Saturday, February 15, 2014

Happy Presidents' Day!






There are many famous American Presidents, but on Presidents’ Day we honor two important men.



The Father of our Country, George Washington, was our first president. Mr. President, as he liked to be called, was born in Virginia, on February 22, 1732. The American Colonies fought for freedom from Great Britain, and Washington was the general of the Continental Army. General Washington surprised the British when he and his men crossed the icy Delaware River on Christmas. Washington and his men were victorious in the Revolutionary War,  and America became a country 1787. We honor George Washington in many ways. He is on the quarter, the dollar, and the new dollar coin. In addition, his face is carved into Mount Rushmore and there is a monument to him  in Washington, D.C. The Washington Monument  is a tall obelisk that stands 555 feet tall.  George Washington died on December 14, 1799, at his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Equally important is our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. He was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin located in Kentucky. As a youth, he worked as a shopkeeper. He was so honest, he one time walked miles to give a lady six cents that he had overcharged her at the shop. Honest Abe was a name that suited him well. Lincoln grew to be 6-foot- 4-inches  tall and when he wore his stove pipe hat he was nearly seven feet tall. He served as president from 1861 - 1865, and he kept America united during the Civil War. Sadly, President Lincoln was assassinated a few days after the war ended. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. honors this great leader.

Clearly, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were remarkable men who served the country well, and America celebrates their February birthdays on the third Monday in February. Happy Presidents’ Day!

13 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs. Yollis and presidents,

    Happy Presidents' Day! I learned some exceptional new facts and relearned some other facts in our class, too!

    I like that the American flag is waving in the background of your voki, President Washington. I think Presidents' Day is a splendid way to honor two presidents' birthdays, and the good deeds they did.

    Sincerely,
    Aashi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ronald Reagan (aka Bryce)February 18, 2014 at 3:42 PM

    Dear class and Presidents,

    I am Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States. I came way after you, so you probably don't know who I am. I am Ronald Wilson Reagan and I was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. While I was president, I went through some hard times, including the cold war. The cold war was one of the few wars that was not fought by fighting. It was just fought with talking. When Mikhail Gorbachev went into office in the Soviet Union, the Berlin wall was built in Germany. I said one of the most memorable commands I made was "Take that wall down!" Gorbachev did take the wall down.

    Sadly in 2004 I died of Alzheimer disses .

    Sincerely,

    Ronald Reagan(aka Bryce)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear class and Presidents,

      I am Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States. I came way after you, so you probably don't know who I am. I am Ronald Wilson Reagan, and I was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois. While I was president, I went through some hard times, including the Cold War. The Cold War was one of the few wars that was not fought by fighting. It was just fought with talking. When Mikhail Gorbachev went into office in the Soviet Union, the Berlin wall was built in Germany. I said one of the most memorable commands I made was "Take that wall down!" Gorbachev did take the wall down.

      Sadly in 2004 I died of Alzheimer disease .

      Sincerely,

      Ronald Reagan(aka Bryce)

      Delete
  3. George Washington (aka Jemma)February 18, 2014 at 4:49 PM

    Dear Mrs. Yollis and students,

    I am George Washington, the first president of the United States of America. I was known as a strong and patient leader. I am very proud that no American has been honored more than me. I am trying not to brag! On April 30, 1789 I became the nation's first President. My good friend, Abe Lincoln was also very important. He made a famous speech called the Gettysburg address. The speech was so famous that it is carved on his monument, the Lincoln Memorial. I also have a memorial called the Washington Monument. I hope Abe and I inspire you to learn more about history.

    Your first President,
    Mr. Washington (aka Jemma)

    ReplyDelete
  4. James Buchanan (Shayna)February 18, 2014 at 6:03 PM

    Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    It's your old friend, James Buchanan (byoo canon). I have a few facts for you.

    I was born on April 23, 1791 and I am proud to say that I was the fifteenth president of the United States. Like my fellow president, Abraham Lincoln, I was also raised in a log cabin, but I lived in Stony Batter, Pennsylvania. I grew up to be a successful lawyer. In 1845, president James Polk made me U.S. secretary of state. As U.S. secretary of state, I got to advise the president about other countries.

    Later in my life, I became president in 1857. Around that time, many Americans were worried about slavery because the Southern States allowed slavery, but the Northern States did not.

    In 1860, I decided not to run for president again. The same year in November, president Lincoln won the election and became president. Many Southerns thought that Abraham Lincoln would try to stop slavery, so before Lincoln took over as president, seven Southern States broke away from the United states to form a separate country. I wanted to avoid war between the North and the South. It turns out that I didn't punish the Southern States for breaking away. I hoped that we could rejoin again peacefully. On March 4, 1861, president Lincoln was sworn in as president.

    In April 1861 the Civil War began and it ended in 1865. That means that the Civil War lasted four years. Finally, I returned to home in Pennsylvania and I also wrote a book about my beliefs and decisions as president.

    If Lincoln came after me, which president came before me?

    Your fifteenth president,
    James Buchanan (Shayna)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Mrs. Yollis' Class and all the Presidents,

    I hope you all had a splendid Presidents Day! I know I did! I hosted a party for Abe Lincoln, Ronald Reagan (who left a comment above ;) ), John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. All the other presidents attended a different party.

    I was born on February 22,1732, in Westmoreland County, VA. My Vice President was John Adams,who later became the second president. I was married to Martha Washington, who brought enormous wealth to the family, and four graceful kids.

    Sadly, on December 14,1799, I died in my house, in Mount Vernon, VA.

    Warmly,

    George Washington

    (AKA Peter)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Mrs. Yollis' class,

    Although I'm not celebrated on President's Day, I am still proud of what I've accomplished.

    I was born on October 30, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts. During my time, Quincy was called Braintree.

    After a couple of years, I realized that the part of America that I lived in was being ruled by Great Britain. I and a plethora of other people thought that America should part from the land ruled by the British.

    The American people became victorious in the Revolutionary War! The war lasted 8 years, 1775 to 1783.

    I was Washington's vice president from 1789 to 1797. Finally I was elected to be America's second official president.

    Years later, I got my time as president, and Thomas Jefferson was elected to be president in the year of 1800.

    Sadly, we both died on the same day, July 4, 1826. :-(

    Thomas Jefferson, please leave me a reply on how generous you were, buying the ______ perchase. Do you have any more facts?


    Sincerely,

    John Adams (Chloe)

    ReplyDelete
  7. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (P.S Roxy)February 18, 2014 at 6:34 PM

    Dear Mrs. Yollis,
    We were lucky to have two wonderful Presidents.
    Here are some facts about George Washington. George Washington served from 1789 to 1797. He was known as a strong and patient leader. No American has been honored more than Washington. His father died when he was 11 years old. At the age of 20, he became a soldier.

    Here are some facts about Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He went to school for less than a year, but he learned to read, and he loved books. He studied law, became a lawyer, and moved to Springfield.
    Do you have any other facts if so leave a comment about them?

    Your first and sixteenth Presidents,
    George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (P.S Roxy)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Mrs. Yollis and presidents,

    I am Benjamin Franklin and I am famous for my quotes and for finding electricity. I was also a printer, a scientist, and an inventor.

    I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706. Sadly, I died on the night of April 17, 1790, at the age of 84. I am glad that people still honor me.

    People still read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and quote sayings from my Poor Richard’s Almanac. People are interested of what were some of the quotes, so I will tell you some. My favorite one is haste makes waste because it means if you go too fast, you will mess up and waste time or maybe paper. Another quote is lost time is never found. It means if you waste time, you can never get it back.

    At that time, I knew Thomas Jefferson, the third president, and I helped him write the Declaration of Independence. My fame extended to Europe as well as America. Thomas Jefferson hailed me as "the greatest man and ornament of the age and country in which he lived."

    As you may know, I discovered electricity. When there was a thunderstorm, I flew a homemade kite to prove that lightning is a giant electric spark. Then a bolt of lightning struck a pointed wire fastened to the kite and traveled down the kite string to a key fastened at the end, where it caused a spark. I also tamed lightning by inventing the lightning rod. Even though I did it, kids, NEVER try this!

    In my opinion, I accomplished many achievements, but I do not know why I didn't get elected as president.

    Your friend,
    Benjamin Franklin

    ReplyDelete
  9. Franklin Pierce (Aashi)February 19, 2014 at 5:25 PM

    Dear Mrs. Yollis, class, Abe, and George,


    My goodness! Am I really seeing you in person? Thank you, Mrs. Yollis and her class for writing such a sensational paragraph and bringing Abe and George over to your blog.

    I am the 14th president of America, Franklin Pierce. I served as president from 1853-1857. I lived from 1804-1869 and was born in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. I did go to college and graduated in 1824.
    I was 48 years old when I started my term, and I was the youngest president who had ever served America. I was known as a good speaker and for my handsome looks. I had a couple of problems during being president. First, the terrible Civil War started. I had a very heavy heart during this war because of all of the depressing details that had happened and am relived that it is now over.

    Second, people in the US didn't like so many immigrants coming. But I made the decision to protect immigrants and their rights and let them stay.

    I hope you enjoyed this comment! :-)

    Very sincerely,
    Franklin Pierce (Aashi)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Mrs Yollis,

    One of my favorite presidents is George Washington, because he never told a lie. For example, he cut down a cherry tree, and when his father asked about it, he told the truth. I also like Thomas Jefferson, because he wrote the Declaration of Independence, which gave us freedom.

    Sincerely,
    Adam

    ReplyDelete
  11. James Buchanan (Shayna)February 20, 2014 at 8:13 PM

    Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,

    It's once again, James Buchanan.

    First, I would like to congratulate all of you students for your hard working. You mixed blogging and history into a wonderful and fun activity. Sadly, I did not know of such a thing. Computers and cellphones weren't invented at that time. When I was a kid, we wrote letters and sent them to our friends. We painted pictures instead of taking pictures.

    I heard that you were learning about frequently misspelled words. I have a few sentences for you.

    1. I only like plane bagels.
    2. I stubbed my tow when I was skateboarding down a driveway.
    3. Mom poured lemonade into the picture for our lemonade stand.

    Can you rewrite the sentences correctly? How many errors did I make?

    Your friend,
    James Buchanan (Shayna)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Abraham Lincoln (Nizma)February 21, 2014 at 6:55 PM

    Dear Mrs.Yollis and class,

    I am Abraham Lincoln, and I am the sixteenth president. My wife is Lincoln Mary Todd. I herd that you are practicing frequently misspelled words I have some sentences I need help.

    1.My sister wants to by a note book.
    2.I want to by a coofe ,and my wife would like to by a latte.
    Warmly,
    Abraham Lincoln (Nizma)


    ReplyDelete

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