Journey to Monticello: Traveling in Colonial Times (Adventures in Colonial America)

A young lawyer named Amos Trumbull in Braintree, Massachusetts, hears a knock on his door one rainy night in April of 1775. Amos opens the door to find John Hancock standing there! The trustworthy young lawyer is about to begin on an amazing journey that will take him to Monticello, Virginia, in order to deliver important papers to Thomas Jefferson. Soon finding himself enduring hardship after hardship, Amos Trumbull risks his life traveling by coach, ferry, horseback and endlessly on foot. Journey to Monticello is an eye-opening view of the difficulties of life in colonial times. A grateful Thomas Jefferson asks Amos Trumbull, "Amos, my friend, tell me what you think of as the worst part of your journey." "Frankly, sir," said Amos, "it is the thought that I must travel all the way back!" This book is a wonderful tool for a young student's understanding of life in the 18th century.

In this fast-paced age we live, it's even difficult for adults to remember that traveling didn't use to be so easy. JOURNEY TO MONTICELLO illustrates the hardships of traveling in colonial times in very dramatic and graphic detail by telling the tale of Amos Trumball on a journey to deliver an important letter to Thomas Jefferson. Amos travels from his home in Braintree, Massachusetts to Monticello, Virginia. Along the way he rides in a coach, ferry, on a horse, and travels by foot. The trip takes several weeks and Amos incurs several hardships. Great book for introducing children to colonial times and also for helping them realize how blessed we are nowadays.