colonial historical fiction

COLONIAL HISTORICAL FICTION

In the hands of the Senecas by Walter D. Edmonds

Set during the American Revolution, in 1778, a small village in upstate New York is savagely raided by Seneca Indians. Most of the whites are killed, and a few are taken captive. The book then follows the fate of each captive, one by one. The prose is spare, elegant and masterfully paced. Highly recommended, unflinching, un-PC tale of American history.

April Morning by Howard Fast

The story of a teenage boy named Adam Cooper, and his involvement in the battle of Lexington. At first, no one in the village of Lexington believes that the British are coming to fight. But when they kill Adam's father and many of his friends, he fleas. After he has gained control of himself, he goes out with his cousin and helps win one of the most famous battles during the American Revolution. If you like action, you’ll like April Morning.

The Hessian: a novelby Howard Fast

The Hessian is an interesting story about the American Revolution, centering on the prejudices and uncertainties of one town. When a group of Hessians (German mercenaries who were hired by the English in the Revolutionary war) kill one of their townspeople, Abraham Hunt, the town's leader, plans an ambush, then puts the only surviving Hessian, the drummer boy, on trial for murder.

The Unvanquished by Howard Fast

The Unvanquished is the story of the Continental Army and George Washington in the desperate early months when the American Revolution faced defeat and disintegration. The book begins with the retreat across Manhattan's East River that saved the Continental Army after the Battle of Long Island. It ends with Washington's re crossing of the Delaware in the daring 1776 Christmas Eve raid on the Hessian camp at Trenton.

Saturnaliaby Paul Fleishman

In 1681 in Boston, fourteen-year-old William, a Narraganset Indian captured in a raid six years earlier, leads a productive and contented life as a printer's apprentice but is increasingly anxious to make some connection with his Indian past.

Johnny Tremainby Esther Forbes

Jonathan Lyte Tremain is a very complex character due to his lack of respect towards some and his great humility towards others. Johnny's character starts out as a proud fourteen year old boy who works as an apprentice for a skilled silversmith and ends as a humble and brave sixteen year old who sets off to fight in the American revolutionary war.

Samuel Adams: the father of American Independence

by Dennis Brindell Fradin

Presents the life and accomplishments of the colonist and patriot who was involved in virtually every major event that resulted in the birth of the United States.

The American revolutionaries: a history in their own words, 1750-1800 Edited by Milton Meltzer

Letters, diaries, memoirs, interviews, ballads, newspaper articles, and speeches depict life and events in the American colonies in the second half of the eighteenth century, with an emphasis on the years of the Revolutionary War.

1787: A NOVELBY JOAN ANDERSONAs James Madison's aide during the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, young Jared Mifflin experiences a summer filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance.

Thomas Jefferson: man on a mountain. by Natalie Bober

The life of the author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States who was also a noted inventor, architect, farmer, statesman, and educator.

Drums by James Boyd

Drums has been called the best novel ever written about the Revolutionary War. Narrated from the viewpoint of a North Carolina Tory gentleman's adolescent son, it's unique outlook soon draws the reader into the drama of colonial unrest and the emotional battle men fought within themselves whether to cede from England or not.

Jump ship to freedom by James Lincoln Collier

In 1787, a fourteen-year-old slave, anxious to buy freedom for himself and his mother, escapes from his dishonest master and tries to find help in cashing the soldier's notes received by his father for fighting in the Revolution.

The winter hero by James Lincoln Collier

 Anxious to be a hero, a young boy relates how he becomes involved in Shays' Rebellion begun by farmers in western Massachusetts against unfair taxation levied on them by the Boston government.

Alexander Hamilton: a profileby Jacob Ernest Cooke

The author presents a well written, engaging biography of the right length and depth of coverage. He has an unusually balanced view of the feud between Hamilton and Jefferson, and used psychological techniques to try to decipher Hamilton's conflicted personality. Hamilton was an essential part of the mix of our founding fathers who's views balanced Jefferson's.

Tom Paine,revolutionarybyOlivia E. Coolidge

The life of the political philosopher whose pamphlets Common Sense and The American Crisis greatly influenced colonial opinion during the Revolution.