Rebels & Revolutions: Real Tales of Radical Change in America

Rabble-rousers, agitators, and revolutionaries.

Throughout American history, people who worked to radically change society have been criticized, arrested, and even killed. Rebels and Revolutions: Real tales of Radical Change in America for ages 9 to 12 explores the lives of five firebrands who used muskets and marches, boycotts and lawsuits in their struggle for justice.

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About the Book

Rebels and Revolutions: Real tales of Radical Change in America for ages 9 to 12 explores the lives of the following five firebrands who used muskets and marches, boycotts and lawsuits in their struggle for justice.

When he was only 15 years old, Joseph Plumb Martin committed treason when he joined the Continental Army to fight for American independence.  Sengbe Pieh’s fight for freedom took him from the bowels of a slave ship to the nation’s highest court. During World War II, the Fair Play Committee, made up of Japanese American men, refused to comply with the draft as long as the United States government had their families locked up simply because of their Japanese heritage. In the days of the segregated south, Claudette Colvin was denied the most basic rights because of her black skin. One day, this teenager decided she had had enough and she refused to relinquish her seat on the bus to a white woman. After a childhood of toiling in California’s fruit and vegetable fields, Cesar Chavez challenged the power of the agricultural industry, becoming a voice of hope for thousands of poor migrant workers.

Young readers will be inspired by these five rebels who refused to accept the status quo. They acted boldly, provoked change, and fundamentally changed American history.

 

Discussion Questions for Rebels and Revolutions

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Details
Author: Judy Dodge Cummings
Series: Mystery & Mayhem
Genre: History
Tags: American History, Civil rights, Recommended Books
Publisher: Nomad Press
Publication Year: 2017
ASIN: 161930547X
ISBN: 9781619305472
Riveting, adventurous stories provide the inspirational fuel for any middle grader and even some of us older middle graders!
Cummings’s style makes learning history fun and relatable by focusing on the personal stories that made up the larger struggle that may be familiar to young readers. In her opening, she encourages readers to think about issues important to them when she says the stories “might inspire you to become a rebel for the right cause.”
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