AR+Diary+Annie+P.

Diary #1 
 * Name:** Alexandra Winchart


 * Age:** 31


 * Gender:** female


 * Occupation:** seamstress (sews for a living), sometimes a spy or a message deliverer (spies on British for the sake of the American Revolution)


 * Social Class:** middle class


 * Financial situation:** makes a little over what is necessary (is not in debt), but is not satisfied with Britain's extreme taxation (in the colonies)


 * Appearance:** dark brown, light, wavy hair; brown eyes and pale skin; dresses like a normal housewife - neat and tidy

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t45/maggie6138/early-new-englandmap.jpg Massachusetts Bay Colony
 * Location:**


 * Habitual locations:** small home


 * Daily routine:** wake up at 6:30 AM; make breakfast for the family; send children and husband to go do their duties (school, work); sew for most of the day; prepare supper for the family; read a bedtime story to children; sleep at 10:30 PM


 * Personality/Quirks/Unique Personality Traits:** has quite a sense of humor, even through tough times; loves to braid hair (does it for her daughter every morning); loves cooking (does it for her family every morning); is very down to earth; is never too petulant; loves taking advantage of literacy to read bedtime stories to her two young children; believes that colonies should be given the privelage to run themselves; wants more freedom from British oppression; wishes for low-class colonists, middle-class colonists, high-class colonists to have political equality; wants to refuse to use British goods, but needs an alternative (that is just as easy to obtain)


 * Past/individual-family history:** family (not herself) is originally from England - immigrants


 * Family:** husband, two children (one son, one daughter)


 * Social relations with your own and other classes (people you deal with or know about in other classes, AND your opinions and feelings about them):** is supportive of any other patriot (colonists who want independence); is never malevolent, but does have some natural bias against non-patriots (colonists who want to continue living under Britain's control)


 * Religion:** Christian


 * Education:** decently educated (literate), but not as well as the most active, high-class patriots


 * Portrait:**

Diary #2

Why is it that Britain wants so much from us when there is only little we can give? We are not very wealthy, and we certainly do not have much power – pretty much, the only thing we own is some land, some money, and some hope for a better future, and Britain is trying to take away even those few things on our list.

 We do not want a member of Parliament "virtually representing" us. We want to represent ourselves. We want actual representation. We want our own words to be heard by the government. **A representation in Parliament from the … colonies cannot be thought an unreasonable thing, nor if asked, could it be called an immodest request.** Why, you ask? Well … Parliament believes that we, colonists are fine with things being as they are right now. They think that we are receiving all of the privileges and opportunities that we deserve and that they can just pretend to represent us and bring our wishes and requests to Parliamentary meetings. But let me just say this - **how can there be any liberty, where property is taken away without consent? For what one civil right is worth a rush, after a man's property is subject to be taken from him at pleasure, without his consent?**

 **The very act of taxing, exercised over [we] who are not represented, appears to me to be depriving [us] of one of their most essential rights, as freemen.** Everything that is happening right now – people being deprived of their rights as freemen by having their lands being taken away, being overtaxed by Britain – is proof that Parliament is not doing a good job in holding sovereignty over us.

 My 8-year old daughter asked me a question the other day that really got me thinking. She said, "Mommy, I heard you and Daddy talking yesterday … you were talking about the Parliament or something … but I don't get it. Why does Parliament get to be the boss of everything? Isn't God the biggest and the strongest?"

To be honest, I couldn't answer her right away. The question seemed easy enough, and yet, something about it triggered strange thoughts inside of my head and I had to go sit down and think for a while. Why //did// Parliament get to control everything? **There must be in every instance, a higher authority … God. Should an act of parliament be against any of his natural laws … their declaration would be contrary to eternal truth, equity and justice, and consequently void.** I realized that Parliament wasn't the ultimate power-holder, although it did seem so at the time being. Rather, it was only God who could make sensible decisions.

But of course, God is not going to send lightning bolts upon all of the members of the Parliament. There is little He can do right now to suddenly change everything for the better.

Diary #3 media type="file" key="APUSH Antfarm Podcast.m4a"

Let me tell you what has been going on lately.

For the past few days, my husband had been showing interest in the potential Stamp Act protests. I kept on telling him to be careful … I kept on telling him we could still be loyal to America without getting physically involved in the protests… I kept on letting him know that everything would be solved sooner or later … but he still felt like he needed to take action himself.

Just the other night, he said to me, "Alexandra, do you know what they are doing to us right now?

"Yes, I understand what is going on," I replied.

"Then why aren't you letting me do anything about it?" he demanded.

"You know, we are being taxed without our own consent. What does that make us? Slaves! Yes, we are basically slaves under Britain's control! And you're telling me to control my anger?"

My point was that it's not like his one-man actions were going to change anything. We're not even a very influential family – we're just middle class workers who really have no say in anything that has to do with the British government.

Anyway, as you know, we are settled in Boston, Massachusetts. You may also know that Boston is where all of the Stamp Act riots began. Basically, yesterday, a mob gathered outside of the town house and before I knew it, the Stamp Office was in ruins. And that was just the beginning – that was just the warning notice. After the people destroyed the office, they went on to obliterate Mr. Andrew Oliver's house. As you know, the stamp distributors were the main targets of all of the mobs, and this guy, Andrew Oliver, was the stamp distributor for our colony

When I first heard news about the riot breaking out, I was afraid for my husband. He hadn't come home yet, and I had a feeling that he was a part of that mob. I wasn't surprised when he came home later at around midnight and confessed that he had been involved in the riot. Luckily, he was alright – physically, at least. Emotionally, he was still so caught up in his anger at the British government that he could hardly contain himself.

Honestly, this whole thing is getting out of hand. I'd love so much for virtual representation to be abolished and for us colonists to receive the rights that we deserve, but if reaching that goal is going to take months and years of fighting and rebellion, it's not worth it. I mean, think about it … people are becoming monstrous revolutionists … my own husband is caring less and less about our family because he is so bogged down by the current happenings.

In this podcast, I referred to Document 5-6 The Stamp Act Riot of 1765 by Francis Bernard and Document 5-7 Letter Seven from a Farmer in 1768 by Jon Dickinson.

Diary #4

All quoted text taken directly from Thomas Paine's //Common Sense.//

If letter is not visible or is unclear, actual text is on [|Patrick's discussion page].

Diary #5 [|http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/OWP/2330B~Declaration-of-Independence-Posters.jpg]

1777 <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)"> <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)"> Dearest Maryanne, <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">I am terribly sorry I have not written in so long … it’s just that I have been so busy. You see, things have not been going so well here in Boston. I do hope you have had better luck, although I am worried that your area has been stricken with chaos as well. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">My neighbors and my family … we have lost many of our possessions due to the number of wars that have been arising these past many years. British troops would sometimes invade our territory and take things that were rightfully ours. My husband, being his usual intrepid self, would try to block them from entering our home. But of course, there was virtually nothing we could do about it. We couldn’t even complain to our own people, because our colonist troops were also doing the same.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">I do feel fortunate, though, that all of the members of my family are alive and alright, and I hope that you and your family are doing fine, too. My only concern right now is that my daughter is not enjoying her marital life as much as she had anticipated. Her husband, who was a devoted patriot not too long ago, is now slowly falling into the British trap. Their relationship is failing, as she still believes that America should be free. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">On a lighter note, I am actually quite impressed with our attempts up until now to conquer the British. It is obvious that Britain is still more powerful and yet, General Washington and our troops have been giving their all in order to avoid defeat. It’s true that we have lost many of our men in the past several battles … but I heard that we have in fact had some victories around here in Lexington and Concord, as well as down in the Trenton, Princeton, Bennington and Saratoga areas! <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">Maryanne, it has been so tough … I thought for a while about how much easier life would be if we just gave in and joined Britain. I am proud to admit, however, that even through these times of turmoil, I still stand a proud patriot. I realized that this passion and desire for independence is what is holding us all together.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">I think I can finally see the light at the end of this dark, gloomy tunnel. Although there have been problems ever since the Declaration of Independence was passed, the document itself gives me hope that things will change. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">I hope to hear from you soon – I really am concerned and again, I apologize for not having contacted you earlier. Please understand.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">Wishing to hear from you, <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">Alexandra

<span style="font-size: 300%; font-family: Georgia,serif">Diary #6 media type="youtube" key="b1WpdnQX-2A&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"><span style="color: rgb(42, 50, 116)">