Revolutionary War on Wednesday

Creek woods. Then they ran down their street.
    They climbed onto their porch and rested against the railing. They looked out at the dawn sky.
    Jack remembered the
whoosh
of the cold wind on the Delaware. He remembered the
hiss
of the wet snow and the
slosh
of the icy waves.
    He remembered George Washington reading to his men.
    â€œThe harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph,” Jack whispered.
    â€œThose words are true,” said Annie. “It
was
a hard conflict, and I feel kind of glorious right now. Don’t you?”
    Jack laughed.
    â€œYeah, definitely,” he said.
    Then he and Annie slipped into their quiet, peaceful house.

THE THIRTEEN COLONIES
    Long ago, the United States was made up of thirteen small colonies. Many of the early settlers, or colonists, thought of England as their “mother country.” They were proud to have come from England, and they felt great loyalty to the British king.
    Over time, though, many colonists wanted to be independent. They did not want a faraway country to rule over them. These colonists were called
patriots
.
    THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND GEORGE WASHINGTON
    In the spring of 1775, fighting broke out between the patriots and the British in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
    That summer, a group of American patriots met in Philadelphia and began to organize an army to fight the British. They made George Washington their commander-in-chief.
    After the patriots won independence over eight years later, Washington resigned as commander-in-chief. He returned to the life of a gentleman farmer on his plantation in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
    Six years later, in 1789, George Washington was elected the first president of the United States.
    THOMAS PAINE
    At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, some colonists did not want to break away from England. These people were called
Tories
.
    In January 1776, a British writer named Thomas Paine wrote a powerful essay that attacked the idea of obeying a king. Paine called his essay
Common Sense
. It inspired many Tories to join the patriots’ cause.
    Almost a year later, in December 1776, George Washington’s army was losing the war. Many soldiers wanted to give up. This time Thomas Paine wrote a series of essays called
The Crisis
.
    George Washington had
The Crisis
read aloud to his troops on the banks of the Delaware River.
    Paine’s words inspired the troops to continue the fight. They crossed the Delaware River, defeated the enemy, and gave new hope to the whole patriot army.

Here’s a special preview of
Magic Tree House #23
Twister on Tuesday

    Available now!
    Excerpt copyright © 2001 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children’s Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Jack opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed through his window.
    â€œTuesday!”
he whispered. Morgan’s note had told him and Annie to come back to the magic tree house on Tuesday. He could hardly wait to find out where she was sending them today!
    Jack scrambled out of bed. He threw on his clothes. He packed his notebook and pencil into his backpack. Then he headed into the hall.
    Jack bumped into Annie. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
    â€œTuesday!” they both whispered.
    Together, they hurried down the stairs.
    â€œMom, Dad, we’re going out for a few minutes!” Jack shouted.
    â€œDon’t you want breakfast first?” his dad called from the kitchen.
    â€œWhen we get back!” said Annie.
    They rushed out the front door. They ran down their street in the bright summer sunlight.
    A warm wind gently shook the trees as Jack and Annie headed into the Frog Creek woods. Soon they came to the tallest tree in the woods. The magic tree house waited for them in the high branches. Jack and Annie grabbed the rope ladder and climbed up.
    Inside the shady tree house, the note from Morgan was still on the floor:
    Dear Jack and Annie,
    Camelot is in trouble. To save the kingdom, please find these four special kinds of writing for my library:
    Something to follow
    Something to send
    Something to learn
    Something to lend
    Â Â Â Â Â Thank you,
    Â Â Â Â Â Morgan
    â€œOkay,” said Jack. “We have the first writing:
something to follow
.” He picked up a list from the Civil War.
    â€œAnd we have the second,” said Annie,
“something to send.”
She picked up a letter from the Revolutionary War.
    â€œNow we need the