The Book Marketing Network

For book/ebook authors, publishers, & self-publishers

Research Provides Foundation for Children's Historical Fiction

The research I have done for writing Jefferson’s Masterpiece, the historical fiction story for children about Thomas Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence, has come from traditional sources (books) as well as new resources from the Internet. Fortunately, some of the books were in my personal library, because of my interest in Thomas Jefferson and the founding of our country; the others I purchased from Amazon.


This has been a rewarding experience. I have learned many new facts and relearned many more.

The most fascinating reference was the Journal of the Continental Congress. Unlike today’s Congressional Record, the Journalwas not a verbatim record of congressional debates and actions. Instead, it provided only a brief, but a complete summary of the business conducted each day.

On July 4, after the delegates voted to approve the Declaration of Independence, Charles Thompson, the congressional secretary, recorded in the Journal: “Agreeable to the order of the day, the Congress resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into their further consideration, the declaration; and, after some time, the president resumed the chair. Mr. [Benjamin] Harrison reported that the committee of the whole Congress has agreed to a Declaration, which he delivered.

“The Declaration being again read, was agreed to as follows: … (the Declaration was reprinted.)”

That’s all – very short, very matter-of-fact. Members of the Second Continental Congress had just declared the new nation of America to be independent from the most powerful empire in the world, and the official record simply stated: “The Declaration being again read, was agreed to as follows …” There are no historical or private records that disclose that the delegates participated in any type of celebration after they voted. The only known response was John Adams saying, “It’s done.”

Jefferson’s Notes of Proceedings in the Continental Congress was another reliable resource. In it, Jefferson provided a descriptive account of the debates between June 7-August 1, 1776 – the period that incorporates the adoption of the Declaration and Independence and the Articles of Confederation. His Notes furnished some of the details missing in theJournal of the Continental Congress. For me, the most significant sections were where he summarized the arguments for and against declaring independence from England, and provided details about the debate on the Declaration.

Three other books have provided good information: (1) The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson (1821); (2) July 4, 1776 – part of the One Day In History series by the Smithsonian Institute, written by multiple authors (2006); and (3) July 4, 1776, the dramatic story of the first four days of July, 1776, by Donald Barr Chidsey (1958).

I obtained information from a significant number of web sites, including Monticello.org, the Library of Congress, the National Archives and TeachingAmericanHistory.org. Since anyone can publish anything they want on the web, it’s important to substantiate the information with two or three other sources.

Since I was able to finish the research earlier than expected, I’ll be able to share the book outline process with you next week.

The entire blog is available at Blogger.

I appreciate you taking time to read my Journal,
Dennis

Views: 11

Comment

You need to be a member of The Book Marketing Network to add comments!

Join The Book Marketing Network

© 2024   Created by John Kremer.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service