Princeton June 4, 2008

Well, it has been raining off and on for almost 24 hours now.  I guess we’re not in Pueblo West anymore. However, we were lucky that it didn’t rain too much during our outside time. Today we went to the Princeton Battlefield. It is obvious that there is a difference in a state park and a national park when it comes to historical sites. Obviously funding is one of those differences. This park was much smaller than I had imagined, but it was interesting just the same. The Park representative explained to us what happened during the battle, with a focus on what happened to General Mercer, who has many things in the area named after him including the county. He received seven bayonet wounds and was taken to the Clark Residence to be cared for along with other British and Continental troops. Dr. Benjamin Rush helped care for General Mercer and noted that the British surgeons were providing better care than the Continental ones. After six days, Dr. Rush left thinking that General Mercer would survive, but he ended up dying three days later of his wounds. I wish that we could have gone and visited the graves of the soldiers over the hill from the park. Also I was able to see another beautifully decorated powder horn. These items are one of my favorite pieces of artwork.

 

The town of Princeton was very beautiful. The architecture of the chapel at the college was unbelievable; it is unfortunate that they don’t make things that anymore. The pizza at Conte’s was great too, almost as good as Little Caesar’s (Only kidding Dr. Rees. I just wanted to see if you are reading this.)

Valley Forge

Valley Forge was the top site on my list for this trip. I wish that we could have stopped at more of the sites. I liked the recreations of the cabins that they had there. I did not know that the army had regualions on the sizes of the cabins, and that all of them were built the same. I plan to use pictures of these in my class to help my students picture what the place was like. It is hard for them to picture places such as this when you grow up in a place like Pueblo West.

Washington’s headquarters was a very powerful place to see, and the fact that so many prominent figures in the Continental army, as well as Lafayette were there. During one of our classes we discussed why Valley Forge was rembered more than the other seven winters of the war. This winter saw far more deaths than any other winter. This wasn’t because they froze to death, or starved, but because they had rain, then it froze, then there was a foot of snowand so on. This situation never allowed thigs to dry out and cqaused the spread of disease. It was very cunning of Washington to have the hospital and burial places about 8 miles away in an order to keep Tory spies from knowing the number of deaths.

I’m glad that they mentioned the diary of Joseph P. Martin. This is one of my favorite books from this time period. In fact, it has one of the most powerful quotes that I have read. ” I singled out a man and took my aim directly between his soldiers. (They were divested of their packs.) He was a good mark, being a broad shouldered fellow. What became of him I know not; the fire and smoke hid him from my sight. One thing I know, that is, I took as deliberate aim at him as I did at any game in my life. But after all, I hope I did not kill him, although I intended to at the time.”

The chance to see the the artifacts in the vault was a special experience. these “small things forgotten” really make the situation  meaningful and more personal.

Independence Hall

Today we began our tour at Independence Hall. This tour is a good example of how pictures in textbooks don’t do a place justice. I have seen  many pictures of the east wing of Independence Hall where the Declaration od Independence was drafted, but it always looked much bigger than it really was. It must have been horrible with 55 delegates cramped into such a small place with the windows shut in the middle of summer. The architecture is also another feature that is difficult to comprehend from pictures in books. It is unfortunate that the students who live in our area don’t have the opportunity to see buildings like this in their own home area. Of course I wonder how many people who actually live here really pay much attention to them.

Congress Hall was another interesting place. This is the building where Congress was held until the government was moved to Washing D.C. The Senate chambers upstairs had an almost regal look to it with the red velevt curtains hanging over the Vice President’s chair. The statue of Benjamin Franklin was one of the most unexpected features of the day. I have never seen a depiction of him that wasn’t in that colonial period dress.  However, the explanation that was given as to why he was wearing it, and the reason that his staff was turned upside down was very interesting, and a story that I would like to share with my students. 

 

Friday, June 15, 2007 – DBUCK

Today was the final day of the trip. I must say that Lowell was a good place to go on the last day. We  started off on our tour by watching six of the power looms run in the factory. I could not believe how loud it was. When I teach this subject next year this will be one point that I emphasize. It is also interesting to note that one building even fell down from the enormous amount of vibrations created by these machines. After that we went to the museum upstairs and looked at the progression of the mills until the time that most of the began to close in the 1920’s through the 1940’s.

We then looked at the dorm rooms for the girls who worked there. The dining room was much more eloborate than I would have imagined. It seemed that most of the girls seemed to like working in the factories, or at least according to the people working for the Parks Service. I purchased a book containing letters from some of these mill girls, we’ll see if they show the same feelings.

The boat ride down the canal to the lock was fun. The large wooden gate was intriguing to me, but I still haven’t been able to picture how this would have saved the town during a flood in my mind.

The hands on activities were very good, and I would love to do these with my class. However, these are something that I would not be able to recreate back home. However, the idea that a bucket wheelworks better than a flat bladed wheel, and how a loom works will help me to present this information more acurately to my students.

Thursday, June 14, 2007 – DBUCK

Today we went back to the Massachusetts Historical Society. To begin our day we heard a lecture from Dr. Pauline Maier. She discussed the Declaration of Independence and we were able to see several different versions that were printed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Most of these were visually very different from the original copy but all, except one, had the original signatures as they appeared. We also discussed why many people remember the Declaration much more than the Constitution, and even get them mixed up. (I don’t know who would do such a thing?!) She stated that most people remember the Declaration more than the Constitution because we have turned the Declaration into a bill of rights. I am not sure I believe this to be true. I think that most people are intrigued by the “first” of things. The Declaration is so to speak the “rookie card” , pardon the expression, of the United States. Therefore it is what everyone focuses their attention on, even though the Constitution is a much more important document.

After lunch we looked at more primary documents. This activity would be too difficult for fifth graders, but some aspects of it could be utilized to help students see the publics view about separating from England. After that we looked through the MHS website, and I was amazed to see just how much could be found there. I think that this site will be very helpful to me for years to come. It will probably take that long just to get through all of it. One of the biggest problems in using primary sources is actually finding them. This project by the MHS is a big step in making that a much less painful task.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 – DBUCK

Today we started off our tour with an activity about using primary documents and artifacts. I like the fact that they had articles that matched the artifact. I think that having a primary piece and having the students find three things about it would be something that 5th grdaers could do very well. I myselfr was able to get a better picture of Revere just from the bill that he had for Massachusetts. I never knew that he printed money for the soldiers. I wonder how the soldiers felt about this printed money? Did they feel it was worth anything? The next thing that we visited was the Revere House. It is amazing that this little piece of history is tucked away in between all of those tall buildings. This building was much smaller than I had imagined. Discussing this building with my students and its size will help them understand some of the difficulties of the times. Especially since Revere had so many kids. I will also be able to tell them that it was built on the site of the Mather house that was destroyed in a fire. I will also be able to explain that even though many think of Revere as a very important person in the revolution. The materials in which his house was constructed tells us that he was not nearly as wealthy as the Adamses or Hancock.

Next we went to the Old North Church. This was a very beautiful building, but the tour was not quite was I had imagined. The one really interesting point of this site was that they had the names of the important historical figures who sat in those pews listed on the wall. I was lucky enough to sit in the Same Pew as General Thomas Gage. Students will find it interesting that he actually attended that church. I don’t think they understand at that age that British leaders were living in the colony with the “Americans.”

Next Amy and I walked over to the Bunker Hill Memorial. I was able to walk the 294 steps to the top of the monument to see the views of the city. Whew! We listened to a lecture by one of the park rangers. It was good,but a little long. We were lucky enough to see the new museum a day before it opened. The diorama’s really helped me envision what the place looked like. Without them I never would have been able to see it in my mind. It makes me think of the dioramas in the basement of the Colorado History Museum in Denver and the dioramas they had. I need to take my students to see those. they can be very powerful.

I also recieved an unexpected surprise this afternoon and we stopped at the USS Constitiution. This has been something that I have wanted to see all my life. It was great. Maybe not as much as it would be to a ten year old, but great just as well. I took some pictures in order to hopefully show my students the large scale of the ship. Honestly, I knew the Mayflower was small, but I still thought that it would have been about the size of the Constitution. I wonder how big the Speedwell was? I also managed to find Dr. Fowler’s book on the French and Indian War today.I can’t wait to read it.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007-DBUCK

Here Ye…Here Ye…The King’s troop’s massacre innocent Bostonians! Today we started off our day at the Boston State House. We listened to a lecture by Dr. Robert Allison. He discussed the Boston Massacre and the events leading up to it. I was familiar with most of his lecture since I have went through much of Zoebel’s book. Most of our history books talk briefely about the Boston Massacre, but theu tell nothing of what led up to the event. Incidents such as what happened at the ropeworks are essential for students to know in order to understand this event. When students know more of the picture, they are more likely going to remember beyond the test date. I have used newspaper articles and prints of the engraving when teaching this subject in the past. The mock trial is something that I will try this year, or at least I hope to. That is one of the major issues with teaching history at the elementary level. We want children to understand this information on a deeper level, yet we are required to teach all areas of content and the time frame for doing a project like this is difficult. If we could only make the legislators see that yes children need to read, and pass the CSAP but we are not creating a well rounded student anymore.

The next activity we took part in was a mock town meeting that led to the Boston Tea Party.  This also could be a powerful teaching tool with younger students when covering this subject. When doing this activity, you could also have the students do a research report onthe person they are impersonationg, provided there is information readily available on the individual. The activity that we did at the end was not one that I was particularly fond of. It seems that there may be too many students not actively participating and it may drag on too long to have a beneficial effect. Just a thought.

Afterwards we went to Faneuil Hall. The upstairs meeting room was one of the most beautiful places I have seen yet on my trip. It is wonderful that such a place still exists to see. It would be nice if they had virtual field trips of places like this, but I guess that they would lose to much money in doing so. This is unfortunate since I will bet that 99% of my students will never get to see any of these sites in there lifetime.

Monday, June 11, 2007 -DBUCK

Today we visited the MHS.  The most impressive thing that struck me right away was the vast collection of original portraits. It would probably rival many art museums. I was surprised to see apicture of the Wheelright woman who had been captured from Deerfield.

I thought that the presentation by Dr. Fowler was very interesting. I likeed hoe he talked of the three hot bed areas of Acadia, The Great Lakes, and the Ohio River Valley. The fact that France and England had very different ideas about what was to be done with the land here will help me when I teach this subject next year. The French only wanted to use  the land and obtain resources from it, while the English wanted to occupy it. He also helped me to understand why England and France were at war for so long with each other. They were in an imperialistic countries fighting over who would rule the world. France was more powerful on land, and england was more powerful at sea.

I enjoyed the primary source document activity. This is something I have done before with my class with Boston Massacre articles. (The fact that I actually was able to hold the real paper in my hand was awesome. I will definately be bragging to my students about that.)Now I plan to do it with Boston Tea Party articles. I hope that I can find different articles from the different colonies: New England, Middle, and Southern. The students really enjoy these. However, at the elementary level you usually have to make overheads of them and read them together.

Sunday, June 10, 2007 – DBUCK

Today was my favorite day so far. I have always imagined what this place would look like, and this is not it. Of course it would have looked completely different in those days. I was able to take many pictures today that  will be able to use in a power point on Lexington and Concord next year. I am told at my new school I might have access to a Promethian Board.  What I saw today will help me paint a better picture for my students when we discuss this.

I also bought a copy of Joseph Plum Martin’s diary and plan on sharing some of it with my students. I found a very powerful piece about how he describes shooting a redcoat. (In the back mind you)

I also enjoyed the live fire excercise at Minute Man Park. When I worked at Roncalli M.S. years ago and the S.S. teacher there used to bring in these reproduction weapons and show mthem to the class. The students loved it, and I even went with him several times to fire them at a range. Unfortunately, due to past incidences  in schools, this is no longer possible. What a shame. A Brown Bess musket is not necessarily a weapon of mass destruction.

I aslo enjoyed visiting bloody angle. you could almost see the Regulars marching down the lane, and the Continentals rushing to the walls and trees to hide. I wonder if you could somehow recreate a situation similar back home and have the students act it out to see how big of a mess the Regulars really were in. This could be done after looking up the primary sources that the guide read  to us, and having the students discuss them.  

Saturday, June 9, 2007 – DBUCK

Today we went to Old Sturbridge Village. This place was massive. I haven’t seen an historical recreation as large as this. The sawmill that vthey had there was exciting to see in operation. I was also surprised by some of the details of it. The fact that in soft wood such as pine they could go up to 3 feet per minute, but they were only running it at 1 foot per minute. This is what they would have done when cutting hardwood in those days. Every saw mill, or any water powered mill for that matter that I had ever seen was run by a paddle wheel. The structures here had a turbine shaped wheel. This was far more advanced than I thought it would be. The guide said that this type of operation has been around since about the 13th century.

Another interesting fact I learned while reading there magazine was about redware. When redware went out of style because of the introduction of white stoneware, most of the people who made redware were able to stay in business making flower pots. You would not think that flower ppots would be in that big of demand in the 1830’s.