The novel Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara is based on the events leading up to the American Revolution. The book is based highly on historical facts but much of the dialog and characters thoughts are fiction. The story revolves around key historical figures such as Ben Franklin, John Adams, and George Washington. This novel spans from 1770 to 1776 and covers many of the important historical events during the time period from the Boston massacre to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
On March 5th, 1770, a mob of angry American colonists gathered in front of the Custom House. At first, only words were exchanged. Then the fury rose, resulting in the death of several colonists. At the hands of a group of British soldiers, the Boston Massacre had occurred. This event is described in the book almost exactly how recorded history describes it. The book describes the people yelling “shoot and be damned”(Sharra 8) which is one of the many statements that the recorded history describes was yelled by the enraged colonists. Shaara’s only non-historical details during this event are the thoughts of the British guard Hugh White.
On December 16, 1773, a group of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded the ships docked at Griffin’s Wharf. Many colonists gathered and cheered their support from the docks. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party. The novel describes the events from the crew of the ships point of view. The retelling is highly accurate, it describes the colonists that boarded the ships as being peaceful to the crew and it tells of the colonists watching from the docks.
The Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most important document in United Stated history. It is widely believed to have been signed on July 4, 1776; this is also the date the novel states as the date signed. However this is inaccurate and perhaps one of the novels biggest inaccuracies. The true date the Declaration was signed is nearly a month later on August 2....