Why Historical Fiction Novels Are Effective

When history teachers bring historical fiction novels into their classroom they give their students a unique opportunity to explore history through the eyes of those that lived it. Within historical fiction novels characters and drama interact with past events in a way that compels students to see the past at an emotional as well as a cognitive level.

Once students become immersed in the novel's setting, character, plot and theme, they become interested and stimulated by the novel's story. They begin to draw inferences while reading the novel, about geography, religious beliefs, social attitudes, modes of transportation, distribution of wealth, social classes, and laws. They begin to absorb the historical details in the novel without even realizing they are being instructed. In contrast, if these same historical facts were presented in a textbook and the teacher asked the students to memorize them, it is likely that little information would be retained by many students.

Events become more significant in historical fiction novels because students must comprehend them in order to understand the plot of the novel. Students retain the historical information because it has been understood within the context of the plot, character, setting and theme of the novel. From this perspective, students begin to see how a study of the past helps them better understand the present.

By providing *references, strategies and techniques to help students sift through fact and the fiction, teachers and parents can help students become expert "nitpickers" on the author's use of historical data and spur stimulating class discussions in the process.

The impact of a historical novel on students cannot be minimized. If students respond positively to a good historical novel, they might:

a. be motivated to research the novelist's use of historical data.
b. they might begin to discern the novelist's biases and
c. they might decide to search for historical data to support or contradict the point of view expressed by the author.
or
d. find history interesting.

Brent M. Colley is a local historian who promotes Connecticut History. For a look at his reader's guide to the Historical Fiction Novel- My Brother Sam is Dead, visit: http://mybrothersamisdead.historyofredding.com/

My Brother Sam is Dead is a historical fiction novel told in the first person by Tim Meeker. It recounts the hardships endured by Tim and his family during the early stages of the American Revolutionary War.

Notes:

 

Reference sources for checking the accuracy of historical data include encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical dictionaries, dictionaries of history, serious local and national histories, and numerous other readily available sources. Students may check school and town libraries as well as local historical societies and the state library. Primary source materials are often available locally in church records, deeds, wills, probate records in town halls, local cemeteries, local tax lists, federal census, town meeting records, old maps, letters and diaries, sermons, industrial records, local newspapers and elders who have resided in a community for a long time.

 

 

Religion Affiliations and the Revolutionary War

Religion was a very important aspect of colonial life and greatly affected the colonist's positions heading into the War of Independence. In order to understand why this was significant to My Brother Sam is Dead's story-line the history of Religion, in England and America, must be examined.

Religion is a topic of the pre-Revolutionary period that is often overlooked. Most of us were taught about the events that led up to the War of Independence via time-lines focused on England's "Acts" and the American Colonist's reaction to them. We are familiar with the individuals that took offense to these actions as "Patriots" or "Rebels" and those that sided with England as "Tories" or "Loyalists". The reality is that it wasn't a simple matter of who was right and who was wrong for colonists faced with the difficult decision of which "side" they were on. My Brother Sam is Dead's authors make us aware of this in Chapter 2:

Betsy Read: "Timmy are you on your father's side or Sam's?

Tim: "I wished she hadn't asked me that question. I didn't want to answer it ; in fact, I didn't know how to answer it. 'I don't understand what it's all about,' I said."

Sam: "It's simple, either we're going to be free or we're not."

Betsy: "It isn't that simple, Sam. There's more to it."

There was more to it as Betsy correctly states- religious affiliation weighed heavily on colonist's positions on the war, especially in 1775. It's important to understand that the Meeker's religious beliefs made them "Loyalists" by default. Sam is unique in that he is an Anglican that is siding with the rebel cause. The Anglican Church was the Church of England, their preachers warned of rebellious behavior and prayed for the health and well being of the King and his Parliament each and every sermon. Conversely, Congregational ministers thundered anti-British tirades from their pulpits week after week, praying for the health and well-being of the troops and their generals. This religious influence resulted in many Anglicans siding with England and many Congregationalists siding with America.

Ultimately, the questions will surface…Why? Why was there a separation between the two religions? Why were Anglicans against a split from England? Why did Congregationalists support the rebellion? These were the very questions I asked myself, and what I found was a very extensive history that dated to 16th century England which clearly illuminated why there was a the division between the religions at the dawn of the Revolution.

King Henry VIII's self-serving actions in the mid-16th century caused a religious-fission in England that resulted in the formation of independent churches that would eventually become American Churches:

Beginning in 1529 and completed in 1536, England which had adhered to the ideals of the Roman Catholic Church for nearly a thousand years, separated from Rome because Henry VIII wanted his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled.

When Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry VIII the annulment, Henry decided to sever ties with Rome. He named himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, thus creating the Anglican Catholic Church, and ensuring the annulment he desired.

Henry VIII's separation from the Roman Catholic Church, resulted in an era of religious uncertainty for the Church of England and its followers as Henry and his successors flip-flopped from Catholic ideals, to Protestant, to Catholic again, finally settling on a fragile union of Catholic and Protestant ideals. The Church of England and Anglicanism lost the favor of many in the process, ultimately spawning a belief that all existing churches had become corrupted by the impositions of Kings and Popes. Consequently, great numbers of Englishmen and women sought separation from the Anglican church and began establishing independent churches based on Christian fellowship, much like that which gathered around Jesus Himself.

[*Recently Episcopal theological conservatives upset by the liberal views of US Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans have formed a new North American Church Society. This is a good topic to explore if you wish to inform students that what happened in 16th century England still occurs in the present day.]

The long-term affects of these "Purists" and their separatist churches, may have been minimal on the crown, the Anglican Church and its loyal followers if not for the availability of America soil. From the first Puritan pilgrimage, which included 35 members of these separatist groups in 1620, to the start of the English/Puritan Revolution in 1642, six new colonies would join Virginia in America. All six of these new colonies were settled by separatists of the Church of England- five Puritan based religious groups, one Roman Catholic.

These separatists would enjoy absolute freedom in the American Colonies while back in England, puritan revolts led to three Civil Wars between 1642 and 1660. In this period, English King Charles I, was dethroned and executed, a Republican Commonwealth was established in place of the monarchy and authority over the settlements in North America ceased. The American colonists were free to develop their own ideas about political authority, government institutions and religion for nearly 20 years. Even Virginia, lacking imperial rule, followed the lead of the separatist colonies of: Plymouth, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts Bay, and elected its own governor.

Three (3) fundamental principles, of *Connecticut's original eleven (11), won broad support among the American settlers in this time period:

(1) People can create their own governments by composing a written constitution or by transforming a charter into a political framework.

(2) People have a right to govern themselves through representative institutions.

(3) People can most effectively organize church-state relations by practicing religious toleration and by establishing either a single church or a system of multiple churches.

*Connecticut's eleven principles would become known as the Fundamental Orders, and are seen as a prototype for the U.S. Constitution by many scholars today.

When the English government reestablished its monarchy in 1660 and placed King Charles II (1660-1685) on the throne. The American colonists' Fundamental Orders were replaced by Royal Charters and old policies, such as awarding proprietary colonies to the King's supporters returned to America. Royal bureaucrats began reasserting their central control over the American colonies by implementing an economic policy known as mercantilism. Mercantilism involved: The colonies providing the raw materials, which were sent back to England, manufactured into finished products and exported. Often colonies were targeted as markets for these finished products.

The Mercantilism Act was soon followed by a series of Navigation Acts requiring the exclusive use of English ships for trade in the English Colonies and limiting the exports of tobacco, sugar and other commodities to England or its colonies, it also appointed a customs commissioner in the colonies to collect duties on goods that passed between plantations.

These acts were essentially pronouncements of power by the English crown, the statement being: "The colonies of America would be used to increase the wealth of the home country." Their position was understandable, for centuries many powerful nations had prospered on the same strategy. The difference in America was the origins of the settlements themselves. Unlike Virginia which was initially established as a trading outpost funded by English investors for the purpose of exporting raw goods back to England, a large majority of the American Colonies, especially in New England, were established by individuals wishing to enjoy the freedom of practicing their own religious ideals. They did not come to America to assist the King and his Parliament in exerting their power and influence, many had departed England in the wake of a string of rulers whose exertions of power and influence had destroyed the religious fundamentals they held sacred. There was a deep rooted religious opposition to the crown that twenty years of neglect had allowed to flourish and would prove difficult to overcome.

England needed a positive influence in the colonies of America and the promotion of Anglicanism in the 18th century became the means by which the crown achieved this influence. By establishing and expanding the presence of the Church of England in America, the crown created via religion, a loyalty to the King and the British Empire on American soil. This religious advancement began in the early 1700's via missionaries of the S.P.G. "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts" which was backed by the Venerable Society of London. Though initial resistance to the Church of England was great, in his "Story of the Diocese of Connecticut", Dr. Nelson Rollin Burr later observed that:

by the mid-1700's, the Puritan authorities in Connecticut "gradually realized that dissent (conversions to Anglicanism) had come to stay. They feared that continued intolerance would displease the British government and endanger their precious charter…the result was a series of grudging concessions to religious freedom."

The leaders of Connecticut, conceded religious freedom to the Church of England in 1727. Religious Tolerance opened new membership opportunities to the conversion-minded Anglicans and strengthened their goal of promoting "zeal for the Christian religion, affection to the present Government (the British Monarchy), and conformity to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England."

The influence of the Church of England spread quickly once tolerance was conceded growing from a despised minority to the second largest Christian religious group in Connecticut. This grow was largely aided by the conversion of Congregational ministers like the Rev. John Beach. By the dawn of the Revolution, Congregationalists and Anglicans were the largest religious groups in America and their views on rebellion were as different as their views on the practice of religion.

Why was Religious Affiliation Important?

Because we separate Church and State in our society, it can be confusing and difficult to understand why religion was of any importance in the Revolution. The reality is Religious affiliation was very important in colonial times, it determined your views, values and often where you lived and worked. Here are a couple examples of how Religion's role was different than it is now and why it was an important element in the colonists opinion on Rebellion:

1. News and Information. News and information was not as accessible and plentiful (in terms of different opinions) as it is today, individuals in rural locations obtained news and information in the following manner:

Post Riders
Post riders brought news and letters to and from towns and cities on horseback (often passing news biased by their own opinions in the process). At the time of the Revolution, there were two dozen newspapers in circulation in all the colonies combined though circulation was not widespread.

Visitors
Visitors from other towns and regions were another source of news and information. Bringing news from other locations to whomever they were visiting and/or passed information in taverns along the way to their destination. They too brought news that was often biased by their own opinions.

Religious Leaders
When it came to issues of importance in most cases it was the opinions of their preachers and ministers that held the most weight. Colonists were religious people and through their religious leaders they received the word of God. Rebellion was obviously an issue of great importance to colonists in America. As tensions flared in the 1770's, Anglican preachers stressed that Christians were obligated to suffer under an oppressive ruler, while Congregational ministers asserted that resistance to tyrants was obedience to God.

The Collier's give us examples of this with Mr. Beach's comments in response to Sam's report on the Rebellion:

"I think men of common sense will prevail. Nobody wants a rebellion except fools and hotheads."

"I don’t think the people of Redding are anxious to fight, Sam…I think you'll find that loyalty is a virtue everywhere."

"God meant man to obey. He meant children to obey their fathers, he meant men to obey their kings. As a subject of the Lord Our God I don't question His ways. As a subject of His Majesty, George the Third, should you questions his ways? Answer me this Sam- do you really think you know better than the King and those learned men in Parliament?"

As an Anglican, Rev. Beach's opinions reflect his loyalty to the Crown of England. Rev. Beach's views and opinions differed greatly from Redding's Congregational Church leader, Rev. Nathaniel Bartlett. Bartlett sympathized entirely with the Patriot's cause: two of his sons entered the Continental Army, munitions of the war were stored at his house, and he himself frequently officiated as chaplain during the encampment of Putnam's troops in the winter of 1778/1779.

Individuals had the right to make their own decision on the rebellion, but they were forced to make it with very limited and heavily biased information. This influence and the confusion it caused is exemplified by Tim's comments in Chapter 2:

"He (Mr. Beach) said that hot-tempered young men who listened not to the voices of their elders would bring a wrathy God down on their own heads. He said that the Bible commanded youth to honor their fathers, which made me pretty nervous for Sam…I knew that God could get Sam if he wanted to; and between worrying about that and being confused over which side was right I couldn't concentrate on church much."


2. Settlements and Towns. Today we live where we choose to. We are free to take-up residence in any, town, state, country we wish to. Colonists had choices too, but they were limited…especially in the 17th and 18th century. Connecticut's earliest "English" settlements, were founded between 1634 and 1654. These "English" settlements were located on the Connecticut River and along Long Island Sound, and were inhabited by individuals with Puritan-Congregational ideals. Over time, new settlers arrived in Connecticut townships, either from Europe or from other colonies in America. Puritan-Congregational ideals in many cases did not appeal to these new settlers but seeing that the Puritan-Congregational religion was already established and by law it was the only religion allowed, those with non-Puritan-Congregational views had little choice but to relocate to a town or settlement that did or head out into the wilderness to carve out their own utopia. It seems very odd, but many towns in Connecticut were created in this manner. It is for this reason towns established in the 18th century, Redding, Connecticut being one of them, were founded by either non-Puritans or a diverse mixture of *Puritan/Non-Puritan religious groups which reflected Connecticut's growth in population and tolerance of religion.

The point to be made here is that in the 18th century colonists were not choosing towns based on preferences like: schools, housing costs, employment opportunities, available amenities, etc…in many cases they were choosing towns that allowed them the freedom to practice their religion of choice and live as they wished to. Because these were often conscientious decisions, the location of one's **community had a tendency to reflect one's religious preference and later one's position on the war in the Revolutionary period.

The Collier's made it very clear in the novel that because Sam's parents were Anglican and lived on Redding Ridge (long settled by those of Anglican faith), it was presumed they were loyal to the crown by those outside of Redding.

*Puritans meaning: Presbyterians, Congregationalists. Non-Puritans meaning: Anglicans / Episcopalians and Baptists.

**Keep in mind, not all Anglicans were against a split from England, not all Congregationalists were for it. Many Anglicans and Congregationalists felt a Rebellious split from England was excessive and a diplomatic approach to the issues was in the best interest of all colonists involved.