Colonial soldiers

Colonial soldiers

Colonial soldiers
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 6 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.74

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		bight, enlistment, standing, formation, militia, homeland, wealthy, better, endure, soldier, successful, valuable, rigorous, entire, considerable, personally
	content words:		American Colonial Army, Revolutionary War, John Hancock, Native Americans, George Washington

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Colonial soldiers
By Jane Runyon

¹     The life of a soldier has never been easy. Throughout history, soldiers have had to endure many hardships. What were they fighting for? Some soldiers were fighting for their country. Some were fighting to protect their ruler. Still others fought only for the money they were being paid. There were many similarities between the British army of colonial times and the American army of colonial times. There were also many differences.

²     The men who were members of the British army were mostly beggars, farmers, low laborers, and even some thieves who were trying to avoid going to prison. The average British citizen earned very little money. During times of war when more soldiers were needed, the government offered ten times the money a man could earn at a normal job. This was hard for many men to pass up. That kind of money could take care of a man's family when he couldn't himself. He would be fed and clothed by the army so his family could use the money for their own needs. Sometimes, a British soldier was even allowed to bring his family along with him wherever he was stationed.

³     The training for a man in the British army was rigorous. The English believed in fighting in a very traditional way. They would line up in rows and march in close order. When it was time to fight, one of the rows would kneel down with their weapons ready. The other row would stand behind the kneeling men with their weapons above the heads of the row in front. The uniforms they wore were very elegant. A bight red coat with shiny buttons covered a ruffled shirt and tight leggings. High black boots and a tall black hat topped off the look. As you might imagine, the bright uniforms and standing formation made the soldiers visible targets. Their training and bravery made them the most powerful army of the time.

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