I put in a bathtub. They thought I might drown! THEODORE ROOSEVELT: I had a large family while I was in the White House. I saw to it that the house was enlarged and remodeled. I also had the name officially changed to the White House. That s what everyone already called it. CALVIN COOLIDGE: While I was president, we added a third floor! FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: And I added a swimming pool. TOUR GUIDE 2: With all the changes over the years, it was no wonder the mansion was in such poor condition when Harry Truman became president. SCENE 7: The White House TOUR GUIDE 1: The Trumans moved out. Congress argued about what to do. CONGRESSMAN 1: Think of all the important people from other lands who have stayed in the White House! CONGRESSMAN 2: Can t we just fix it? HARRY TRUMAN: After 150 years of just fixing it, all but the outside walls are a mess. CONGRESSMAN 1: Then let s leave the walls and rebuild it from the inside out. CONGRESSMAN 2: Yes, it ll be the same White House we ve always loved on the outside. CONGRESSMAN 1: But a new, modern White House on the inside! TOUR GUIDE 2: It took more than three years and cost almost six million dollars. TOUR GUIDE 1: But when it was all done, the White House had become a living story of American patriotism. TOUR GUIDE 2: We hope you ve enjoyed today s tour. Make sure you visit the White House gift shop on your way out! y 43 y

44 Name: Date: Tearing Down the White House BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. What is meant by the phrase the house that George built in Scene 1? A. The White House was built by a man named George. B. George Washington was in charge of having the White House built. C. The architect s name was George. 2. What did Dolley Madison save from enemy hands? A. White House silverware B. a portrait of Washington C. keys to the mansion 3. Who was the first president to live in the mansion now called the White House? A. James Madison B. George Washington C. John Adams 4. Which of the following was never a name for the White House? A. Capitol Building B. Executive Mansion C. President s House 5. In Scene 4, what does the word whisked mean? A. to beat an egg B. to be taken away quickly C. to grow a mustache 6. What is the main idea of this play? A. The long history of the White House makes it an important patriotic symbol. B. Presidents should always have the very best houses. C. The White House was poorly built and had to be fixed many times. WRITING PROMPT If you were elected president, what improvement or change would you want to make to the White House? Why? y 44 y

45 Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore is one of America s most patriotic landmarks. The faces of our nation s greatest presidents are carved into its mountainside. The idea for the monument came from Doane Robinson, a historian from South Dakota. He asked a sculptor named Gutzon Borglum to carve the images of western heroes such as Kit Carson and Jim Bridger in the Black Hills. But Borglum wanted to do something grander. There is no monument in America as big as the nation s spirit, Borglum once said. He wanted Mount Rushmore to be that large. He chose to carve the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These men remind people of America s greatness. Washington was our nation s military leader during the Revolutionary War and our first president. He is known as the father of our country. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and became our third president. He helped expand our country by purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France. Lincoln is well known for freeing the slaves and fighting to keep our nation whole during the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt was our youngest president ever. He was a champion of both the common man and of the environment. Together, these four presidents represent liberty, bravery, honesty, and wisdom. Because Mount Rushmore is solid granite, Borglum didn t actually carve the faces as you would in clay. Workers used jackhammers and dynamite to break away large chunks of rock. Before the work was started, Borglum created models using clay and plaster. There was no room for mistakes on the mountain. The work had to be perfect! Each face on the mountain is 60 feet tall as tall as a five-story building! Lincoln s mouth is 18 feet wide and Jefferson s nose is 20 feet long. It took Borglum and hundreds of workers 14 years to carve the monument. They stopped working in 1941, right before the United States entered World War II. More than two and half million people visit Mount Rushmore annually. Borglum succeeded in creating a monument that truly is as big as the American spirit. R ESOURCES Mount Rushmore by Lynda Sorensen (Rourke Book Co., 1994) The Story of Mount Rushmore by Marilyn Prolman (Children s Press, 1969) Modern Marvels: Mount Rushmore, A&E Networks (video), 1994 National Park Service: Travel South Dakota: index.htm E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Explore sculpting. Have students use modeling clay to sculpt the face of a president. Arrange the finished products together to represent the monument. Then have students handle granite and discuss how the rock could be carved. Next, watch segments from the A&E video listed above showing how it was done. Have some fun with presidential dialogue. What else might these four presidents have said to one another? Would they have been more serious? After looking at biographies of each president, have students attempt their own dialogue. Try acting these out using a Readers Theater format. Also, add current and recent presidents to the conversation. What might Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt have to say to them? y 45 y

46 Argument at Mount Rushmore CHARACTERS Kevin (a nine-year-old boy) National Park Ranger 2 Mom (their mom) George Washington Amber (his older sister) Thomas Jefferson Jenna (a friend) Abraham Lincoln National Park Ranger 1 Theodore Roosevelt SCENE 1: The Road to Rushmore KEVIN: Where are we headed, Mom? MOM: To Mount Rushmore, Kevin. KEVIN: What s so special about Mount Rushmore? AMBER: Mount Rushmore is where the faces of some of our greatest presidents are carved. KEVIN: What, like in a museum? JENNA: No, on the side of the mountain. y 46 y

47 KEVIN: On the side of the mountain? MOM: Yes. Imagine George Washington s face, but 60 feet tall and carved out of rock! KEVIN: George Washington? I don t even know what he looked like. AMBER: Well, look there! You can see him from here! KEVIN: Wow! He s a giant! SCENE 2: The Mount Rushmore Visitor s Center RANGER 1: Welcome to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, folks. RANGER 2: Mount Rushmore honors four of the presidents who have made the United States a great nation. RANGER 1: The faces were carved by a man named Gutzon Borglum in the 1930s. RANGER 2: Borglum once said, There is no monument in America as big as the nation s spirit. RANGER 1: That s what he set out to create a monument as big as the American spirit! KEVIN: It must have taken him a long time. RANGER 2: It took hundreds of workers 14 years. RANGER 1: At first, the plan was not to carve the faces of presidents. AMBER: It wasn t? Whose faces did they want to carve? RANGER 2: Western heroes like Kit Carson and Buffalo Bill. RANGER 1: And the explorers Lewis and Clark. JENNA: They are all American heroes, but I m glad they decided to carve the presidents. RANGER 2: We are, too. RANGER 1: Now we have one of America s most patriotic landmarks. RANGER 2: Are you ready to meet the presidents? AMBER: Sure! KEVIN: I can t wait! JENNA: Let s go! y 47 y

48 RANGER 2: Kids, meet George Washington. SCENE 3: Mount Rushmore RANGER 1: Washington was our nation s first leader. He s called the father of our country. RANGER 2: Some say he stands for liberty. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Hello, children. RANGER 1: Next is Thomas Jefferson. AMBER: Didn t he write the Declaration of Independence? MOM: That s right. RANGER 2: That s why he represents independence. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Welcome to the park! KEVIN (pointing): I know that one! He s Abe Lincoln. JENNA: He was president during the Civil War. He freed the slaves. RANGER 1: Yes, he stands for freedom. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Greetings. KEVIN: Who s the fourth man? RANGER 2: That s Theodore Roosevelt. KEVIN: What did he do? THOMAS JEFFERSON (smugly): Yes, Teddy, what did you do? ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Leave him alone, Thomas. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Wasn t it just that you were friends with the man who carved us? THEODORE ROOSEVELT (strongly): Since you re going to pester me about it, I m best known for leading the charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. I won the Medal of Honor for that. I also won the Nobel Peace Prize, ordered the Panama Canal to be built, and was the youngest man ever to become president! THOMAS JEFFERSON: Hmmph. RANGER 2: Roosevelt was known for fair dealing and common sense. RANGER 1: But they say he represents determination, because he was always determined to do what was right. y 48 y

49 THEODORE ROOSEVELT: I always stood up for the little guy. I hated bullies. I still hate em. So just watch yourself, Jefferson. KEVIN: Do they always argue like that? RANGER 1: Well, it takes a strong person to be president. When you put four determined leaders together in one place, you tend to have a few arguments. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: Let s talk about old George here. GEORGE WASHINGTON: I d rather we didn t. RANGER 2: Washington was known for being very private and very serious. He didn t like a lot of attention. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: George was our nation s military leader during the Revolutionary War. He became our first president. THOMAS JEFFERSON: I was his secretary of state! GEORGE WASHINGTON (smugly): For a while THOMAS JEFFERSON: Hmmph! THEODORE ROOSEVELT: There were some people who wanted George to be king. JENNA: King? GEORGE WASHINGTON: That s right, but I said no. Of course, I said no when they asked me to be president, too, but they wouldn t stop bugging me about it. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: So he finally gave in. GEORGE WASHINGTON: And what do I have to show for it? I m stuck here on a mountain with these guys. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: At least you re not wearing wooden dentures anymore. GEORGE WASHINGTON: My teeth were never wooden! That s all a myth. So was the cherry tree story, by the way. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Did you know I authorized the Louisiana Purchase? Where would we be if I hadn t done that? Not here, that s for sure. This place would still be part of France! ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Did you know Roosevelt here was the inspiration for the teddy bear? THEODORE ROOSEVELT: That s right, and old Honest Abe won fame by wrestling the town bully. We d have made quite a tag team, Abe. THOMAS JEFFERSON: What about Lewis and Clark? I was the guy who sent them to explore the Northwest! y 49 y

50 ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Well, Roosevelt saved 230 million acres of America s wilderness so that future generations could enjoy it. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: And Abe there kept the country from splitting in two. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Knock knock. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Shhh. Nobody answer him. Maybe he ll stop. RANGER 1: Lincoln was known for telling jokes and spinning yarns. KEVIN: What do you mean, spinning yarns? AMBER: That means he liked telling long, wild tales. RANGER 2: And jokes. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: I said, knock knock. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Shhh. Shhh. GEORGE WASHINGTON: All right, fine. Who s there? THOMAS JEFFERSON: No! No, no, no, no, no! We re not playing knock, knock! GEORGE WASHINGTON: How I ever ended up on the side of a mountain with the three of you I ll never know! THEODORE ROOSEVELT: You guys need to toughen up. Toughen up, I tell you. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Did you ever hear the one about the opossum and the third president s dog? THOMAS JEFFERSON: Abe, don t make me come over there! RANGER 1: All right, all right. That s enough, fellas. Quiet down before you crack your faces. RANGER 2: So there you have it: America s most patriotic symbol. MOM: Liberty. JENNA: Independence. AMBER: Freedom. KEVIN: And determination. RANGER 1: A monument as big as the American spirit. RANGER 2: Mount Rushmore. KEVIN: Do you think Kit Carson and Buffalo Bill would have gotten along better? The End y 50 y

51 Name: Date: Argument at Mount Rushmore BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. What is this play mainly about? A. the man who carved Mount Rushmore B. Kevin s trip to South Dakota C. the presidents on Mount Rushmore 2. Who carved Mount Rushmore? A. park rangers B. Gutzon Borglum and hundreds of workers C. western heroes like Kit Carson 3. According to the play, which of the following did Theodore Roosevelt NOT do? A. lead the charge up San Juan Hill B. win the Medal of Honor C. fight in the Civil War D. start the Panama Canal 4. In the play,washington uses the word bugging.what other word might the real George Washington have used instead? A. stinging B. insect C. bothering 5. Why did Borglum choose to carve the faces of these four American presidents? A. They had big faces. B. They stand for what is great about America. C. He didn t know what Kit Carson looked like. D. They are better known than western heroes. 6. Based on the play, how would you best describe George Washington s personality? A. strong and quiet B. loud and pushy C. worried WRITING PROMPT If you were in charge of designing a monument honoring some other great American, who would it be? Why? y 51 y

52 Presidents Day It s quite possible we ll never again see a president as popular as George Washington. He is known as the father of our country because of all he did to bring about independence from England. He led the United States to victory in the Revolutionary War, while refusing to accept any pay for his services. Afterward he became the country s first president, even though he never wanted the job. He served out of a sense of duty. No wonder it was said of him, First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. In fact, Washington was still in office when people started meeting in taverns, giving speeches, or going to extravagant balls to celebrate his birthday. His sudden death in 1799 only made people want to honor him more. George Washington s birthday has been celebrated ever since. In 1865 another beloved president died suddenly. Though Abraham Lincoln s presidency was controversial, he is still considered one of America s greatest leaders. He pulled the country back together when it looked like it was going to fall apart. Tragically, just after the Civil War ended, he was assassinated. Though Lincoln s birthday on February 12 did not become a federal holiday like Washington s, it was celebrated in many states. Then, in 1968, Congress made changes to several holidays to simplify the calendar. Washington s birthday was celebrated on the third Monday in February, regardless of whether or not it fell on February 22. Because Lincoln s birthday is also in February, many people started calling the third Monday Presidents Day in honor of both men. Today, though still officially called Washington s Birthday, the third Monday in February is thought of as a day to recognize all those who have served the nation as president. R E SOURCES Patriots Days by John Parlin (Garrard Publishing, 1964) So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George (Scholastic, 2001) Holidays in the U.S.A.: Lincoln s Birthday: abraham.html Holidays in the U.S.A.: Washington s Birthday: george.html The Internet Public Library: Patriotism.org: E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Throw a party. Celebrate both Lincoln s and Washington s birthdays with a simple party. Have students portray members of Congress and give speeches honoring these presidents. Compare and contrast Washington and Lincoln. Ask students to make a data chart on a bulletin board, comparing physical features, political background, achievements, and failures of both famous leaders. Recite the Gettysburg Address. Break the speech into parts for a class recital. Have students practice reading it a few times before presenting it to other classes. y 52 y

53 Presidents Day Dream CHARA CTER S Narrator Nicole Karinna William Howard Taft Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt Abraham Lincoln George Washington Teacher SCENE 1: A Classroom Somewhere in the United States NARRATOR: It s silent reading time in class. Nicole is reading a book about the president. NICOLE: It would be so awesome to be president! KARINNA: President of what? NICOLE: The United States. You know, like George Washington and Abe Lincoln. Just imagine: You get to live in a mansion. You get to fly all over the place in your private jet. And everybody in the whole country celebrates your birthday! KARINNA: They do? NICOLE: Sure, what do you think Presidents Day is all about? KARINNA: It s about a day off from school, that s what. y 53 y

54 NICOLE: You get to tell the army what to do. You get to be on TV. And everybody thinks you re the greatest! KARINNA: They do? My grandpa says there hasn t been a good president since Harry Truman. NICOLE: When I grow up, I m going to be president the best one ever! KARINNA: You are? Don t you have to pass a test or go to a special school? NICOLE: Anyone can be president, Karinna. KARINNA: Anyone? NICOLE: That s right. And someday it s going to be me. You just wait. Someday Presidents Day will be on my birthday! SCENE 2: The Oval Office of the White House NARRATOR: Suddenly, Nicole found herself talking with William Howard Taft, the nation s 27th president. WILLIAM H. TAFT: So you want to be president, do you? NICOLE: Yes, sir. I want to be the leader of our country. WILLIAM H. TAFT: It s hard work, you know. NICOLE: It can t be that tough. WILLIAM H. TAFT: I beg to differ. Every day you have to dress up and go to meetings all day long. Everyone tries to tell you what you should do. And no matter what you say, somebody always disagrees. NICOLE: Doesn t everyone think the president is the greatest? WILLIAM H. TAFT: They didn t seem to like me much. One time somebody threw a cabbage at me, and Teddy Roosevelt said I was a fathead. I think my time as president was the worst four years of my life. NICOLE: Well, that may be true, but I still want to be president. WILLIAM H. TAFT: Good for you. It helps if you study. One of the reasons Thomas Jefferson was elected president was because he was smart. y 54 y

55 SCENE 3: The Oval Office NARRATOR: The next thing she knew, Nicole found herself talking with former president Thomas Jefferson. THOMAS JEFFERSON: So you want to be president, do you? NICOLE: Yes, sir. I think it would be great if people celebrated my birthday. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Really? When I was president, I always had to work on my birthday. NICOLE: Isn t Presidents Day a holiday? THOMAS JEFFERSON: Yes, that s the day we celebrate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people don t even know when my birthday was. Do you? NICOLE: I guess I don t. THOMAS JEFFERSON: There are some presidents whom people don t remember at all. Have you ever heard of John Tyler or Frank Pierce? NICOLE: No, sir. THOMAS JEFFERSON: Presidents both of them. NICOLE: Well, people are going to know who I am. And they ll celebrate my birthday, too! THOMAS JEFFERSON: Good for you. It helps if you work hard. One of the reasons Teddy Roosevelt was elected president was because he was a hard worker. SCENE 4: The Oval Office NARRATOR: All of a sudden Nicole found herself talking with former president Theodore Roosevelt. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: So you want to be president? Well that s just bully! Bully, I say! NICOLE: Bully? THEODORE ROOSEVELT: Yes, bully. Being president is a wonderful job. Nobody had more fun in the White House than I. NICOLE: Did you get to use the bowling alley? THEODORE ROOSEVELT: Bowling alley? There wasn t a bowling alley in the White House while I was president. NICOLE: What about the swimming pool and the movie theater? y 55 y

56 THEODORE ROOSEVELT: None of it. Even if there had been, I was too busy for that sort of thing. I had a big family. We kept lots of pets, we wrestled in the East Room, and we played football on the White House lawn. It was just bully! NICOLE: Bully! THEODORE ROOSEVELT: But the White House isn t for everyone. Benjamin Harrison said it was like a jail. Eight other presidents died while they were in office. And while James Madison was president, the White House burned down. NICOLE: Even so, someday I m going to live there. THEODORE ROOSEVELT: Well that s just bully! It helps if you re honest. One of the reasons Abe Lincoln was elected president was because he spoke the truth. SCENE 5: The Oval Office NARRATOR: The next thing she knew, Nicole was talking to Abraham Lincoln, the nation s 16th president. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: So you want to be president? NICOLE: Yes, sir. I want to boss people around. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: The president really doesn t get to do much bossing. It s more like every citizen in the United States bosses the president around. NICOLE: Well, at least I ll be able to tell the army what to do. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Leading the country through the Civil War was the worst part of my job. It s always painful to send your countrymen into battle. NICOLE: I suppose it would be, but at least you re famous. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Being famous isn t so great. Reporters follow you everywhere. Everything you do gets in the news. When President Ford fell down some stairs, people joked about it for years. NICOLE: That sounds rough, but I still want to be president. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: That s fine. It helps if you re patriotic. One of the reasons George Washington was chosen to be president was because he loved his country. y 56 y

57 SCENE 6: Revolutionary Battlefield NARRATOR: Finally, Nicole found herself talking to the father of our country, George Washington. GEORGE WASHINGTON: So you wish to be president? NICOLE: Yes, sir, I do. I know it s hard work, and I know people disagree with you a lot, but it still sounds like a good job to me. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Why do you want to be president? Is it because you get to live in a mansion? NICOLE: No, sir. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Is it because you get to boss people around? NICOLE: No, sir. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Is it so people will celebrate your birthday? NICOLE: No, sir. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Then why? NICOLE: I want to be president because I love my country. I m proud to be an American. GEORGE WASHINGTON: Then you ll be a good president. Maybe someday the country will celebrate your birthday. SCENE 7: The Classroom NARRATOR: In a flash, Nicole was back in her classroom. TEACHER: Nicole, can you answer the question? KARINNA: Boy, are you going to get it. NICOLE: Question? KARINNA: I think she was daydreaming. TEACHER: Nicole, can you tell us what you ve learned from the book you re reading? NICOLE: You bet I can! I learned that Presidents Day is the day we celebrate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but I also think we celebrate it to say thanks to all those who ve served our nation by being president. It s a tough job. You really have to love your country to be president. The End y 57 y

58 Name: Date: Presidents Day Dream BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. According to the play, which of the following can you find in the White House? A. bowling alley B. swimming pool C. movie theater D. all of the above 2. What might be another title for this play? A. The Day Nicole Met President Taft B. So,You d Like to Be President C. The History of Presidents Day 3. What did Taft mean when he said, I beg to differ? A. He enjoyed being different. B. He disagreed with Nicole. C. He didn t understand the question. 4. Who were Frank Pierce and John Tyler? A. children in Nicole s class B. former United States presidents C. the author and illustrator of the play 5. Why was sending the army into battle so painful for President Lincoln? A. He was afraid his side would lose. B. The army wasn t as strong as the navy. C. He knew some of his countrymen would die in battle. 6. What was Nicole doing when she met five United States presidents on the same day? A. visiting Washington, D.C. B. daydreaming C. having a nightmare WRITING PROMPT Have you ever thought about being president? What do you think you would like or dislike about the position? y 58 y

59 Veterans Day Sixty-five million people had battled in the seas, in the air, and on land all over the world. No wonder everyone was relieved on November 11, 1918, when the First World War finally came to an end. So that no one would ever forget the terrible cost of war, each November 11 thereafter, at 11:00 A.M., a moment of silence is observed. This was called Armistice Day. An armistice is a truce, an agreement to stop fighting. Armistice Day celebrates the exact moment World War I ended. No one had ever seen a war like the First World War, and no one planned on seeing one again. But in 1941, the United States was pulled into World War II, which proved even more devastating. All together, 70 million soldiers from 57 countries took part in the fighting. More than 60 million people died. War in Korea followed, and when it was over, Congress wanted a way to recognize all the soldiers who had fought so bravely to protect the American way of life. Armistice Day was then changed to Veterans Day, a day to remember the sacrifices of all American war veterans. Hollywood has given us many war stories, but the stories that are most important for us to hear are the true stories of real war veterans. These stories are part of America s history. They tell about the sacrifices our soldiers made to protect the American way of life. But because most of our veterans from the two world wars have passed away or are nearing the end of their lives, many people think their stories are dying, too. They ve called on veterans to share their war stories. They ve called on all Americans to write them down before they re forgotten forever. Our play takes place on Veterans Day and shows a woman taking her granddaughter to the Veterans Cemetery. As they read the grave markers, the audience hears the lost stories of our deceased veterans. Though fictional, the stories are based on real events and real soldiers. They represent just a few of the millions of war stories America is in danger of losing. R ESOURCES An Album of World War I by Dorothy Hoobler (Franklin Watts, 1976) The Military History of the Korean War by S.L. Marshall (Franklin Watts, 1963) The Story of World War II by Stewart Graff (Dutton, 1977) The National World War II Memorial: Tankbooks.com: stories.htm U.S. Army Center of Military History: U.S. Naval Historical Center: E X TENSION ACTIVITIES Collect oral histories. Have students interview family members who have served in the armed forces during wartime. If a tape recorder is available, students can record the stories on tape and type them later. Collect and print the stories for distribution to students and their families. Rank the Officers. Have students research the enlisted and officer ranks of each branch of the military, then create a classroom chart showing how each branch compares. Discuss how soldiers become officers (usually through education) and what it takes to advance in rank. y 59 y

60 War Stories CHARACTERS Ashley Grandma Corporal William Sergeant Grether Private Corbett Lance Corporal Wayne Private Emmitt Private Kelly Captain Raymond Lieutenant Makowitz Petty Officer Gant SCENE 1: A Small Town in the United States ASHLEY: Thanks for taking me to the Veterans Day parade, Grandma. It was really great! I liked the World War II tanks best of all. GRANDMA: How about those old motorcycles with the sidecars? ASHLEY: Those were cool, too. So were the marching bands, the floats, and all those flags. Veterans Day is more than just a day off from school. It s a lot of fun! GRANDMA: It does seem that way, but there s more to Veterans Day than sleeping late and going to a parade. y 60 y

61 ASHLEY: What do you mean? GRANDMA: Come with me, Ashley. It s time we visited the Veterans Cemetery. SCENE 2: The Veterans Cemetery ASHLEY: Why do so many of the graves have flowers on them? GRANDMA: Veterans Day is about honoring those men and women who have risked their lives to protect our freedom. Many people honor veterans by putting flowers on their graves. ASHLEY: But not all of them have flowers. GRANDMA: Sadly, many of our veterans have been forgotten. Our World War I vets are all gone, and most of our World War II vets have already died or are very old. ASHLEY (reading a gravestone): Here s a World War I veteran named Corporal Russell William. CORPORAL WILLIAM (aside): I fought in the trenches with the 369th Infantry. The Germans outnumbered us three to one, but we never gave up. GRANDMA: We celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 because at 11:00 A.M. on that day in 1918, World War I officially ended. Veterans Day remembers that moment. CORPORAL WILLIAM (aside): People told me not to make friends, but I did anyway. I lived to tell about it, but most of my friends died in the trenches. GRANDMA: All together, 65 million soldiers fought in that war. In World War II, there were more than 70 million. Many of them died. ASHLEY (reading): Here s a World War II veteran: Sergeant James Grether. SERGEANT GRETHER (aside): I was with the 10th Armored Division, fighting in France. When the Germans started bombing, we took cover in the basement of an old church. The bombing went on all night. German paratroopers were dropping in all around us. GRANDMA: Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day. An armistice is a truce, an end to the fighting. It s what every soldier hoped for. SERGEANT GRETHER (aside): We were cold, hungry, and scared. When things are like that, you think a lot about the people you love. ASHLEY (reading): Here s another: Private William Corbett. PRIVATE CORBETT (aside): So many of our buddies died. One day the captain and his jeep driver went to the top of a church steeple, hoping to locate the enemy fire. The Germans spotted them and laid a shell right on the steeple. GRANDMA: In 1954 Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day. It became a day to honor all the soldiers who risked their lives to protect America s freedom. y 61 y

62 PRIVATE CORBETT (aside): The captain was the kindest man I ever met. ASHLEY: Why are they called world wars? GRANDMA: Because there was fighting all over the world. Sixty-eight nations were involved in World War II. More than 60 million people died. LANCE CORPORAL WAYNE (aside): I always played war as a kid, but it was nothing like the real thing. None of us wanted to be there. I remember being at Iwo Jima, that small island in the West Pacific that we captured from the Japanese. I was climbing out of a bunker when a Japanese mortar exploded a few feet away. ASHLEY: It sounds like war is serious business. GRANDMA: I m sure this man thought so. PRIVATE EMMITT (aside): I was with C Company of the 358th. I won a Bronze Star for crawling under fire to reach a wounded member of my squad. Thankfully, his wounds weren t too bad. Fuller, another soldier, wasn t so lucky. We had to leave him. What a shame. GRANDMA: Every veteran has a story to tell. ASHLEY: I wonder what this man s story was? PRIVATE KELLY (aside): I was with the 90th Infantry. One night while on patrol I got shot in the shoulder. I started to walk back to camp, but I got lost in the darkness. I decided to crawl into an empty foxhole to wait for morning. A little later I heard a noise. I was about to shoot, when I saw it was only a little dog making the noise. The little mutt jumped into the hole and curled up beside me. GRANDMA: Their stories are part of America s history. But because they haven t been written down, many veterans take their stories to the grave. PRIVATE KELLY (aside): When the sun came up, I went for help, but the dog tugged at my legs and tried to get me to go the other way. He made such a fuss! Finally I turned around and followed him. As it turned out, the dog led me back to camp. Had I gone the way I d planned, I would have walked right up to the Germans. ASHLEY: Why don t they write them down? CAPTAIN RAYMOND (aside): I fought in the war. But that s all I care to say about it. GRANDMA: For many veterans, it s just too painful. CAPTAIN RAYMOND (aside): What s there to tell? That my friends were killed? Or that no one would give me a job when the war was over? It s awful stuff. Why would I want to relive it by talking about it? GRANDMA: For others, people don t realize how important it is until after they re gone. ASHLEY: Look here, Grandma. This woman s name was Lieutenant Florence Makowitz. y 62 y

63 LIEUTENANT MAKOWITZ (aside): I was a Wave a woman of the United States Navy. I worked at a hospital in England during World War II. A lot of the wounded were suffering from shell shock. Some of them thought we were on the other side, so they wouldn t tell us anything but their names and serial numbers. They were just farm boys. The shock of war was too much for them. GRANDMA: Many women have served in the military. Their stories are important, too. LIEUTENANT MAKOWITZ (aside): After D day, when our troops invaded Western Europe, the Germans began shooting buzz bombs at England. If we were bombed we were to pull the patients onto the floor and push them under the bed, putting their helmets on first. We would hear the buzz bomb whizzing. Suddenly its engine would stop and we d wait in terror for the explosion. Thank goodness we were spared. GRANDMA: Almost everyone knows someone who fought in a war to defend our country, our freedom, or our way of life. ASHLEY: Petty Officer Third Class Charles Gant. PETTY OFFICER GANT (aside): I was aboard the U.S.S. Missouri when Japan surrendered at the end of World War II. All I could think about was how glad I was the war was finally over. We were all glad to finally be going home. GRANDMA: Maybe it s your grandfather, or an aunt or an uncle, or a neighbor. One way of thanking them is to share their stories. When we hear their stories, we remember their sacrifices. ASHLEY: Lieutenant Colonel William E. Lewis Grandma, isn t this Grandfather s gravestone? GRANDMA: Yes, it is, Ashley. Grandfather had stories to tell, too. I think it s time you learned some of them. That s what Veterans Day is all about. The End y 63 y

64 Name: Date: War Stories BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. According to this play, what is a Wave? A. a thrust of water in the ocean B. a woman who serves in the navy C. a member of the special forces in the Gulf War 2. What is the original name for Veterans Day? A. D day B. Armistice Day C. World War I Day 3. What is a veteran? A. someone who has served in the military B. an old person C. a member of the air force 4. Lance Corporal Wayne remembers a Japanese mortar exploding.a mortar is probably a A. cement mixture. B. bomb. C. firecracker. 5. Why is it important to write down what veterans remember about war? A. Their stories are part of America s history. B. It is a way to honor the people who fought. C. It helps us remember how terrible these wars were. D. All of the above are good reasons to write down their stories. 6. What is an armistice? A. bomb B. holiday C. truce WRITING PROMPT Has anyone you know served in the military? What do you know about their service? y 64 y

65 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day One doesn t normally think of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a patriotic holiday, but because King devoted his life to protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans, he should be remembered as one of America s greatest patriots. The Constitution says that all United States citizens have rights. Though African Americans in the United States gained their freedom in 1865, 100 years later they still didn t have the same rights as white people. Because of their skin color, they weren t allowed to visit the same parks or go to the same schools. They weren t allowed to vote and they weren t allowed to eat in the same restaurants as white Americans. This is called racism. Martin Luther King, Jr., knew what the Constitution promises. At a time when African-American people were often treated violently, he became the leader of the Civil Rights movement, the effort to end racism and protect the rights of minorities and poor people. King believed in peace. He led many nonviolent protests against racism. For his efforts, he was beaten, stabbed, spit upon, and often put in jail. In 1963, during a march on Washington, King gave his most famous speech. Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty, we re free at last, concludes the speech. It encouraged Americans of every race and color to join together for peace. Thanks to the efforts of King and his supporters, new laws were passed that made racism against the law. Tragically, King was killed in He was assassinated by someone who disagreed with his views. But King s death only made others work that much harder to end racism. They worked to make King s birthday a holiday. It would become a day to honor the leader of the Civil Rights movement. But it would also become a day to remind us that all Americans should live together in harmony. In 1983 Congress made Martin Luther King, Jr., Day a national holiday, and today it is celebrated not just in the United States but also in more than 100 different nations around the world. R ESOURCES Marching to Freedom by Joyce Milton (Bantam, 1987) Martin Luther King by Rosemary Bray (Greenwillow, 1995) Martin Luther King Day by Linda Lowery (Carolrhoda Books, 1987) Martin Luther King, Jr. by Diane Patrick (Franklin Watts, 1990) Martin Luther King, Jr., Free at Last by David Adler (Holiday House, 1988) E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Listen to one of Martin Luther King, Jr. s, speeches. His I Have a Dream speech is available on video through most public libraries. Segments are also recorded on many online and CD-Rom encyclopedias. Watch civil rights movies. Disney s Selma, Lord, Selma and Ruby Bridges are geared toward young audiences and accurately depict the civil rights struggle. y 65 y

66 I Have a Dream CHARACTERS Narrators 1 and 2 Clark and Wallace (sons of the local grocer) Martin (Martin Luther King, Jr., as a child) Reverend King (Martin s father) Viola and Lorraine (older women in Martin s church) Mrs. King (Martin s mother) Mrs. Conner (the grocer s wife) Martin Luther King, Jr. (Martin Luther King, Jr., as an adult) SCENE 1: The Sandlot Where Martin Plays Ball NARRATOR 1: Martin Luther King, Jr., grew up in Georgia back in the days when Babe Ruth was still hitting home runs and movies were always filmed in black and white. CLARK: Pitch it, Wallace. MARTIN: Can I play, too? NARRATOR 2: Martin enjoyed singing and riding his bike. He delivered newspapers. And he loved to play baseball with Wallace and Clark, two boys in the neighborhood. They were white. WALLACE: Martin is on my team! y 66 y

67 CLARK: That s not fair! He played on your team last time. WALLACE: So? I called it! He s on my team. CLARK: Don t try to push me around, Wallace. NARRATOR 1: The boys would argue about who got to have Martin on his team. Sometimes they would call each other names. Sometimes they would get into fights. But even as a young boy, Martin was a peacemaker. MARTIN: My dad says you shouldn t talk like that. And there will be no fighting! WALLACE: Your daddy may be a preacher, but he s no umpire. MARTIN: I was on your team last time, Wallace. I ll play for Clark today. That s fair. WALLACE: I m going to strike you out, Martin King! Just you watch. MARTIN: I m not watching anything. Put it in here. I m going to hit a home run! SCENE 2: The Ebenezer Baptist Church NARRATOR 2: Martin s father was pastor of the church. They called him Daddy King. REVEREND KING: Just as the Good Book says, we must love our neighbors as ourselves whether black or white, whether young or old. VIOLA: Look Lorraine, there s young Martin. Isn t he cute? LORRAINE: Martin, doesn t it make you proud to see your father standing so tall before the congregation? VIOLA: You re going to follow in his footsteps, aren t you, Martin? You re going to be a preacher like him someday. MARTIN: No ma am. I m proud of my daddy, but when I grow up, my dream is to be a shortstop. MRS. KING: Hello, ladies. It s nice to see you. LORRAINE: That s a fine child you have there, Mrs. King. I pray I live long enough to see him up there preaching like his father. NARRATOR 1: Martin didn t know it then, but Lorraine and Viola were right about him. Someday he d be known as the Reverend Martin Luther King, just like his father. NARRATOR 2: But there would be some difficult lessons along the way. y 67 y

68 SCENE 3: The Neighborhood Grocery Store NARRATOR 1: Clark and Wallace s parents owned a grocery store across from Martin s house. Martin thought it was strange that whenever he and his mother went to the market, instead of just walking across the street, they walked all the way around the block to the back door. MRS. KING: Excuse me, Mrs. Conner. I d like two quarts of milk and a pound of butter. MRS. CONNER (sharply): Well, you re just going to have to wait. Other customers are in front of you. NARRATOR 2: Like all African-American customers, sometimes the Kings had to wait to be served. MARTIN: But, Mama, we were here before those people. MRS. KING: That s just the way it is, Martin. Be polite and mind your tongue. NARRATOR 1: When it was their turn, they often weren t treated very well. MRS. CONNER (rudely): Now, what is it you want? MRS. KING: Two quarts of milk and a pound of butter. MRS. CONNER: You ll have to pay before I go get it. Do you have your money? NARRATOR 2: Times were hard for many people, but the Kings weren t poor. MRS. KING: Come now, Mrs. Conner. Have I ever not had my money? We both know it has nothing to do with whether or not I can afford it. MRS. CONNER: It s just that I can never trust your kind. MRS. KING: Our kind? MARTIN: Your boy Clark is quite a ballplayer, Mrs. Conner. The other day he struck me out two times. MRS. CONNER: You ve been playing ball with my boys? MARTIN: Yes, ma am. They re my best friends! MRS. CONNER: They are, are they? Here are your goods, Mrs. King. Head out the back. MRS. KING: This milk seems mighty warm. Are you sure it s still good? MRS. CONNER: It s all I have. Take it or leave it. SCENE 4: The Local Sandlot NARRATOR 1: The next time Martin went to the sandlot to play, no one was there. He ran to the grocer s house and knocked on the door. MRS. CONNER: What are you doing on my doorstep? y 68 y

69 MARTIN: Where are your boys, Mrs. Conner? They were supposed to play ball today. MRS. CONNER: Clark and Wallace can t play. They re they re sick in bed today. NARRATOR 2: Martin could see past Mrs. Conner into the house. Clark and Wallace were standing in the shadows. Both boys were frowning, but Martin saw Clark shyly wave. NARRATOR 1: Mrs. Conner knew that Martin had seen the boys inside. She stepped out on the porch and closed the door behind her. MRS. CONNER: They can t play ball with you anymore. They re getting too old to be wasting their time on coloreds. NARRATOR 2: Colored was a word used to describe people whose skin wasn t white. MRS. CONNER: Now you run along. And don t come knocking on my door anymore! SCENE 5: The King House NARRATOR 1: A few minutes later, Mrs. King found Martin crying in the garden. MRS. KING: What s wrong, Martin? Are you hurt? MARTIN: Mrs. Conner says that her boys can t play ball with me anymore because I m colored. MRS. KING: I m sorry I should have warned you. This was bound to happen sooner or later. MARTIN: But why? Why does the color of my skin matter? MRS. KING: There are a lot of people who dislike anyone who doesn t look like they do. Some are still bitter that we re no longer slaves. MARTIN: But Clark and Wallace don t feel that way. They like me. We re friends! MRS. KING: The boys may not feel that way, Martin, but their parents do. That s why they make us use the back door. That s why they sell us sour milk. They re punishing us for being different. And they ll teach their children to do the same. MARTIN: But that s not fair. How can they do that? MRS. KING: There are laws that allow them to discriminate against us. NARRATOR 2: Mrs. King was talking about Jim Crow laws. These laws made it legal to treat African Americans unfairly. NARRATOR 1: African Americans weren t allowed to use the same restrooms as white people. They weren t allowed to go to the same schools. Often, they weren t allowed to vote. MARTIN: Well, somebody needs to do something about it. MRS. KING: Yes, Martin. Somebody does. y 69 y

70 SCENE 6: The Sandlot NARRATOR 2: When he was older, Martin would do something about Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination. NARRATOR 1: In 1955, at the age of 26, he d become famous for his leadership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. By 1964, he d help pass the Civil Rights Act. NARRATOR 2: But back when he was young, he just wanted to play ball with his friends. CLARK (excited): Hey, look! It s Martin! MARTIN: Can I play? WALLACE: Don t talk to him. Remember what Pa said. CLARK (sadly): Sorry, Martin. Our pa says we re in big trouble if we play with you. MARTIN: But what do you think? How come you would play ball with me last week? WALLACE: We don t want any trouble, Martin. We just do what we re told. SCENE 7: Washington, D.C. NARRATOR 1: Many years after Martin was told he couldn t play ball with his friends, he would preach to more than 200,000 people of every race and color in Washington, D.C. It was MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up to live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal NARRATOR 2: Throughout his long, hard struggle for civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr., would be arrested many times for standing up for himself. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. NARRATOR 1: He would be beaten, stabbed, and spit upon. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: This will be a day when all of God s children will be able to sing with new meaning, let freedom ring. NARRATOR 2: Yet through it all, Martin Luther King, Jr., would follow his father s advice to strive for peace and harmony among all people. That s why we celebrate his birthday each January. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: When we allow freedom to ring we will be able to speed up that day when all of God s children will be able to join hands and sing Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! y 70 y

71 Name: Date: I Have a Dream BUBBLE QUIZ Fill in the circle next to the correct answer. 1. Why did Martin and his mother have to go through the back door of the grocer? A. The front door was locked. B. Only white customers were allowed to use the front door. C. It was closer to their house. 2. What were Jim Crow laws? A. Laws that made it legal to treat African Americans unfairly. B. Laws against discrimination. C. Laws that had to do with the separation of church and state. 3. How did the incident with Clark and Wallace help prepare Martin for his future? A. It showed him how people discriminated against African Americans. B. It taught him not to trust adults. C. It made him give up his dream of being a baseball player. 4. What did King mean when he said people should be judged by the content of their character? A. Who we are inside is more important than our skin color. B. We should be judged by our actions and behavior instead of our race. C. Both of the above. 5. Martin met his friends at a sandlot. What do you think a sandlot is? A. a playground with lots of sandboxes B. an open area where games like baseball could be played C. a city park 6. Why did Clark and Wallace refuse to play ball with Martin? A. They didn t want to be around coloreds. B. Martin wasn t a very good player. C. Their parents had told them not to. WRITING PROMPT Dr. King devoted his life to peace and harmony among people.what are some ways you can strive for peace? y 71 y

72 Independence Day The Fourth of July is perhaps the most important holiday in the United States. It celebrates that day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress signed and adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was the birth of a new nation, the United States. When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another begins the Declaration. By these words the American colonies declared themselves free of English rule. Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. By doing so they immediately became enemies of the British Crown. They risked their wealth, their freedom, and their lives. For the support of this declaration, they wrote,...we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. During the seven years of war that followed, these and many other Americans would give their all to defend the new nation s independence. Today, Independence Day is usually celebrated with parades, community picnics, and fireworks displays. People participate in games once played by pioneer children such as the egg and spoon race. They go to baseball games. And they eat plenty of apple pie, corn on the cob, and hot dogs. In fact, during the Fourth of July weekend, Americans eat 150 million hot dogs! Though aspects of American life such as jazz music, square dancing, and flag waving are thought to be as American as apple pie, they all have roots in other cultures. But just as America is a melting pot of ideas and people, it has in a sense claimed each of these traditions as its own. R ESOURCES Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Hyperion, 1998) History of Western Music by Hugh Miller and Dale Cockrell (Harper Perennial, 1991) Louis Armstrong by Genie Iverson (Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1976) Patriots Days by John Parlin (Garrard Publishing, 1964) Hot Dog History: Hotdoghistory.htm Independence Day: E XTENSION ACTIVITIES Make a list of examples of American culture. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and square dancing all belong on the list. What other items, foods, and activities seem to reflect American culture? Together, make a list. Then challenge each student to research one item and find out if it is truly American or if it has roots in other cultures. Play some pioneer games. Look online for more information about games such as the egg and spoon race, gunnysack races, and horseshoes. You might devote a few P.E. sessions to these traditional Fourth of July activities. Cook American food. Have students shuck fresh corn. Then boil it in a large pot for a class treat. Or teach small groups of students how to make apple pie. (If you don t have access to an oven at school, prepare the pie in school, bake it at home, then return with it the next day.) Make sure to find out in advance about food allergies and consult your district s policy about food handling. Jazz it up! Introduce students to jazz music by reading aloud Duke Ellington, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, and then playing recordings by artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. Collections featuring the works of these early masters are often available on CD at local public libraries. Be prepared for some feetitchin fun, because students may want to dance. y 72 y

73 As American as Apple Pie CHARACTERS Kelsey and Derek Drake (siblings) Mayor Gus and Megan Dusenberry (siblings) Announcer Umpire Hot Dog Vendor Jazz Musician Corn Vendor Police Chief Edmunds SCENE 1: A Park Somewhere in the United States KELSEY: Happy birthday, America! Happy Independence Day! DEREK: Come on, Kelsey. You re making me late for the pie-eating contest! This year I m gonna beat that Megan Dusenberry! MAYOR: Welcome to the finals of our Fourth of July Pie-Eating Contest, everybody! KELSEY: Nothing like a pie-eating contest to get the afternoon started, huh, Megan? y 73 y