What are some artifacts from the american revolution? Question: I'm doing a report on artifacts from the american revolution. I need 10 artifacts that i can make myself.
Ex: a letter from washington that i printed off the internet.
Answer:
1. A quill pen from a feather
2. A tri-corn hat. You can take any flat brimmed hat from the dollar store, turn up 3 corners.
3. Go online to "James Townsend"- you'll get a catalog of Rev War items, some of which you may be able to make. You may be able to cut and paste a button or coin that you can cut out of paper.
4. Another company is "C & D Jarnagin CO."
5.. "Track of the Wolf" is a company that has Rev War period money.Again, if you can cut and paste...
6. Thomas Paine's "American crisis" is an important document that you can print out. It was a critical influence with regard to the Battle of Trenton: Most of the Continental Army's enlistments were due to expire on December 31st. Morale was at its lowest. Washington would have no army. It was a couple of days before Christmas, 1776. Washington’s army had lost more than half of its men to illness, desertion and enlistment expirations. Thomas Paine, who was serving as a volunteer aide wrote "American Crisis" that was read to the soldiers on Washington's orders. One by one, most stepped forward, stayed and committed to cross the icy Delaware on Christmas; the resulting victory at Trenton raised morale greatly;new enlistments resulted. Trenton is considered a turning point of the Rev War for those reasons so, "American Crisis" is an important artifact. For a copy,see:
http://www.ushistory.org/paine/crisis/c-01.htm
7.Rags. Rags were tied to the shoe-less soldiers feet. You could see the track of blood in the snow on the march to Trenton, 9 miles through the snowstorm. While this isn't an unusual item per se, it tells about the war and the incredible sacrifices made by the common person, doing uncommon things. The idea is to learn about history of the time, right?
8.A Pickering Tool. (Critical tool to have.) This has two ends; one to use as a screwdriver to undo the large screws to clean the lock of the musket. The other end was used to clean the tiny hole through which the spark passed from the pan of the musket, into the barrel to fire. If the hole ("touch hole") was clogged with powder, your musket would not fire. See this site for a picture:
http://www.smilingfoxforgellc.com/guns5.asp
Again, made out of cardboard if fine I'm sure. The tool was designed by Timothy Pickering; For info on Pickering's Rev War service, see:
http://virtualology.com/revolutionarywarhall/TIMOTHYPICKERI NG.COM/
This would make a good prop because no one has heard of the pickering tool; it was an important tool to every soldier. You now have some background on both the tool and the man who invented it.
9. Rev War uniform: See: http://www.georgeglazer.com/archives/prints/military/erwin.html
You can do a print out. This gives great related info as well. Not all uniforms were the same; Some of the typical blue coats had buff facings. It all depended on from what regiment you were. Some coats were green. They were of wool, because that was the most common fabric at the time. Cotton was still expensive. At the Battle of Monmouth, more troops on both sides died of heatstroke than of wounds. A GREAT site for this is: http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-monmouth.htm
It also provides you with a map, which would be your artifact #10.
FYI..There really was a "Molly Pitcher", and she was at the Battle of Monmouth. Her real name is Mary Ludwig Hayes. She brought water to the heat-fallen soldiers in the field. It was over 100 degrees that day, and it was the longest battle of the war. When her husband was hit, she took over his cannon. A British cannonball tore right through her skirts but she kept on going. Some pople think she is only folklore, but a soldier who was there, Joseph Plumb Martin, gives an account of her in his diary, as well as of her skirt incident. (Women wore several skirts at once, all called "petticoats".)
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