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A people fired. . . with love of their country and of liberty. . . will not be disheartened or dispirited by a succession of unfortunate events. But like them, many we learn by defeat the power of becoming invincible,” Abigail Adams. Forgotten Founders

Forgotten Founders: Black Patriots, Women Soldiers, and Other Thinkers and Heroes Who Shaped Early America

by Mifflin Lowe


At A Glance
Interest Level

7+
Entertainment
Score
Reading Level
6.2
Number of Pages
64

The founding of America was not accomplished by a handful of people; it required the heart, soul, and grit of an entire nation. Today, we rightfully honor the work of the Founding Fathers, but what about everyone else who sacrificed for the cause?  

Introducing Forgotten Founders, the inspiring book of stories about the heroic women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants, and others who played pivotal roles in America’s birth. Make no mistake: these were no historical footnotes. These were brave men and women without whom the war simply could never have been won, and the new republic never begun. 

Readers will meet: 

  • Sybil Ludington, the sixteen-year-old girl who rode all night to warn of a British attack 
  • Nancy Hart, the indomitable woman who captured six Loyalist soldiers 
  • Cuffee Wells Saunders, the talented physician who won his freedom and saved lives serving in the Continental Army 
  • Phyllis Wheatley, the gifted Black poet whose work was praised by Voltaire and George Washington 
  • Deborah Sampson, the colonial woman who dressed as a man to enlist in the Continental Army 
  • Peter Salem, the former slave who became the hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill 
  • and many more patriots, soldiers, thinkers, and heroes!
  • Read, learn, and discover in beautiful new ways that America’s origin story really is everybody’s story. 

Forgotten Founders begins with a brief history of the Revolutionary War, the people of colonial times, and a timeline of slavery. Each two-page spread then introduces a person who played a role in making America a free country. One page provides a brief explanation of why the person is significant, while the other features a large, full-color illustration along with short excerpts from historical documents. Each spread also includes a “Think Better” quote box that invites readers to think critically. For example: “Could you have imagined that music would play such an important role in the army? What talents or abilities do you have? How might they be helpful in a cause that’s important to you?” 

Anyone interested in the Revolutionary War or the Colonial period will enjoy Forgotten Founders for its unique perspective. The book’s bright colors and pleasing layout clearly distinguish different types of information. Many pages include fascinating facts, such as how the Culper Spy Ring used invisible ink to send messages. Since the biographies are short, readers eager to learn more can consult the works cited page at the end of the book. 

Through engaging text and illustrations, each person’s unique story reveals the creative ways ordinary people contributed to America’s victory. By highlighting these diverse voices, Forgotten Founders reminds us that the fight for freedom belonged not to a few celebrated heroes, but to countless individuals whose courage and ingenuity shaped our nation’s beginnings. 

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • When Nancy Hart was home, six Loyalist soldiers barged into her house and “demanded that she cook her only turkey for them. . . Nancy grabbed a rifle and ordered them to stay still. When one moved, she shot and killed him. When another made a move toward the weapons, she shot him, too, and held the rest at gunpoint until her husband and neighbors showed up.” The men were hanged.  
  • Salem Poor, a slave who fought for freedom, “was given credit for firing the shot that hit British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie, who later died.” 
  • Prince Estabrook, the first Black man to fight in the Revolution, was shot in the shoulder during a skirmish between the British and Americans. “He fully recovered and was back in action.” 
  • During a battle, a British major was commanding the rebels to surrender when “a Negro soldier stepped forward and, aiming his musket at the major’s bosom, blew him through.” The Patriots lost, but the British “had twice as many casualties as the Americans and lost many officers.” 
  • Crispus Attucks was the first person in the Revolutionary War to be killed. Crispus “became part of an angry Patriot mob throwing stones, clubs, snowballs, and ice at the British soldiers guarding the Customs House, where taxes were collected. . .” Someone yelled fire, and “the British opened fire and five men fell dead. The first was Crispus Attucks, with two musket balls in his chest.” 
  • Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and fought in the army. “Once, near New York City, she was gashed in the head by a sword and hit with two bullets in her thigh. . . She let doctors treat her head wound, but then slipped out of the field hospital, dug one of the bullets out of her leg with a penknife, and closed the wound herself with a sewing needle!” She lived to fight in other battles. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • “Apothecaries often used lavender, mint, basil, dill, thyme, rosemary, and sage to treat patients.”  

Language 

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • “Quaker beliefs forbid violence. During the American Revolution, Quakers who wanted to fight for the American cause often changed their religion so that they could. Many became Episcopalians.” 
Other books you may enjoy

A people fired. . . with love of their country and of liberty. . . will not be disheartened or dispirited by a succession of unfortunate events. But like them, many we learn by defeat the power of becoming invincible,” Abigail Adams. Forgotten Founders

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