History with Geek Girl

 I can't tell you how much I was enjoying diving all in for this project. I felt like I had a purpose for a minute, that I was going to create something great. But alas, food prices doubled, inflation soared, and now I must join the work force full time in order to supplement my husband's income. Now I need to figure out how to write a resume. It won't be long, since I have only worked for 6 months at a "real" job. I'm grateful for the time at KFC/Taco Bell- it was actually kind of fun. Wish me luck. Hopefully I'll have enough time and energy to work on this sometimes, too. 

 Hello, History Friends! Do you feel like we've been in 1774 for forever?! It kind of seems like it, huh? Well, a fun thing happened on Sept 26. The legend, Johnny Appleseed, was born. His actual name was John Chapman, but he really carried a bag of seeds! If you want to know more about him.... there is an internet full of stories. I'm not going to digress this time. :D I will digress a bit on another city's "tea party" if you will. In October, on the 14th, Annapolis, MD had it's own colonials vs tea incident. I'm going to link you to an article I really enjoyed, but I will give you the tl;dr version here. Pretty much, a guy and his son in law had a ship named Peggy Stewart . It came back in bad condition. They couldn't send it to England bc it wouldn't make it. The guy paid the customs fees. That REALLY made people mad. Even after much apologies, it was agreed that the citizens of Annapolis would run the ship aground and burn it. They did. Meanwh...

 Hi History friends!! I told you I'm taking this online class, right. The lesson and assignment this time were about Bunker Hill. This is the assignment I turned in. I will expand on it later, I hope!! The Battle of Bunker Hill was an incredibly important battle because so much was learned from it. From communication, location, strategy, supply inventory, and the race to be outstanding leaders, this battle set the stage for the American War for Independence. Happening a couple of months after Lexington and Concord and less than 25 miles away, a plan was hatched. The plan was for the Americans (there was no official army yet, just a bunch of different militia from different colonies) to build defensive structures on Bunker hill to hide behind and to literally have the high ground. I don't know why they ended up on Breed's hill, but that seems to be the general consensus amongst historians. I did find some, though, like Nathan Philbrick, who do believe it was intentional, eve...

 This has nothing to do with our story line as it isn't real. But about a month ago, I had a very funny thought and it keeps circulating, so I'm going to put it here. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is actually a big part of the reason I love US History so much. We believe that around 600 BC, a family came over to this part of the world from Jerusalem. They formed two nations. They became warring nations and then one nation again. Then the Savior visited them. Then they became two nations again. They warred and warred until one nation was completely extinct. Then that nation divided into smaller groups and they warred forever. But a promise was given in the book that the righteous would inherit this land and their freedoms were tied to their righteousness. When it was time for Christ's church to be restored, we had this land. The Church was officially restored in 1830, so a bit away in terms of the timeline I'm on in my studies. But I c...

Hello, History Friends! I decided to stop doing the podcast version of this. I'll keep up on this blog version because it's helping me with my project. I need to see how much space each mini subject takes up in my brain and in print. It'll also let me add my own family history's stories to these. And I still want to add yours! Today I'm picking back up at the First Continental Congress. That means we're still in 1774. Here's another note about ADHD. Sometimes, a little particle of your brain will get an idea. And it doesn't matter how wrong that idea is, that particle just can't let it go. The fact that The First Continental Congress is a boring name has told a particle, I'll call him Dwayne, that it means that this congress stuff is boring. As I've learned about it, I've tried desperately to explain to Dwayne that it's fascinating and so important. But Dwayne is being a jerk and actually impeding the progress the rest of my brain has...

 This post will change often. I'm listing here all the people I really want to learn more about or have learned about recently. As I get a chance to post about them, I'll link that post to this so you also can learn more. If you want. Sometimes they are just tidbits about a person's life. Sometimes it's a full book report. Sometimes it's the mini essay I turn in for my Free Class via the Library. *denotes who I have read books about. *George Washington *John Adams/Abigail Adams *Thomas Jefferson *James Madison/Dolley Madison James Monroe/Elizabeth Monroe *Patrick Henry Paul Revere John Hancock King George III *Lafayette/Adrienne King Louis XV/Madame du Pompadore The Livingstons The Pickneys *John Jay/Sarah Livingston Jay Samuel Adams *Benjamin Rush *Alexander Hamilton Patrick Carr Charles Wilson Peale John Trumbull Benedict Arnold Benjamin Franklin

 For my first Person of Interest, I'm going to talk about John Hancock. Right now, all you get is the mini report I submitted for my class. The assignment was less than 150 words, so it's short. And I hope to come back and add more eventually. But we've got to start somewhere, right? Also, my photos are from Google. I still don't know how to go about legally getting images. (The assignment was to give 150 words or less on a Boston Revolutionary: I would have to pick John Hancock, because he interests me the most (and I'm talking about his Massacre Day 1774 speech on my podcast today). I feel like John had the most to lose by roping himself with the rebellion. He could have stayed rich by taking advantage of traditions that had always been, but instead chose to stand up for freedom and independence. By using his money and his oratory gifts, he validated the colonials feeling of suppression and desire to be more than subjects. He led by example. He stood his ground wh...

Hey History Friends! So 1773 turned out to be quite eventful, right? With a few things you didn't really expect as well as a few things you did. So, as King George III asks, "What comes next?" (haha- that part of the show was referring to after we were free, but you sang it anyway, didn't you?) Some fun births to note in 1774- Raphael Peale, who was the son of Charles Willson Peale was born. I'm just learning a few things about the Peale family and I've gotta say- I love them. They seem like my people!! I was able to watch a lecture about the dad, Charles Willson Peale... there might need to be an episode just about them! Raphael was not the oldest. He was one of 16, I think? Kids and he was in the first set, but decently in the middle. I just really wanted to mention the family because they are so cool. If someone would write a book for me about the Peales, the Trumbulls, the Wests, and the Copleys... I'd super appreciate it! Also born that year was Adolp...