The Strength of Friendship
Written By: Micaela Klein
A long time ago there were two best friends, Lydia and Rosanna. These two best friends loved growing up in the city of Boston under English rule. Lydia and Rosanna always helped each other with their chores such as shelling corn and carding cotton. Together they attended school and for fun they loved to sew and play games such as jump rope, tennis and scotch-hopper, which is like today’s hopscotch. Nothing could separate these two best friends until………..
Sources:
http://www3.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/341/sites/Childhood/Daily%20Life.htm
http://www.pencaderheritage.org/main/teachtool/games.pdf
On March 22, 1765 the British Government passed the Stamp Act. This act taxed all paper documents that came to the colonies such as newspapers and cards. When the girls were walking home from school they saw their fathers arguing and ran ahead to see what was happening.
Source:
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/stamp-act
Lydia’s dad was shouting that the act was not fair because the colonies had no representation in England. Rosanna’s dad was yelling, saying we must pay because the British monarch protects us. When Lydia’s dad saw her he tugged Lydia away and said “Come on lets go home we don’t have to listen to this.” Lydia was upset because she still wanted to play with Rosanna.
Lydia and her family became Patriots during this difficult time in the colonies. They felt they were being unfairly taxed by Britain and wanted freedom. Rosanna and her family, however, were not Patriots they were Loyalist. They wanted to remain British citizens and felt only the British monarch could protect the colonies. Lydia and Rosanna’s families did not want them playing together. But the two were such good friends they snuck around together as much as they could.
Source:
http://www.ducksters.com/history/american_revolution/patriots_and_loyalists.php
Lydia’s dad joined the Minutemen to fight with the Patriots and Rosanna’s dad joined the British Army to fight under Great Britain. On April 19, 1774 the first battle of the American Revolution broke out. Overnight British troops were marching to Concord but thanks to Paul Revere’s warning colonist were ready and waiting. This event later became known as the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
Source:
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-lexington-and-concord
When news of “the shot heard around the world”, got to Lydia and Rosanna they were scared. Lydia and Rosanna knew they could comfort each other. They knew they couldn’t control the tension between the American Colonists and Great Britain but they could control their true friendship. Lydia and Rosanna promised to look past their differences and promised to always be there for each other.
The End
“Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness.”
– Euripides