Day 16 - 7/6

Today we went to see the U.S.S. Constitution. It is the oldest commissioned ship in the world. This means that it could be used in war to fight battles. Although, the Navy probably wouldn't use it to fight. It fought 33 battles starting in 1797. It won every single one. The ship was commissioned along with five other sister ships so that the US could build up its Navy. In this period, many US commercial ships were overrun by pirates or were threatened. By strengthening its Navy, the US was able to protect its interests better. The ship is fully stationed by soldiers from the Navy. They showed us the canons, which weigh as much as a pickup. We also saw where the crew would sleep and eat. In battle, the ship would be hit with many cannon balls but remain afloat because it had dense wood on each side. This feature gave the ship the nickname, "Old Ironsides". It was fun to see because it helped us understand more how a warship operates and what the conditions were like.

We also went to the Bunker Hill memorial. This was one of the first battles in the Revolutionary War. And although the British finally took the hill, it was with great losses on their side. Bunker Hill is important because the Americans proved they could be formitable opponents. The memorial is in the shape of an obelisk, where people could climb to the top. It had 294 steps and took endurance to climb up. Despite the physical exertion that was needed, the view from the windows were beautiful. The hard journey to see the view is similar to the hard journey the colonists took to gain freedom. I'm grateful that they took the steps to achieve that. After seeing the U.S.S. Constitution, we went to Quincy, MA to see the Adams National Park. The Park taught about the history of the John Adams and the impact they made on American politics. We went to the place where John Adams was born. The rooms were small and very hot. The house was also where he set up his first law practice. The Constitution for the state of Massachusetts was also written there. We also saw the house where John Quincy Adams, John Adams' son, was born and raised. Even though he was younger, the house was older than John Adams' birthplace. The Adams' library was also available to view. There were so many books that many of the shelves were 2 or 3 books thick. The National Park was fun to visit because it taught us many facts about John Adams  that one might not know.