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Causes of the American Revolution
Time Enough for Drums
by
Ann Rinaldi
New York: Random House, 1986
Set in Trenton, New Jersey at the outset of the Revolutionary War, Ann Rinaldi's Time Enough for Drums chronicles the trials and tribulations of an American family torn by conflicting loyalties. While the Civil War is better known for setting family against family, the Revolutionary War also split families. The story is told in the first person through the eyes of headstrong, fifteen year old Jemima Emerson. Jemima's brother is an officer in the Continental Army, while her mother writes essays supporting the Revolution. Because she is a woman, she writes under a pseudonym. Jemima's sister, Rebeckah, is married to a British officer and remains loyal to the Crown.
John Reid is Jemima's young tutor. His stern manner, combined with Jemima's stubbornness, sets the stage for fireworks between them. Jemima is a staunch supporter of American independence and the Revolutionary War effort, yet John Reid remains a Tory. Perhaps there is more to John Reid than she imagines.Comment
In painting the historical backdrop for this book, Rinaldi does a great job of incorporating many facets of life in Colonial America. The book describes the role of women explaining, for example, that they cannot own property. Other topics touched on in the book include:
* Slavery
* Quakers
* Stamp, Declaratory and Coercive Acts
* Thomas Paine and "Common Sense"
* Hessians
* Early battles and their impact on the outcome of the Revolutionary War
Readers interested in learning more about the history of the Revolutionary War will appreciate Rinaldi's inclusion of a detailed bibliography. She also includes "Author's Notes" that provide additional information on the actual history that serves as the backdrop for the novel.Reading Level: 6.3
Interest Level: 7-10Supports the following Instructional Objectives:
Excerpt
All of the eligible men in Trenton were joining up, either with the American or the British army. All the Patriot women were using their spinning wheels to produce cloth for the army. Every Patriot family we knew had given up British goods and drinking tea. In St. Michaels, our church, half the congregation didn't speak to the other half because of the war, and there sat Dan, as friendly as ever with a Tory.
"Washington Crossing the Delaware" used with permission of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art at http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/gw/el_gw.htm
Accessed June 5, 2002.Historical Fiction and Idaho U.S. History Curriculum
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