"This may be the most exhilarating and revelatory history of our country. It is must reading for today's youth-as well as their elders." --Studs Terkel From the boys who sailed with Columbus to today's young activists, this unique book brings to life the contributions of young people throughout American history. Based on primary sources and including 160 authentic images, this handsome oversized volume highlights the fascinating stories of more than 70 young people from diverse cultures. Young readers will be hooked into history as they meet individuals their own age who were caught up in our country's most dramatic moments-Olaudah Equiano, kidnapped from his village in western Africa and forced into slavery, Anyokah, who helped her father create a written Cherokee language, Johnny Clem, the nine-year-old drummer boy who became a Civil War hero, and Jessica Govea, a teenager who risked joining Cesar Chavez's fight for a better life for farmworkers. Throughout, Philip Hoose's own lively, knowledgeable voice provides a rich historical context-making this not only a great reference-but a great read. The first U.S. history book of this scope to focus on the role young people have played in the making of our country, its compelling stories combine to tell our larger national story, one that prompts Howard Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States," to comment, "This is an extraordinary book-wonderfully readable, inspiring to young and old alike, and unique." Phillip Hoose is an award-winning author of books, essays, stories, songs, and articles. Although he first wrote for adults, he turned his attention to children and young adults, in part to keep up with his own daughters. "Hey, Little Ant "was named by the Jane Addams Children's Book Committee as one of four children's books that "most effectively promote the cause of peace, social change and world community." "It's Our World, Too : Stories of Young People Who Are Making a Difference "won the Christopher Award. It was a comment made by a young social activist he interviewed for "It's Our World, Too "that inspired "We Were There, Too " Sarah Rosen pointed out: "We're not taught about younger people who have made a difference. Studying history almost makes you feel like you're not a real person." Phil says, ""We Were There, Too " is an effort to stitch together a sense of our nation's history through the stories of scores of young people, as many girls as boys, from the major cultures in our national tapestry. In writing this book, my own love for history and biography increased immeasurably." Phil is a staff member of The Nature Conservancy and he lives with his family in Portland, Maine. He is also a founding member of the Children's Music Network. ""Shoot me if you dare. I will not tell you.""--Dicey Langston, age fifteen, to a gun-pointing loyalist in 1780, who demands she reveal a patriot secret. This unique book is the first to tell the story of the role young people have played in the making of our nation. It brings to life their contributions throughout American history--from the boys who sailed with Columbus to today's young activists. Based largely on primary sources--first-person accounts, journals, and interviews--it highlights the fascinating stories of more than seventy young people from diverse cultures. Meet Olaudah Equiano, kidnapped from his village in western Africa and forced to endure a terrifying voyage into slavery; Rebecca Bates, who with her sister plays the fife and drum that scare off British soldiers during the War of 1812; and Anyokah, who helps her father create a written Cherokee language. Descend into the darkness of a Pennsylvania coal mine with nine-year-old Joseph Miliauskas for a ten-hour day that leaves his fingers bloody; read Carolyn McKinstry's account of being hosed by police during the 1963 Birmingham civil rights march; and join Jessica Govea, who, as a teenager, worked side by side with Cesar Chavez to organize migrant farm workers. A teacher's guide to "We Were There, Too " is available at http: //www.weweretheretoo.com/guide.htm. "This may be the most exhilarating and revelatory history of our country. It is the heroism of our young, hitherto unwritten, often told in their own words, from a teenager sailing with Columbus to a kid with AIDS. Phil Hoose has done a remarkable piece of detective work. It is MUST reading for today's youth--as well as their elders."--Studs Terkel "This may be the most exhilarating and revelatory history of our country. It is the heroism of our young, hitherto unwritten, often told in their own words, from a teenager sailing with Columbus to a kid with AIDS. Phil Hoose has done a remarkable piece of detective work. It is MUST reading for today's youth--as well as their elders."--Studs Terkel "This is an extraordinary book--wonderfully readable, inspiring to young and old alike, and unique. I know of nothing like it. Readers will find both enjoyment and enlightenment, learning about episodes in American history they were never taught in school. It is time that the young were given their due in the national story, and Phil Hoose does it with prodigious research and delightful style."--Howard Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States" ""We Were There, Too "shows young readers how other young people have shaped American history in large and small ways. This book reminds us all that we are never too young to make a difference."--Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund "This book is inspiring, showing the active roles played by young people throughout history, from long ago to recent times. May it show young people in every corner of our land today how they can be active in the great struggle of our time: to build a peaceful world, in spite of all our differences."--Pete Seeger "A treasure chest of history come to life, this is an inspired collection . . . There are famo