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Members and Friends of the Sons of the American Revolution
As SAR members, we are the custodians of the freedoms that our patriot ancestors won for us in 1776, and it is our obligation to keep the “Spirit of ‘76” alive in our communities. Providing student learning resources is a powerful step we can take to help our nation’s youth learn about real patriotism and their American Heritage.
Can you remember back to a time when you were young, and a book caught your interest, and you were lost in it? Textbooks are excellent for gaining a lot of knowledge in a short period of time, but they rarely capture the trials and tribulations, or the ups or downs people faced every day when they lived in one of the 13 colonies. The Chapter set a goal to provide 1776 books for 5th graders that have proven to provide high interest to the students while being historically accurate. (The books we provide to teachers have been proven to provide high interest to the student while being historically accurate.) Many of these books have won awards. Half of every class is filled with girls, and we’ve gone to great effort to make sure girls realize that women played an important part in the American Revolution. Students read stories about how girls, not much older than they are, became spies to help George Washington. They rode, warning colonists the British army was on the move just like Paul Revere. They read about Deborah Sampson who disguised herself as a male and fought right alongside the men. Students can read about Joseph Plumb Martin’s first account of what it was like to be a soldier in the Revolutionary War. In the Winter of Red Snow 11-year-old Abigail Jane Stewart’s fictional diary brings the reader to greater understanding of what it was like for families during the Revolutionary War near Valley Forge. Johnny Tremaine, Newberry Medal award winner, is a classic that goes back over 70 years. There is a great variety of books that can capture the interest of students and allow them to pick up historical facts about how this country started. Let’s not let their only experience with how this country first developed be through textbooks.
In September of 2023, we kicked off our 1776 Book Challenge project with the goal of donating 1776 books written for 5th graders to area classrooms prior to the 250th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 2026.
We are pleased to report that 9 months into this project, we have nearly achieved our goal. As of June, we have purchased and donated 1665 books to area classrooms in the greater Sacramento area. 100% of donations have been applied to book purchases.
Carl Ahlberg and Craig Anderson
Co-Chairmen Sacramento Chapter
1776 Book Challenge Project
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