The final day of our trip was interesting because I had very little knowledge of these two sites before the day began. Fort Ticonderoga was an amazing site. It reminded me of Bent’s Fort near us, but with more artifacts and it is also much larger then Bent’s Fort. It would be a great lesson to compare and contrast the two forts and how they played a part in our history.
Our guide, as well as the re-enactors who were at the fort, were very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions regarding the fort. The fort played a pivotal role in the French and Indian war leaving it with a reputation as being impenetrable. In the Revolutionary war the myth that the fort could withstand any siege gave the Americans too much confidence and nearly allowed them to be overtaken by the British. The general in charge realized the adverse consequences before it was too late and abandoned the fort in the middle of the night. Later when it was discovered that the fort had fallen without a shot fired the higher officials released him of his command.
It would be a great debate to have with the kids to see what they would have done if they were the general in charge. I could divide them into two groups, the ones that agree with the general’s decisions and the ones who do not and have them work together to make a list of reasons for their decision. Each group would share their reasons with the other group and then we could discuss how sometimes in war decisions have to be made that are not popular and sometimes they have to make a decision knowing that they will put people in danger and possibly killed.
The other site we visited today was Saratoga. I read about it a little in high school but have not studied it much since. It was interesting to see how the Americans strategically placed fences and look outs to gain the upper hand in the battles. During our tour we also got to see a monument to Benedict Arnold which was interesting considering he was a traitor. Our guide did a good job of explaining why some people felt he needed a memorial and also why there was a need to put a fence around it. I thought it was interesting that he compared Benedict Arnold to Timothy McVey. Although my kids would not know who McVey is I think we could have a discussion about whether a man who served his country and then made a bad choice after that should be honored for the service to their country. 
I found it interesting that the park service at Saratoga have some of the facts miss marked but haven’t changed it because of the cost. I think this could bring up a good point to the kids of how history is always changing and can be perceived differently depending on who is telling the story. I want them to also know that history can always be questioned and it is always changing as more information is discovered.
