Letters in a mysterious journal between two sisters describe a lost collection and a missing treasure. As Sam, Derek, and Caitlin realize the letters were from Thomas Jefferson's granddaughters, they set out to do what they do best--solve the mystery! When the journal is stolen, the kids are forced to hunt down clues by following Jefferson's footsteps to The University of Virginia, his mountaintop home of Monticello, and a little-known retreat called Poplar Forest. But this isn't a typical walk through history. Someone from the kids' past is lurking in the shadows, bent on revenge and threatening to take much more than just the treasure. Escape from Monticello is the eighth book in The Virginia Mysteries series. The story is the perfect complement to social studies units, field trips, and family vacations related to Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, and Jack Jouett.
Unsurpassed as a single-volume history, John E. Selby's masterpiece analyzes the political, administrative, and military history of Virginia during the American Revolution. Stressing the contributions, in both men and material, that the state made to the new nation's war effort, Shelby shows how Virginia's leaders responded to the need to expand the state's administration and mobilize its people for war while at the same time looking westward to the vast territory beyond the Appalachians. Now available for the first time in paperback and with a new foreword by the historian Don Higginbotham, this classic is a must-read for anyone interested in the origins of our nation.
Picking up where The Roman, the Twelve, and the King left off, with the 1743 London premiere of Handel s Messiah, the Order of the Seven animal team must split up for their next mission: the birth of a new nation. Team leader Gillamon tells them, Each of us will be witness to a unique point in history because of a unique generation of world leaders. Most of them are just children now, or have not yet even been born. Take note of how important one generation of children can be. Marvel at each child and the power they have to change the history of the world for the good of all. Liz, Max, Nigel and Clarie sail for the colony of Virginia to deliver a letter that will impact Liz s assigned human: Patrick Henry. Liz must help young Patrick find his true purpose in life to become the Voice of the Revolution. She begins her quest when he is a seven year-old boy who cares more about fishing and exploring the forest in Virginia than about school. Her task will take time, as Patrick Henry will fail at everything he tries. Liz eventually leads Patrick to take up law, and finally accomplishes her mission when he finds his powerful voice in a courtroom. Little does Patrick Henry or the colony of Virginia know that his voice will set the ball of the American Revolution in motion. Henry will be the only one bold enough to first speak out against the tyrannical King of England, calling for the colonies to rise up and fight for independence. Liberty or death becomes the battle cry to unite thirteen solitary colonies as one nation under God to fight the mighty British lion. Meanwhile, Max must see to the protection of young George Washington, who inadvertently starts the French and Indian War. The enemy will mount continual assaults on Washington, from enemy snipers to treasonous members of his military staff. If he is lost, all is lost. Nigel goes on a high-flying kite assignment with Benjamin Franklin to ensure the success of an experiment that will impact the outcome of the war in ways no one could imagine. Al remains in London to live in the royal palace, gathering intelligence right under the nose of King George III. The simple-minded cat will be responsible for delivering some Common Sense to America. Clarie is assigned to the richest orphan in France, the young Marquis de Lafayette, who is crucial to the entire quest for Independence. If he doesn t make it to America, the Declaration of Independence will lead not to liberty, but to death for America"
In the final book of his works on the founding fathers, Richard Brookhiser unveils one of American history's most charismatic, delightful and little-known characters: Gouverneur Morris, the charming, one-legged rake and unsung genius of the American Resolution.
This biography of the underappreciated American Revolutionary hero Jack Jouett puts forth the case that his intrepidness was of huge consequence during America's War of Independence. In the years immediately following the War of Independence, the Virginia-born Jack Jouett was colloquially termed the 'Paul Revere of the South'. Taking to his horse to warn the-then Governor of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, of approaching units of British cavalry, the success of Jouett's rapid journey across the vast swathe of rugged, rural landscape helped the revolutionary Americans prepare and combat this British incursion. Had Jouett's ride not occurred or had been a failure, it is possible that the successful British expedition would have resulted in the capture of some or all of Virginia's leadership. This book, in describing Jouett's deed and life, makes the case that he is deserving of much greater respect in modern America and recognition in the annals of history.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote his epitaph, he listed as his accomplishments his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia statute of religious freedom, and his founding of the University of Virginia. He did not mention his presidency or that he was second governor of the state of Virginia, in the most trying hours of the Revolution. Dumas Malone, author of the epic six-volume biography, wrote that the events of this time explain Jefferson's "character as a man of action in a serious emergency." Joseph Ellis, author of American Sphinx, focuses on other parts of Jefferson's life but wrote that his actions as governor "toughened him on the inside." It is this period, when Jefferson was literally tested under fire, that Michael Kranish illuminates in Flight from Monticello. Filled with vivid, precisely observed scenes, this book is a sweeping narrative of clashing armies--of spies, intrigue, desperate moments, and harrowing battles. The story opens with the first murmurs of resistance to Britain, as the colonies struggled under an onerous tax burden and colonial leaders--including Jefferson--fomented opposition to British rule. Kranish captures the tumultuous outbreak of war, the local politics behind Jefferson's actions in the Continental Congress (and his famous Declaration), and his rise to the governorship. Jefferson's life-long belief in the corrupting influence of a powerful executive led him to advocate for a weak governorship, one that lacked the necessary powers to raise an army. Thus, Virginia was woefully unprepared for the invading British troops who sailed up the James under the direction of a recently turned Benedict Arnold. Facing rag-tag resistance, the British force took the colony with very little trouble. The legislature fled the capital, and Jefferson himself narrowly eluded capture twice. Kranish describes Jefferson's many stumbles as he struggled to respond to the invasion, and along the way, the author paints an intimate portrait of Jefferson, illuminating his quiet conversations, his family turmoil, and his private hours at Monticello. "Jefferson's record was both remarkable and unsatisfactory, filled with contradictions," writes Kranish. As a revolutionary leader who felt he was unqualified to conduct a war, Jefferson never resolved those contradictions--but, as Kranish shows, he did learn lessons during those dark hours that served him all his life.
The Virginia Piedmont, the gently rolling country east of the Blue Ridge, is one of the nation's most treasured rural landscapes - and one of its most endangered. In 1993, the Walt Disney Company's announcement of its plan to build an American history theme park in Haymarket, Virginia, within miles of some of the area's most significant historic sites, sparked intense debate about the impact of the proposed development on the Piedmont and its residents. The struggle that ensued, and Disney's eventual withdrawal of the plan, focused international attention on this beautiful and historic part of the world. With evocative photographs and delightfully informative text, Hallowed Ground takes readers on an insider's excursion down the scenic byways and into the storied past of this special region. Home to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and a host of other great Americans, the Piedmont's graceful foothills and fertile soil helped nurture the ideas that inspired the American Revolution. During the Civil War, Piedmont fields and forests became bloody testing grounds for the nation's survival at places like Manassas, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness. Today, the region's quaint villages and quiet valleys face a different kind of threat from a "blacktop and concrete revolution", as historian James M. McPherson notes in his introduction. Whether in an image of the sunset reflecting off a puddle in a country lane in Delaplane, or in the story of Jack Jouett's midnight ride from Cuckoo Tavern to Charlottesville to warn Governor Jefferson that the British were coming, armchair travelers and born-and-bred Virginians alike will find in Hallowed Ground ample reason to preserve and protect thePiedmont.