DRAMATIZED SCENES
FROM AMERICAN
HISTORY
BY
AUGUSTA STEVENSON
FORMERLY A TEACHER IN THE INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AUTHOR OF
CHILDREN'S CLASSICS IN DRAMATIC FORM
ILLUSTRATED BYFRANK T. MERRILL
BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
The Riverside Press Cambridge
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY AUGUSTA STEVENSON
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Riverside Press
CAMBRIDGE. MASSACHUSETTS
U.S.A
PREFACE
THESE plays are really dramatic pageants, and the various acts are, with few exceptions, episodes, with different characters and representing different periods of time. Many of the episodes are in themselves complete plays, and can be presented for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Flag Day, Washington's Birthday, and so on. For example, Act I of A Dream of Gold and Act II of The Man who bore the Burden are suitable for Christmas. Any one of the acts of A Dream of Freedom or of Troubles on Land and Sea could be used for Thanksgiving. For Flag Day, Fourth of July, and other patriotic celebrations, there is abundant material in The Boston Tea Party, When Courage was needed, and A Brave Deed by Brave Men. Any one of the episodes in The Man who bore the Burden could be used as a play for February 22.
Whether these plays are read in class or acted in costume, their influence will be strong. The nobility and courage of our forefathers, who stood forth so bravely for justice, become, through the medium of dramatic action, vital and real. Nor is it too much to believe that this very nobility and courage will be absorbed unconsciously and help to form the character of the boys and girls who read page: iv[View Page iv] and speak their words. Moreover, these plays, by their appeal to the imagination, will awaken a new and lively interest in American history.
Infinite pains were taken in the preparation of the plays. The research required to gather the material, with the setting of each scene and its true historic atmosphere, has been great. The best historical sources were sought and all facts verified by the highest authorities. For the correctness of the historic data I am indebted to Dr. Allen Johnson, Professor of American history, Yale University. His criticisms were most valuable, and enabled me to place certain characters and scenes in their true proportions.
A.S.
page: [][View Page []]CONTENTS
- A DREAM OF GOLD; OR, THE SETTLEMENT AT JAMESTOWN 1
- A DREAM OF FREEDOM; OR, THE PURITANS OF SCROOBY 53
- TROUBLES ON LAND SEA; OR, THE PILGRIMS AND THEIR JOURNEYS 97
- THE BOSTON TEA PARTY; OR, DESCENDANTS OF THE PILGRIMS 145
- WHEN COURAGE WAS NEEDED; OR, THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 177
- A BRAVE DEED BY BRAVE MEN; OR, THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 217
- THE MAN WHO BORE THE BURDEN; OR, GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON 263