“John Tremain” by Esther Forbes is among the best historical books ever written for kids. The novel is compelling to today’s audience, just as it was many years ago. Reading this book is like living through the significant happenings that lead to the American Revolutionary battle. The author introduces a 14-year old who has had his hand injured in a tragic accident, making him start looking for another job. He secures a job as a horse-boy, riding for the Boston Observer, a patriotic newspaper, and a messenger for the Sons of Liberty. In this new job, he encounters Dr Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. He is soon involved in important happenings modelling the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party to the 1st shots fired at Lexington. In the paper at hand, I will examine the extent to which John Tremain redirects the realism of the American Revolution.
Following the incident that robs him of using one of his hands, John Tremain turns out to be like a pariah in the silversmith household. He starts spending time at the newspaper office with Rab, and he finds himself at the core of the tumultuous world of Boston’s politics (Newman 694). In that office, Rab helps him secure a job of distributing the newspapers on horseback. Patriots use the newspaper office, a secret team of Whigs, or Boston Observers as a meeting place to confront British authorities. Johnny and Rab take part in the 1773 anti-tax demonstrations. As the British authorities strike back against Boston’s citizens because of the Boston Tea Party, Johnny is put in a place where he is more involved in the demonstrations led by Sam Adams’s likes (Roark 5). The job of distributing newspapers makes him good at interacting with British officers and officials. As a result, Johnny can collect significant intelligence that he provides to the revolutionaries to help them continue fighting for America to be transformed in due course.
In her book, Esther Forbes wants to show her readers how she was impressed by how teens were forced into adulthood and made take on heavy accountabilities as the war raged on. She started writing the novel when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, prompting the United States to enter the 2nd World War. Such observations helped the author develop characters such as John Tremain, dubbed Johnny (Newman 690). The book has turned out to be standard reading for learners due to its vivid and insightful representation of the happenings that prompted the Revolutionary War. Colonial frustrations were reaching a fever pitch and threatening an eruption of war.
In the wake of the Indian and French war, also referred to as the 7-Years War, Great Britain found itself highly indebted and relied on the colonists in the mission of alleviating some of its economic anguishes. The British Government imposed a sequence of taxes aimed at colonist between 1764 and 1767. The taxes included the notorious Stamp Tax, the Townshend Tax, and the Sugar Tax. Because the war had been partly fought in protecting the American colonists, it was sensible to raise revenue within the colonies. On the other hand, the decision outraged many citizens in the United States since they had a feeling that the colonists were unfair to them in terms of governance. Americans asserted that they did not influence how they were being taxed or how the colonists were utilizing the tax revenue since they did not have any Parliament representatives. As a result, they named the unfair financial practice of England “taxation without representation.”
In response to Great Britain’s actions, the Americas started to ignore laws, officially protesting the violation of their rights by the British Government, which finally resorted to outright violence and boycotts. The British Government repealed many taxes as a response to the protests. On top of that, the years between 1770 and 1773 witnessed a pause in complexities between Great Britain and her colonies, although rebels continued to criticize the mother country (Roark 16). This break in civil turmoil was broken in 1773, when “John Tremain” begins. The troublesome occurrence was the notorious Boston Tea Party, in which young loyalists who were dressed as Native Americans stormed a ship from Britain and tossed its load of tea into Boston Harbor. This rebellion act and England’s response set off a sequence of occurrences that prompted the Revolutionary War. This sequence of events in conjunction with the lives of people involved in them is brought to life by “John Tremain.”
On the other hand, the situation is worsened in April 1775 when the law enforcers from Great Britain resolve to seize guns and ammunition that were being stored in neighbouring Concord and Lexington by the colonial militia. Rab decides to join the colonial militia while Johnny is left in Boston to provide intelligence to revolutionary leaders such as Paul Revere on the activities being carried out by the British troops (Newman 695). At last, when Johnny decides to travel to Lexington, he is saddened to find his friend Rab having been mortally wounded in the battle with the British troops (John Tremain). He picks up Rab’s musket as the colonial militia strategizes on regrouping for the ensuing fight that marks the American Revolution’s beginning.
In conclusion, John Tremain represents the youths who sacrificed their childhood for the better of Americans. In other words, they contributed to the American Revolution not just in joining the colonial militia but also in providing critical intelligence on the British troops’ activities to enable the militia to operate effectively in fighting for the rights of Americans. The citizens felt that they were being taxed unfairly. On top of that, they thought that the tax revenue was not being used appropriately; it was not serving in improving the living standards of the Americans. “John Tremain” introduces a 14-year old who has had his hand injured in a tragic accident, making him start looking for another job. He secures a job as a horse-boy, riding for the Boston Observer, a patriotic newspaper, and a messenger for the Sons of Liberty. In this new job, he encounters Dr Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. He is soon involved in essential happenings modelling the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party to the 1st shots fired at Lexington
Work Cited
John Tremain. 1957. Directed by R. Stevenson and H. Stalmaster. Walt Disney: Viaway.
Newman, Simon P. “Disney’s American revolution.” Journal of American Studies 52.3 (2018): 682-715.
Roark, James L. Understanding the American Promise: A History. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014.
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