DAR Essay

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In the year 1775 my life was turned upside down. I was born in Manhattan, New York, in the year 1760. Life was wonderful for my first 15 years. My father owned a print shop and his business thrived. Everything started to change when my brother, Abiel, and father, Jonas, left to join The Continental Army in December of 1775. Britain's power over the Colonies was troubling many people, including my dad. My father had always complained about the how the Stamp Act affected his business negatively and that the British are no good. When he joined the army, he had to sell off the shop to another family and left my mother and me with a dilemma; how would we support ourselves and our family? At the time of his departure I had a sister named Amity who was nine and a baby brother who was almost one. I had always assumed I would live in wealth until I married. However, nothing was guaranteed. I realized I was going to have to put in lots of effort to get my life back to how it was before, if that was even possible. My younger sister and I went door to door asking if anyone could use help in the kitchen, with a child or cleaning their house. We desperately needed money. Almost every house said no because money was tight in war time and hardly anyone could afford extra help. Finally we found work! The first was a house was like ours, where the husband had left his pregnant wife to join in the Revolution. She unexpectedly had twins, and had no family to help her. The second job was at a tavern. My sister and I had to clean the tables and floor. Together we earned $.10 each a day. I remember our first day. We walked four miles to our first destination and because I had been pampered all my life, I was not at all used t... ... middle of paper ... ...ed a message. Father and Abiel, my brother, were deceased. They had both been shot by canon in the Battle of Princeton. I remembered when he left that my father had given me a letter and told me that if he ever passed, to read it. This is what it said: Dear my young, strong, daughter Cornelia, When you have to read this letter I hope you realize that I died fighting for our families rights. I wanted very badly to be free from Britain's power. As you go on in life, make sure you remember to advocate for yourself and do what is right for your people. Do not let my death be in vain. Work hard in life for what you want. Love, Jonas Davenport

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