BY AMANDA PIZZOLATTO

Historical fiction has been a mainstay and a force within the realm of fiction. It was the primary way in which an author could interact with the events of the past, whether by being a lesser known partaker in the events, or affecting them completely, thereby changing the outcomes. For some, it was also breathing some life into the dreary history lessons, making them more than just names and dates to memorize. This usually occurred with the main character being someone either completely unknown to history, or the fictional part of historical fiction, to allow them to interact with major events and people without endangering a change in outcomes. One would have to get creative to achieve this, but many succeed quite well. Yet there are three in particular I will cover in this article, and all three revolve around the same event, the American Revolution. 

The first one is probably one of the best known, and certainly the oldest on this list, and that is Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. Most people might remember it from school as required reading, or some might just remember picking it up as, being a bookworm, there just needed to be another book to read. Yet others who are big into historical fiction would for sure know this as one of the best known ones to have come out in the past hundred years. Johnny is an apprentice to a silversmith, but an accident occurs and he can no longer operate the forge. He sets off to find work elsewhere and ends up with the likes of Benjamin Franklin and the men who start the revolution. He listens in on their conversations, agreeing with all of them, and helps out wherever possible, without taking away from the events that took place. The book ends with the start of the war, and though one is certain Johnny will come out all right, being a fictional character and all, there still is a hint that that might not be the case. A movie, produced by Disney, came out in 1957, 13 years after the book was published, and stars Hal Stalmaster in the lead role. It follows the major plot points of the book pretty closely, adding in a bit of romance and the typical catchy Disney songs. A classic that should be on the traditional movie list to watch every Independence Day. 

The next one started as a doll as well as a book and didn’t get a movie until ten years after the release of both the book and the doll. I am referring to Felicity, from the American Girl Dolls. The doll and the book were released in 1991, and the movie came out in 2005. But unlike with Johnny Tremain, she is more of an observer of the events of the American Revolution, and shows us a different side of the  story, that of the people who could not participate in the fighting but agreed wholeheartedly with the American ideals. She deals with more domestic issues, like a horse and her best friend’s family being supporters of the British. Of course, being ten years old, one would naturally not expect her to get involved with the fighting, but she certainly demonstrates that freedom-loving American spirit and certainly wishes she could go off and fight. The movie Felicity follows the plot points pretty well, considering it’s not a very long book, and stars Shailene Woodley as the title character. 

The third and final historical fiction is a two season-long animated series that ran from September 2002 to April 2003 called Liberty’s Kids. With four fictional characters working for Benjamin Franklin’s newspaper, they are allowed to be present during all the major events of the American Revolution, even meeting many of the key figures of the time. The four leads, James, Sarah, Henri, and Moses, each take turns showing the main events. Whether it be James, Henri, and Moses getting Sarah off the boat during the Boston Tea Party, or James and Henri meeting General Washington himself, the four do find themselves in the thick of things. Of course, working for Benjamin Franklin’s paper really gives them quite the front seat pass to the main events, they are sure to show us some of the lesser known, but still key figures throughout the show’s run. Sarah starts off being a British loyalist and ensures the British side of things gets its share in the paper, but eventually comes around to the American way. James is a hardcore believer in the American way and wants to keep the fire of the revolution going, seeing it through to the very end. Henri, being the youngest, is typically James’s shadow and along for the ride, but being French, quite agrees with the American sentiment. Moses, a freed black man, is an especially staunch believer in freedom for all men. And with James and Sarah being reporters, the show allows the audience a pretty in-depth view of the events that birthed the United States of America. With big-name stars of the time voicing the prominent figures, like Walter Cronkite as Benjamin Franklin and Billy Crystal as John Adams, the series provides quite the memorable ride through the beginning of the United States of America. 

While all three do in fact deal with the American Revolution, Johnny Tremain and Felicity deal more with the lead-up to and the beginning of the war. Liberty’s Kids starts right away with the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and continues on to the ratification of the United States in 1789. But all certainly agree, even with fictional characters taking us through the events, the beginning of the United States of America is one historical event that is certainly fascinating and is revisited over and over again in other historical fictions, of course, being the instigator of a new nation and, of course, how each piece fell into place leading up to the first American president.