Appleseeds articles from December 2005

Appleseeds archives from December 2005

What were women up to, anyway?(American women social coniditions in colonial families)
December 1, 2005... Girls and women helped build America from the very beginning. In fact, in some American Indian tribes, women held much of the power. When Europeans came to live in America, in colonial times, women's lives were more restricted. Men were...

Susanna's promise.(Reading Corner)(Short Story)
December 1, 2005... Susanna White was one of the first European "founding mothers." When she sailed on the Mayflower with the other Pilgrims, Susanna knew only that she was founding a new community. It was to be a place where she and her family could worship as...

We were here too: not all of the "founding mothers" were in America because they wanted to be here. Imagine that you could hear the voices of three other women. They tell a different story.(African American women's social conditions)
December 1, 2005... Our voices whisper across centuries. We were brought to America against our will as slaves, though at first they called us "servants" instead. The names you know us by aren't our real names but rather names our captors gave us. We cleared and...

Queen Alliquippa, Seneca leader.(Brief Article)(Biography)
December 1, 2005... Queen Alliquippa was born around 1680. As a young woman she met the British man who founded Pennsylvania, William Penn. He treated the American Indians with respect and honesty. He truly wanted to be friends with them. Throughout her life,...

Indigo for sale: do you know how to grow indigo? Eliza Lucas didn't know how to, but she figured it out.(innovation of hair dye)(Biography)
December 1, 2005... When Eliza Lucas was 15 years old, she arrived in the South Carolina colony with her family. It was a totally new world for Eliza, so different from her life in London or in the Caribbean where her father's army career had taken the family in...

The wild colt: Abigail Adams.(American colonist)(Biography)
December 1, 2005... Small, pale, and often sick, little Abigail loved books. Her dark, wide eyes sparkled when she read. More than anything, Abigail wanted to go to school, but her mother, Elizabeth, wouldn't let her. In those days, school education was just for...

Just say no!--the Daughters of Liberty.(colonists revolution against United Kingdom. Stamp Act 1765)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... During the American Revolution, women were not allowed to vote or fight in the army. But they found other ways to support the colonial fight for independence. For the first time, many women found a political voice. Some wrote letters and...

Riding for freedom.(Sybil Luddington's role in American Revolution, 1775-1783)
December 1, 2005... Who rode through the countryside on horseback during the American Revolution, warning the citizens, "The British are coming"? Who risked imprisonment or death to alert the Continental Army of a looming British attack? If you answered Paul...

Women warriors.(Deborah Samson)
December 1, 2005... Deborah Samson wanted to fight for independence in the Revolutionary War. The army wouldn't let women join as soldiers, but that didn't stop Deborah. In 1782, the 21-year-old woman cut her hair and dressed in a man's clothes. Then she joined...

Who was Molly Pitcher?(American patriot)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... The day was scorching hot. The soldiers were thirsty, their cannons were smoking. Deafening noise boomed all around. In the midst of this chaos, a young woman ran back and forth, a pitcher in her hand. Both men and cannons were cooled by the...

From eavesdroppers to secret agents: women spies of the American Revolution.(Lydia Darragh, Patience Wright and Emily Geiger )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... During the Revolutionary War, spies were important to General George Washington. He relied on them to find out what the British army was planning. Most of these spies were men, but not all of them. One woman, Lydia Darragh, saved...

The first "First Lady": Martha Washington.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... What kind of woman was our nation's original First Lady? Martha Washington is remembered as a kind person who enjoyed helping other people. She graciously opened the doors of her home, welcoming relatives, friends, and strangers. (In those...

Betsy Ross, fact or fiction?(Brief Article)
December 1, 2005... WHO WAS BETSY ROSS? Did she really make the first flag of our nation, or is that a myth sewn into the fabric of American history? FACT: Betsy Ross was born in 1752. FACT: Betsy Ross was known as a skilled seamstress who ran an...