Wednesday Recap

It was another great day at Camp Freedom!

Battle of Baltimore

The Battle of Baltimore marked a pivotal moment in the War of 1812. After the British invaded and set fire to Washington DC and the White House, Dr. Bean extended an invitation to the British soldiers for dinner. He treated them kindly to give the impression he supported their cause. Once they departed, he helped transport wounded American soldiers to the hospital. When the British discovered his actions, they were infuriated and captured him, placing him on one of their ships.

Francis Scott Key, a friend of Dr. Bean, sought his release. On his way to the British ships, he offered the wounded British soldiers an opportunity to write letters to their families, which he then carried to the British officers. Due to his kindness towards their injured soldiers, they agreed to free the doctor, but they detained them until the battle concluded to prevent any warning to the Americans about the upcoming attack.

At 6 am, the British commenced their assault on Fort McHenry, maintaining a relentless attack throughout the day and into the night. As night fell, they attempted to approach the Fort with smaller ships, but the heavy darkness caused confusion, forcing them to use flares. These flares revealed their positions to the Americans, who managed to destroy many of the ships. The British launched between 1,500 and 1,800 bombs over the course of 25 hours. During this time, Francis anxiously waited on the ship, concerned for his fellow Americans under attack. The British fired their final bomb at 7:30 am. As daylight broke, Francis saw the flag still flying over the Fort, a sight that inspired him to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," which later became our National Anthem.

Ben Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was the youngest of 17 children. He dreamed of sailing the seas, but his parents forbade it, having already lost one of Ben's older brothers to the sea and not wanting to lose Ben as well. At age 8, Ben started school but had to leave at 10 to help his father at home. Despite his short formal education, he was very knowledgeable, as he loved reading and gained vast knowledge from books. He had a passion for math, history, and science, often reading in bed by candlelight until his mother insisted he sleep.

Though he loved learning, no career captured his interest. At 12, he became an apprentice to his brother James at the print shop, signing a contract to work until he was 21. He disliked the long workdays, but reading was his solace, and he soon began writing poems.

Although James praised his writing, he wouldn't allow Ben to write for the newspaper. So, at 16, Ben created a persona named Silence Dogood, an old widow who expressed her views on current events.

Before work each morning, Ben would slip the letters under the print shop door, then arrive at work at the usual time to avoid suspicion. Silence became very popular, even receiving marriage proposals. Thinking it would amuse his brother, Ben revealed her true identity. Instead of laughing, James beat him. After another beating, Ben had enough. Despite his contract, he left his brother at 17 and went to Philadelphia.

Years later, Ben became the owner of his own print shop, Franklin's Print House, where he published papers including Poor Richard’s Almanac and The Pennsylvania Gazette. He also became an inventor, creating the lightning rod, the extended arm, bifocals, and Franklin's stove. He earned no money from his inventions, choosing not to patent them so everyone could afford them. He also established the first library, hospital, police, and fire department, among other institutions we still benefit from today.

Ben loved being an Englishman and did not wish to sever ties with England. In 1764, he went to England to persuade his government friends that the colonists were British too, hoping they would be treated as equals, but he was unsuccessful and disheartened.

The Colonists attempted peaceful resolution, even sending the Olive Branch Petition to the King, but he refused to treat them as Englishmen, forcing them to declare independence. A committee was formed to draft the Declaration. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of it in a weekend, and the committee revised it over two weeks. One line originally stated: We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable. Ben Franklin suggested changing it to: We hold these truths to be self-evident.

Almost 250 years ago, on July 2nd, the committee voted for independence, and on July 4th, The Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. These men signed it for us, not fully enjoying the freedom they secured. We must honor those who sacrificed for our liberty.

Samuel Adams

While many Colonists still wished to remain with Great Britain, Samuel Adams did not share this sentiment. He was very outspoken and lost numerous jobs because he couldn't refrain from expressing his political views. He also lost his family's brewery as he was preoccupied with the fight for freedom.

John Hancock was a friend of Sam Adams, and they would go out together, Sam in his worn suit and John dressed impeccably, rich and poor, united in the fight for liberty.

John Hancock owned a boat named Liberty, which he used to import goods from other countries. When the King attempted to tax his shipment, John locked the tax collector in the bathroom overnight while they unloaded the goods. By the time the collector was released in the morning, there was no inventory left to tax. This incident naturally got John into trouble. However, Sam had a cousin named John Adams, who was an attorney. He defended Hancock, leading to the charges being dropped, although Hancock's ship, Liberty, was confiscated. The British even used Liberty as a naval vessel during the Revolutionary War.

Sarah Bradley Fulton

You might be familiar with the Sons of Liberty, but do you know about the Daughters of Liberty? The Daughters of Liberty were established by Sarah Fulton. They often gathered at Sarah's house, sometimes alongside the Sons of Liberty, collaborating in the pursuit of freedom.

The colonists cherished their tea, so when the King imposed a hefty tax on it, they were displeased. The tax was more expensive than the tea itself. To protest, the colonists chose to refrain from drinking it. However, the King responded by declaring that if the tea arrived on American soil, they would be taxed regardless of purchase. The Sons and Daughters of Liberty held an urgent meeting and decided that the best way to avoid the tax was to dump all the tea into the harbor before it could reach American soil. They gathered at Sarah's house, and the Daughters of Liberty assisted in disguising the men to prevent recognition. After disposing of the tea, they returned to Sarah's house to clean up. No one could identify who had discarded the tea.

The King was furious and retaliated by seizing control of Boston. This was neither pleasant or fair for the colonists, prompting the Sons and Daughters of Liberty to take action again. On June 16th at 10 p.m., they went out and dug trenches for the American soldiers, working throughout the night. By 5:00 a.m., the British awoke to find soldiers in the trenches on the hill. The British were ordered to attack. The colonists, protected by their trenches, had limited ammunition. Their leader, aiming to conserve ammo, instructed them: Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes.

The first wave was defeated. The British launched a second wave, which was also defeated. By the third wave, the Americans were nearly out of ammunition. Many colonists retreated, while others stayed and fought hand-to-hand. Dr. Warren, the leader of the Sons of Liberty, was shot in the head by the British. In their rage they, stripped him, stabbed 20 times with a bayonet, and finally beheaded him.

After the battle, Sarah and the Daughters of Liberty tended to the wounded. As they moved among them, a British soldier pleaded for her help. Following the principle of "love your enemies," she treated his wounds and saved his life. He recovered physically, and her heart was also healed from bitterness by caring for her enemy.

On another occasion, a shipment of supplies was arriving. Aware that the British would attempt to buy everything to prevent the Colonists from obtaining them, Sarah and her husband went early to the dock and purchased everything at their own expense. Although it belonged to them, the British seized it and began transporting it to their army. Desperate, Sarah grabbed the oxen by the horns and led them to her own men's camp. The British threatened to shoot her if she didn't stop. She defiantly said, "shoot away," and continued pulling the oxen toward camp. The men didn't shoot, allowing her to save the supplies.

Craft- Bracelets

During the revolution, women made clothes for the soldiers so they wouldn't have to buy from England. They made over 2,000 uniforms. The kids made bracelets to remember the hard work of these women.

We also ate some delicious Thomas Jefferson buiscuts today. If you are interested in making some, you can find the recipe here.

I just have a few notes for tomorrow!

• Tomorrow is the last day to pass off memorizations and still be guaranteed to receive a certificate and be recognized in Fridays presentation. There are two sets of memorizations. You can find them on our website here. This is for both the kids and the Youth Leaders. If they can learn the main group of memorizations, they will be recognized on Friday. There are 3 new memorizations this year in addition to the main group. These are: The New Colossus, The Gettysburg Address, and a poem entitled, "In Flander's Fields". If they are able to memorize these on top of the other core memorizations, they will receive a special certificate and recognition on Friday.

• Youth Leaders, don't forget to bring your swim suits tomorrow for the dunk tank. The kids will be asked questions about what they learned at Camp. If they get it right, they will have a chance to dunk their Youth Leader.

See you tomorrow!