The Books I Read – For Research - Spring & Summer 2024

​Finished 6/28/24
I focused on Mount Vernon and found myself in a middle grade spy novel that takes place today. OOPS! Lesson learned – read the description next time and look at the book cover 😊

The main characters in this novel are a trio of kids from Virginia who love spy-fare. They wind up putting a few of George Washington’s techniques to good use. They even bring down a spy ring. How? You’ll have to read for yourself!

My favorite part – the things I learned about the Capital, Mount Vernon, George Washington’s tombs, and how Stephen Smith came up with this novel idea. I love a good back story!
                           
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                                                                                                                                That Back Story   

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This is Book 7 in the Virginia Mysteries series. Three research trips to Mount Vernon helped Stephen find the bare bones for his plot. It’s also where he saw the real key from the Bastille, the infamous French prison. It was a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette. He traveled from France to help Washington fight, then beat the British.

Some of the inspiration came from movies and television. The first and biggest, TURN, the mini-series about Washington as general and spymaster. The second came from the second National Treasure movie and its scene from Mount Vernon’s backyard. The third came from the movie Patriot Games, and it inspired the climax, the boat chase scene in the book. And finally, The American President which features a teenage daughter. Stephen switched the character to a son.
 

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                                                                       George Washington, Spymaster-in-Chief
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This is the Battle of Long Island. Alonzo Chappel painted it in 1858, over 80 years later. The smoke is from the Maryland guns and cannon. They attacked the British so the rest of the Continental Army could escape.
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The real battle was fought from August 27 – 29, 1776. It was the war’s first major battle and a huge loss for the Americans. General Washington didn’t return to New York until 1783, when the war was over.                                  For more information and photos – Battle of Long Island - Wikipedia  
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After his loss, Washington realized he’d missed some key information. He set up his own spy ring, and he was Agent 711. If you want to learn more about the tools his spies used, read this novel. A trio of teens put a few of them to good use – like secret code names, dead drops, invisible ink, cyphers, and coded messages.

If you want to learn more about the Culper Spy ring and what I wrote about it, check out George Washington’s Secret Six. Click the link and scan down to the cover. 

                                                                   Link:  Rinda Beach - Blog - Rinda Beach

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                                Three Tombs for George?

For real! I had no idea. This is the empty tomb – without a resurrection. It was supposed to be George’s, and you’ll find it two stories under the Capital Rotunda.

When George Washington died in 1799, the Capitol was still under construction. It was supposed to have a glass floor so the public could see the tomb. George said no thank you. He asked Martha to build him a new tomb at Mt. Vernon, and he put that wish into his will. But Martha didn’t get it done, AND she agreed to the plan for Washington, D.C.

But THAT didn’t happen either. There were problems with the cost of the project. In the meantime, George was buried in the old family tomb, #2, even though he asked for a new one. It wasn’t built until after 1830, after someone tried to steal George’s head. OOOH, Yuck!

That someone also vandalized the corpses of a few of George’s relatives too. That’s when John Washington, Mt. Vernon’s owner in 1830 finally built the new tomb, #3. If you’d like to see it, take a look at the cover again. It’s on the bottom left.

And the other question, why did George want a new tomb? The novel from Mt. Vernon said . . . “Apparently when it rained, the crypt often flooded, disturbing the tombs and graves inside.”
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    For more information and photos – Link: Washington Tomb · George Washington's Mount Vernon
               
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​              A Subway System, Under the Capital?

I had no idea what was under the Capital until I read this middle grade novel! There are 3 of them; they’re called people mover systems. I think it’s a great name!

They connect the Capital to all the Senate office buildings, but only one goes to the House. They move our Senators and Representatives to work every day.

The first line was built in 1909. A monorail was installed in 1960, then again in 1965. After 1993 the trains ran automatically.
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You can travel on it too, but only if you’re on a Capital Complex tour, AND you must be with a staff member who has the proper ID. 
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​​This is the floor plan for the Capital basement. The House and Senate systems don’t begin/end in the same places, but they are connected by a labyrinth of tunnels.
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​You’ll find the Senate subway terminal on the bottom right. They connect to the Russell, Dirksen, and Hart office buildings. If there’s a vote in the Senate, the Russell subway is restricted. Only Senators and their staff can ride. Since 9/11, there are also restrictions for visitors who want to ride the subway to either the Hart or Dirksen building.

The Rayburn subway terminal for the House is on the top left. You’ll find underground walkways to the rest of the House office buildings on the bottom left. If there’s a vote in the House, the subway is also restricted. Only Congressmen and their staff can use it.
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               For more information and photos Link: United States Capitol subway system - Wikipedia
                                    
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Amazon’s Description:
Dead drops, cyphers, and invisible ink are all part of a mystery that even spymaster George Washington would love.
 
Sam, Derek, and Caitlin love solving mysteries, and when they visit Washington, DC, spies are lurking. What starts out as a fun game of pretend on the National Mall turns all too real when they follow a mysterious man to a meeting deep within the Capitol.

To keep government secrets from falling into the wrong hands, the kids must work with federal agents and travel to historic Mount Vernon for a state dinner with the president and his son. Dead drops, cyphers and spy chases are all part of what their most dangerous adventure might be ever—if it isn’t their last.

Spies at Mount Vernon is the seventh book in The Virginia Mysteries series, but it also makes a great standalone read. The story is the perfect complement to social studies units covering George Washington as well as field trips and family vacations to Washington, DC and Mount Vernon.

If you enjoy mystery and adventure like the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Magic Tree House, or National Treasure, you’ll love author Steven K. Smith’s exciting middle-grade series. The stories are modern-day fictional mysteries with twists of real locations and events from Virginia history. These fast-paced books are popular with both boys and girls ages 7-12, appealing to even reluctant readers
 
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Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a big reader. His library included a complete set of Ben Franklin’s books, including Poor Richard’s Almanac. Charley read it in my manuscript, so I read it too.

Ben wrote 670 sayings over the 32 years he published the almanac. They show his character. Mine and Charley’s too. I picked 10 themes that popped up across those 32 years. Then my favorite sayings for each theme. They’re listed in almanack order.
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RICHES
Ben had 13 things to say about them, and I picked my Top 5.

24. A little house well fill'd, a little field well till'd, and a little wife well will'd, are great riches.

224.* He that is rich need not live sparingly, need not be rich.

512. The poor have little, beggars none, the rich too much, enough not one.

648. Who is rich? He that is content.
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649. Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion.



THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
I’d never heard of one until Harry Potter. Ben had, and he wrote about it, twice.
​Here are both of them. 

99. Content is the philosopher's stone, that turns all it touches into gold.

288.* I have never seen the philosopher's stone that turns lead into gold,
​but I have known the pursuit of it turn a man's gold into lead.

AGE
Ben wrote about age 6 times. Here are my 3 favorites.

​9. At 20 years of age the will reigns; at thirty the wit; at 40 the judgment.

149. For age and want save while you may; no morning sun lasts a whole day.

492. The golden age never was the present age.

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FEAR
Ben only had 4 sayings about fear, and I get to share them all. 

82. Beware, beware! He'll cheat without scruple, who can without fear.

139. Fear God, and your enemies will fear you.

140. Fear not death; for the sooner we die, the longer shall we be immortal.

141. Fear to do ill, and you need fear nought else.

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FOOLS
Ben had a lot to say about them – 25 to be precise, but I only picked 5.

148. Fools need advice most, but wise men only are the better for it.

200. He's a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom.

300.* It is ill-manners to silence a fool, and cruelty to let him go on.

495.* The heart of the fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of the wise man is in his heart.

518. There are no fools so troublesome as those that have wit.


SLOTH
Ben called it laziness, and I got to pick all of his sayings.

​28. All things are easy to industry, all things difficult to sloth.

113. Diligence overcomes difficulties, sloth makes them.

448. Sloth and silence are a fool's virtues.

449.* Sloth (like rust) consumes faster than labor wears. The used key is always bright.

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​LOVE
Ben had a lot to say about love, 14 sayings to be exact. I picked 6.

126. Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of.

218. He that falls in love with himself, will have no rivals.

281. If you would be loved, love and be lovable.

338. Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.

339. Love your neighbor; yet don't pull down your hedge.

638. Where there's marriage without love, there will be love without marriage.


​PRIDE
Ben had 11 things to say about pride. These are my 5 favorites.

61. As pride increases, fortune declines.

424. Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, supped with infamy.

425. Pride dines upon vanity, sups on contempt.

426. Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and a great deal more saucy.

516. The proud hate pride in others.

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FRIENDS
Friends were important to Ben.  He wrote 15 sayings, but I’m only sharing 6.

79. Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.

153. Friendship increases by visiting friends, but by visiting seldom.
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188. Hear no ill of a friend, nor speak any of an enemy.

233. He that sells upon trust, loses many friends, and always wants money.

520. There are three faithful friends, an old wife, an old dog, and ready money.

574. 'Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his.


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ENEMIES
 Ben wrote about them 8 times.
​Here are my 6 favorites.

115.  Do good to thy friend to keep him,
to thy enemy to gain him.

116.Doing an injury puts you below your enemy;
revenging one makes you but even with him;
forgiving, it sets you above him.

139. Fear God, and your enemies will fear you.

188. Hear no ill of a friend,
nor speak any of an enemy.

284. If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.

                                                                                                             338. Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults .                                                                                               

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​Amazon’s Description:
A historical reference for scholars interested in early-American thought and its repercussions later in history. Written under the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders," Poor Richard's Almanack (sometimes Almanac) is a collection annual publications (between 1739-1758) of the famous and late Benjamin Franklin. The Almanack contains typical almanac features, such as: calendar, weather, poetry, figures of speech, astronomy, and astrology. Many of Franklin's writings in Poor Richard's Almanack also contain math exercises, and satirical proverbs written by Franklin himself. This version of the book contains the Almanack (1739-1758) with also four letters/conversations between Benjamin Franklin and George Washington (1789) and Benjamin Franklin addressing Robert Morris (1780). The purpose of providing letters two decades after the final piece of the Almanack was published is to provide readers with a historical framework of how entries of the Almanack reflect not only Benjamin Franklin's anonymity but also at that time, early-American consciousness' of attitudes which laid the blueprint for the shaping of early-America and later-America.

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4/2/24
I knew I had to read this when the treaty with the Barbary pirates came up as one of the big events of 1794. Once I picked up the book, I realized it started earlier, in 1785, and it finished in 1809.

The prologue begins when Captain Richard O’Brien’s ship is captured in July of 1785, two years after the end of the Revolution. The pirates kept the ship, but they threw the crew into slavery. Most were freed 10 long years later. A few died as slaves.

Chapter 1 begins in March of 1786 when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met to talk about piracy, and how they could free O’Brien’s crew. They’d already been held as slaves for 3 years. A treaty wouldn’t be signed into law until 1794. The US paid tribute to the Barbary states. In return they promised to leave American merchant ships alone, and to free the sailors who’d been forced into slavery.

Would you believe during that time American merchants had to buy insurance for their ships sailing the Mediterranean? Or that they paid 20 times the rate of European merchants? But there was no choice. Our new country was deep in debt from the Revolution, and it needed the trade from southern Europe. American merchants no longer had British protection. Even King George III paid tribute to the Barbary states.

This is a modern map of the Barbary states. Their boundaries may have changed, but their names haven't. Can you find, east to west, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya?

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In May of 1800, William Bainbridge was given command of the USS George Washington, one of the first ships in the American navy. It was carrying a few of the things promised in the treaty, but the gold and silver was delayed. Bainbridge knew that meant trouble, but he had no idea.

When its ruler, the ‘Dey’ didn’t get it, he decided the ship should carry his ambassador and entourage across the Mediterranean to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman empire. (Now known as Istanbul, Turkey.) He wanted the Americans to deliver his own yearly tribute.

Bainbridge let an Algerian pilot take him to the dock, and he parked the USS George Washington right under the fortress guns. BIG Mistake! Bainbridge didn’t realize until he was ready to leave. He couldn’t – unless – he did what the ruler wanted – sail everyone to Constantinople – the ambassador, 100 attendants, 100 captive Africans (AKA slaves). Plus, gifts that included 4 horses, 25 cows, 150 sheep, 4 lions, 4 tigers, 4 antelopes, and 12 parrots.
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But the final blow – the ‘Dey’ ordered the American flag taken down, and the Algerian one put up. The ship’s 7 guns had to fire a salute to the new flag. Bainbridge thought it was the worst thing ever. That it would never be forgotten. Turns out it was, and the worst was yet to come, ​, and it didn't stop.
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​It was now July of 1803, and Bainbridge was commanding the USS Philadelphia. When he was chasing an Algerian cruiser, he struck some rocks, leaving his ship dead in the water. Bainbridge would surrender the ship and his crew.

Then it got WORSE.  A storm came up and swept the Philadelphia free. The Algerians controlled the ship and forced their slaves, the American crew to fix their own ship. To arm it with their own cannons. Later the Algerians planned to turn them on our navy.

But Bainbridge had the last laugh – he was still a hostage, but he managed to send intelligence to the American Navy in the Mediterranean. They found a way to destroy the Philadelphia. Yes, they lost a ship, but they kept the Algerians from using it against them.

The last chapters are about how the Americans almost toppled the Bashaw (the Dey’s boss). They couldn’t because an American diplomat negotiated a treaty in 1805 that undercut our fighting forces. It paid a tribute for the return of our sailors, but it ended the war. It made the seas free for merchant ships again, and captives would be treated like prisoners of war, not as slaves. President Jefferson was satisfied to see an end to the conflict.

But the piracy finally ended after the War of 1812. The Navy returned to Tripoli in 1815. American ships and their guns made it clear the days of piracy were over. A treaty was signed, and the US didn’t pay a dime of tribute. This time the Barbary States paid restitution to the Americans.
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Don’t forget to check out the back matter. It’s all about each historical event and the men who shaped them.
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Amazon’s Description:
This is the little-known story of how a newly indepen­dent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America’s third president decided to stand up to intimidation.
 
When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new coun­try could afford.
 
Over the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion jus­tified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states would show no mercy—at least not while easy money could be made by extorting the Western powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy’s new warships and a detachment of Marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status.
 
As they did in their previous bestseller, George Washington’s Secret Six, Kilmeade and Yaeger have transformed a nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Among the many sus­penseful episodes:
 
·Lieutenant Andrew Sterett’s ferocious cannon battle on the high seas against the treacherous pirate ship Tripoli.
 
·Lieutenant Stephen Decatur’s daring night raid of an enemy harbor, with the aim of destroying an American ship that had fallen into the pirates’ hands.

·General William Eaton’s unprecedented five-hundred-mile land march from Egypt to the port of Derne, where the Marines launched a surprise attack and an American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first time.
 
Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgot­ten war that changed American history with a real-life drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas

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