In Pursuit of Liberty: Coming of Age in the American Revolution

by Emmy E. Werner

Overview

The voices of the children and teenagers who witnessed the colonies’ transformation to an independent nation have seldom been heard. This historical account of the American Revolution tells the story of the “forgotten” youngsters who engaged in the boycott of British goods and the battles that led up to the Declaration of Independence. It recounts their courageous exploits in eight years of warfare on land and sea and amid changing social forces that shaped and transformed their postwar lives. While the Revolution disrupted and risked their world, it also gave them an unprecedented degree of autonomy and sense of responsibility.Emmy Werner researched eyewitness accounts—diaries, journals, letters, and memoirs—of a hundred boys and girls between the ages of five and sixteen. Her account reflects reports from black as well as white boy soldiers, from teenagers imprisoned on land and aboard ships, from slave children and youngsters held hostage by Indians, and from children of loyalists and pacifists who opposed the war with Britain for political or religious reasons. She also weaves in the viewpoints of Hessian teenagers who fought for the British.In Pursuit of Liberty sets the experiences of the children and teenagers who lived and wrote in that time in a historical context. It follows the chronology of the American Revolution across two decades from 1770, when the boycott of British goods throughout the American colonies gained momentum, to 1789, when George Washington was sworn in as the first president of a new and independent nation. While focusing on the Revolution’s major milestones, Werner highlights the contribution of young people to its progress and ultimate success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597972680
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	05/01/2009
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Emmy E. Werner is the author of In Pursuit of Liberty: Coming of Age in the American Revolution, A Conspiracy of Decency: The Rescue of Danish Jews During World War II, Through the Eyes of Innocents: Children Witness World War II, and Reluctant Witnesses: Children’s Voices From the Civil War. She currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Prologue xi

Part I Witnessing the Revolution 1

1 Troubles in Boston 3

2 From Lexington to Cambridge 13

Part II Fighting the War of Independence 27

3 From New York to Trenton 29

4 From Philadelphia to Valley Forge 43

5 From Valley Forge to Savannah 55

6 From Savannah to King's Mountain 67

7 From Richmond to Yorktown 75

Part III Transatlantic Travelers 87

8 Boys at Sea 89

9 The Riedesel Girls on a Transatlantic Tour of Duty 105

10 John Quincy Adams on a Diplomatic Mission to Europe 119

Part IV At Liberty in a New Nation 133

11 Peace at Last 135

12 Fruits of Liberty 149

Selected Chronology of Events during the American Revolution 159

Notes 161

Bibliography 175

Index 183

What People are Saying About This

Glen H. Elder Jr.

"In this book, Emmy Werner, a lifelong student of human resilience, tells a remarkable story of the Revolutionary War from a much-neglected perspective—that of young children and youth from the colonies. Most enlistees in the American army were aged 15 or younger; some were even as young as eight years! With biographical documents on 100 young Americans and a small number of young Hessians, Werner writes about their extraordinary experiences during this eight-year war, often revealing acts of great courage in overcoming adversity. Where possible, she also explores the longer term impact of the war on their lives in what Seymour Martin Lipsit describes as the first new nation. This memorable book will alter views of the Revolutionary War by highlighting the many contributions of boy soldiers to winning America's independence."

Peter N. Stearns

"This is a really interesting contribution to the history of children, showing individual young people as active agents, of various sorts, during the American Revolution. Children were also acted upon during the Revolution, and this testimony is revealing as well; but the extent of active involvement, and the sources this involvement generated, provide the most telling analysis."

Editorial Reviews

“A history of children’s participation in the American Revolution [using] children’s eyewitness accounts—letters, diaries, and memoirs—drawn from printed published sources as well as U.S. and German archives.”—Choice

Choice

“The cumulative effect of the many and varied young persons’ accounts of the war is a fresh perspective, and one which should inspire further exploration of its implications.”—Journal of Social History

Journal of Social History

PRAISE FOR THE HARDCOVER EDITON:

“This is a really interesting contribution to the history of children, showing individual young people as active agents, of various sorts, during the American Revolution. Children were also acted upon during the Revolution, and this testimony is revealing as well; but the extent of active involvement, and the sources this involvement generated, provide the most telling analysis.”—Peter N. Stearns, provost, George Mason University

Peter N. Stearns

“In this book, Emmy Werner, a lifelong student of human resilience, tells a remarkable story of the Revolutionary War from a much-neglected perspective—that of young children and youth from the colonies. . . . This memorable book will alter views of the Revolutionary War by highlighting the many contributions of ‘boy soldiers’ to winning America’s independence.”—Glen H. Elder Jr., Howard W. Odum Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

Glen H. Elder Jr.

"A compelling history that is both clearly written and a riveting experience for both adults and young people who are interested in Revolutionary War history from a different perspective. . . . Read this book before you pass it on to a young friend."—Washington Times

Washington Times

Werner has written a history of children's participation in the American Revolution from the Boston Massacre and Tea Party in the 1770s through its military phase, 1775–81, ending with the signing of the Peace of Paris in 1783. The author uses children's eyewitness accounts—letters, diaries, and memoirs—drawn from printed published sources as well as US and German archives. . . . General readers/public libraries.” —Choice

“[E]xamines the era of the American Revolution (1770-89) through the eyes of 100 children who were between the ages of five and 16 during the conflict. Drawing on diaries, jourbanals, and letters (more by boys than girls), Werner provides a fascinating primary angle on the Revolution. For instance, included are the stories of two young men who were with Washington at Valley Forge and young Emily Geiger, who risked her life to carry a message through British territory to General Greene….[r]ecommended for academic and large public libraries.” —Library Jourbanal

“In a series of well-received works, Emmy E. Werner has examined the factors that help children bounce back from adversity. To explain why it is that some young people succeed in overcoming hardship, stress, pressure, and disappointment, Werner not only conducted longitudinal studies of poor children in contemporary United States, but also burrowed into the past, exploring how earlier generations coped with the trials and tribulations posed by war and migration… The first- hand accounts included in the manuscript bring the period to life in a way that few other sources do. Especially noteworthy are excerpts from the diaries of Hessain teenagers who fought in the Revolution and accounts of Loyalist exiles.” —American Studies The University of Kansas

From the Publisher