Making a connection to

history through literature…

Summary of Johnny Tremain

• Esther Forbes gives readers a glimpse into

the life of American colonists during the

beginning of the American Revolution in her

269 page historical fiction novel, Johnny

Tremain. Johnny is a rebellious young man

who joins the Sons of Liberty and

participates in events such as The Boston

Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, and

the Battle at Lexington and Concord.

The Lead Characters

• Johnny Tremain A very talented fourteen-year-old silver-smith

apprentice. He burns his hand and loses all hope of becoming an artisan. As he struggles with how he will fit into society, he meets Rab. They become good friends, and Rab introduces Johnny to the Sons of Liberty. Johnny and Rab play important roles in gathering and transmitting information for the Patriots.

The Lead Characters

• Rab Silsbee A calm and reflective sixteen- year-old

newspaper printer. Rab prints the Boston Observer, a newspaper that propagates the Patriot cause. When he meets Johnny, he does not offer pity like many others. He accepts Johnny’s disability and helps Johnny realize that his crippled hand does not define Johnny. Rab draws Johnny into the Patriot cause.

Supporting Characters

The Lapham family • Mr. Lapham

– Master Silver-smith

• Mrs. Lapham

• Madge Lapham – Oldest daughter

• Dorcas Lapham – 2nd daughter

• Cilla Lapham – 3rd daughter, Johnny’s friend. She adores Isannah.

• Isannah Lapham – Youngest daughter. Becomes tied to the Lytes

The Whigs

Johnny meets up with some of the most famous revolutionaries. Their fictional roles in Johnny Tremain align with history.

What can we learn from

Johnny?

• The types of jobs people had in the 1770s

• How people learned their trade

• What education was like

• Social Class

• What life was like in the 1770s

• How the conflict affected colonists

• Literary Connections

Can you think of any other

colonial jobs?

Working for a living Some of the colonial occupations are stated outright

and some can be implied.

– Silver smith

– Butcher

– Clockmaker

– Tailor

– Barber

– Bookbinder

– Doctor

– Printer

– Cobbler

– Carpenter

– Farmer

– Captain

– Sailor

– Porter

– Rigger

– Doctor

– Merchant

– Lawyer

– Clerk

– Coachman

– Minister/deacon

– Constable

How did people learn their

trade?

• It was very common for people to start out as an apprentice.

What is an Apprentice?

• Johnny Tremain was a silversmith’s apprentice.

• In 1773, it was common for people to serve a master as an apprentice in order to learn a trade. An apprenticeship is like going to technical college.

• An apprentice served his master for seven years. After seven years, his educational debt was paid and the apprentice could be his own master.

Education

• None of the children in the story went to school. – Colonial governments did not require children to

go to school.

Reading

• Aside from the master, Mr. Lapham, Johnny was the best reader in the house. Mr. Lapham required the children to read verses from the Bible.

• When Johnny read, he never stumbled on words, and he liked to listen to the words roll from his lips. He was a very dramatic reader.

How did Johnny learn how to read? – The book says that his mother made sure that

Johnny knew how to read before she died.

Literacy

• Who was Johnny’s mother? – Because she taught her son how to read, that

tells us something about her background.

• Johnny’s mother must have come

from a wealthy family. – Only wealthy families educated their children. Any ideas

why?

Social class

• Upper class – Could afford to sustain the family without the labor of

their children.

– Children from wealthy families received a formal education.

• Everyone but the Upper Class – Needed the labor of their children to financially sustain

the family.

– Children learned the family trade and household chores.

– No time for school.

• The characters in Johnny Tremain – Were not wealthy. The children learned the family trade

and household chores.

Life in the 1770s

• Land Travel

– Horse

– Horse and wagon

– Walking

• Transatlantic travel

– Ocean vessel

How is that different from today?

Home life

In 1773, there were a lot of animals in

the city limits

– Horses provided transportation and

performed a lot of heavy work.

– Hens and cows for eggs and milk

– Cats took care of rodents

• How is that different from today?

Shopping

• Did you notice that when Johnny was

looking for work that there were a lot of

different types of shops?

– People went to the butcher for meat

– The cobbler for shoes

– The tailor for clothes

– The clockmaker for a clock

– The carpenter for furniture

How is that different from the way we shop?

Tories and Patriots

• Tories

– Colonists who supported King George.

– Merchant Lyte was a Tory.

• Whigs

– British colonists who opposed English imperial

policy (e.g. Stamp Act, Townsend Act)

– Paul Revere, James Otis, John Hancock, and

Joseph Warren were Whigs.

The power of print

• The Whigs were very effective at using the

printing press to propagate the Patriot

cause.

– Literate adults could read the articles.

– Illiterate adults took meaning from political

cartoons.

What forms of media shape our world view

today?

A cause worth fighting for

• The Sons of Liberty met in secret to avoid British persecution.

• The Sons of Liberty were wealthy colonists who risked losing all of their wealth in order to be relieved of British tyranny.

• Printers, carpenters, butchers, and farmers transformed into soldiers. Many gave their lives for freedom.

Conflict and colonists

• Colonists formed militias to stand up

against the British soldiers.

The Turning Point

• It is important to remember that it

took a long time for the colonists to

rebel. Forbes is writing about a

turning point.

References

• Forbes, E. Johnny Tremain. 1943. Dell

Publishing: New York, NY.

• Images – http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/sitemap/sitemap.htm

The End