Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
-
Upload
beyond-words-publishing -
Category
Documents
-
view
221 -
download
0
Transcript of Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
1/23
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
2/23
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
3/23
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster
Childrens Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the AmericasNew York, NY 10020
BEYOND WORDS
20827 N.W. Cornell Road, Suite 500
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124-9808
503-531-8700 / 503-531-8773 faxwww.beyondword.com
Tis Aladdin/Beyond Words edition October 2012
ext copyright 1998, 2000, 2012 by Michelle Roehm McCann and Amelie Welden
Illustrations copyright 2012 by Beyond Words Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registeredtrademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Beyond Words Publishing is a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact
Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
Te Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.
For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers
Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Managing editor: Lindsay S. Brown
Editors: Emmalisa Sparrow, Ali McCart
Design: Sara E. Blum
Illustrations: David Hahn
Te text of this book was set in Adobe Garamond Pro.
Te illustrations for this book were rendered in Adobe Illustrator.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
K
ISBN: 978-1-58270-302-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-58270-361-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5182-7 (eBook)
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
4/23
For Fiona, my amazing girl.You rock my world every day.
Michelle
To all the many girls and women whoveinspired me throughout my life.
Amelie
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
5/23
We stand at the beginning of a new epoch in thehistory of humankinds thought, as we recognize
thatwoman, like man, makes and defines history.GERDA LERNER, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
Y
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
6/23
CONTENTSCONTENTS
Note from the Authors ix
HatshepsutPharaoh 1he rung SistersWarrior Queens 7
Joan of ArcWarrior & Saint 13Sor Juana Ins de la CruzScholar & Poet 17
Laura BassiPhysicist 21Eliza Lucas PinckneyAgricultural Entrepreneur 25Phillis WheatleyPoet 29Elisabeth Vige-Le BrunPainter 33Maria heresia von ParadisPianist & Composer 39SacagaweaGuide & Interpreter 43Mary AnningFossil Hunter 47
he Bront Sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne)Writers 51Florence NightingaleNurse 57Harriet ubmanAbolitionist 63Margaret KnightInventor 71
Anna Elizabeth DickinsonOrator, Abolitionist & Suffragette 77Sarah BernhardtActress 81Edmonia LewisSculptor 85
Emma LazarusPoet 91Helen KellerWriter and Advocate 95Anna PavlovaBallerina 99Coco ChanelFashion Designer 105
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
7/23
Bessie SmithSinger 111Irne Joliot-CurieChemist 115Marian AndersonSinger 119Golda MeirPrime Minister 127
Queen Slote upou IIIQueen 135Frida KahloPainter 139Mother eresaMissionary 143Mary LeakeyArchaeologist & Anthropologist 147
Jackie MitchellAthlete 151Babe Didrikson ZahariasAthlete 157Indira GandhiPrime Minister 161
Eva Evita PernActress and Activist 167Anne FrankDiarist 173Wilma RudolphAthlete 177he Night WitchesFighter Pilots 181emple GrandinScientist, Inventor, and Advocate 189Susan Eloise (S. E.) HintonNovelist 197
Adriana OcampoPlanetary Geologist 201
Amatalrauf al-Sharki (Raufa Hassan)Journalist and Activist 207Rigoberta MenchuActivist 213Maya LinArchitect 219Midori GotoViolinist 225Natalie PortmanActress 229
Ashley Rhodes-CourterAuthor and Activist 235
Recommended Resources 239End Notes 243
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
8/23
NOTE FROMTHE AUTHORS
W
ix
NOTE FROMTHE AUTHORS
The future belongs to those who believe inthe beauty of their dreams.
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
What if we asked you to name some important people from his-torywho would you list? If youre like most of us, youdprobably name more men than women. (If not, good for you!)
But why do most people think of men when they consider influentialpeople in history? Is it because women werent important? No way!
Womens strength, ingenuity, and perseverance have always been vital
in defining the worlds cultures and civilizations. Its just that manystories of women and girls have been left out of traditional history thatgets recorded and taught.
Luckily, in recent years, progress has been made toward restoringwomens roles in history. Most of you have read plenty of stories aboutamazing grown women and their achievementsAmelia Earhart,Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parksand you probably thought to your-
selves, Hey, when I grow up, maybe I can do something important like that!While our current history books are giving more credit to women fromthe past, it is equally important that you, todays girls, know that youcan make your own impact on the history books of tomorrow.
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
9/23
x
With Girls Who Rocked the World,we want to show that you donthave to wait until you grow up. Te girls in this book didnt wait untilthey were adults to start rocking the world.
And rocking the world doesnt necessarily mean you have to become
famous and fabulously rich. It can mean you took a chance, made achange, inspired someone, stood up for yourself, ignored your critics,changed a persons mind, or comforted someone. It means you didnt
just sit back and let the world rock you.With these issues in mind, we set to work on Girls Who Rocked the
World. We are proud to be a part of retelling the history of many amaz-ing girls and hope that our work encourages you to believe in your
dreams and in your power to make a difference.With so many incredible girls out there, deciding who to include
was pretty difficult. We chose girls who left their mark on historyorseriously began on their pathbefore the age of twenty and who reflecta diversity of countries, time periods, and achievements. Although theheroines in this book come from every corner of the globe and rockedthe world in totally different ways, they do have a few important things
in common. Each overcame obstaclespoverty, lack of education,family disapproval, sexist societies, oppressive governments, jealoushusbands, and their own self-doubtsto realize their dreams. Te road
was not easy for any of them, but these girls didnt give up.Te age qualification made it impossible to include thousands of influ-
ential women whose achievements came later in lifeincredible womenlike Sojourner ruth, an African American slave who was a leader in the
anti-slavery and womens rights movements; and Valentina ereshkova, aSoviet astronaut who was the first woman in space. Tis was especiallylimiting in the sciences, since many women first had to complete years ofstudy before making contributions to their fields.
As you read the following pages, remember that the girls in this bookare just a few of the millions of girls who have done and will do amaz-ing things. We hope their lives will inspire you as they have inspired us.
Tey are definite proof that girls like you can achieve your goals, pursueyour passions, and live your dreams. So now its your turn to go outthere and rock the world! After all, in the words of famous girl speaker
Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, Te world belongs to those who take it.
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
10/23
1
HatshepsutAPPROXIMATELY 15001460 BC YPHARAOH YEGYPT
[Hatshepsut] had no wish to be remembered merely forher sex, which she regarded as an irrelevance; she had demanded
and for a brief time wonthe right to be ranked as an equalamongst the pharaohs.
JOYCE TYLDESLE Y, HATSHEPSUT: THE FEMALE PHARAOH
The Egyptians stood shoulder to shoulder, so crowded was theplaza. Te sun beat down as they awaited the unveiling of thenew royal monument. As the trumpets sounded and the slaves
pulled the cloth away from the stone, people in the front rows strainedtheir eyes to get a better look at the carving. What they saw shockedthem, and they whispered to those farther back. Within minutes the
scandal spread like a wave through the crowd, until everyone knew thesurprising details.In previous monuments, Hatshepsut was shown standing behindher
husband, fulfilling her role as his queen consort; or standing besideher
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
11/23
2
stepson, as his guardian and adviser.In this new carving, Hatshepsut stoodcompletely alone. Even more shock-ing, Hatshepsut was boldly dressed as
a manin fact, she was dressed as thepharaoh! What could it mean?wonderedthe Egyptians. Tere had never beena woman pharaoh before. And whatabout her stepson, who was supposedto be pharaoh? Te gods would not bepleased. Te maat, the ideal state of the
universe, would be disturbed.Te girl who would one day become
pharaoh was born the eldest daugh-ter to the pharaoh King uthmosis I.
When her infant sister died, she was raised as his only child. BeforeHatshepsuts family came into power, Egypt had been fragmented andoften ruled by foreigners. For generations, her royal family had strug-
gled to unite a divided Egypt. Her father eventually achieved this feat,and his reign was a time of great prosperity. He was a beloved and pow-erful pharaoh to his people.
In order to keep the royal bloodline intact, most royal Egyptiansmarried their siblings. Hatshepsut was no exception. When her fatherdied, young Hatshepsut married her half-brother uthmosis II. She wasmost likely twelve at the time, as most Egyptian girls married around
that age. Her brother became pharaoh, and Hatshepsut became hisqueen consort. She soon gave birth to a daughter, Princess Neferure.Carvings of Hatshepsut during this time show her wearing the clothesof a queen and standing behind her husband.
Many historians argue that uthmosis II was a weak and sickly king,and that it was Hatshepsut who secretly ruled. All we know for sure isthat uthmosis II died when he was still a young man, and Hatshepsut
wasted no time increasing her power. uthmosiss son from anotherwoman became heir to the throne, as was Egyptian custom. WhenHatshepsut was possibly as young as fifteen, she was named guardian touthmosis III, who was about five years old, too young to be pharaoh.
Most Egyptians hadsix or seven children
(but almost half died in
childhood), and baby girlswere just as welcomeas baby boys. Popular
names had meanings likeRiches Come, Welcometo You, Ruler of HerFather, or even Hes
a Big Fellow.1
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
12/23
3
In carvings of this period, Hatshepsut is pictured standing next to herstepson, as she was expected to act as co-ruler until uthmosis III wasold enough to rule alone. But Hatshepsut had plans of her own.
Although Hatshepsut already held the highest position available to
women in Egypt, she wanted more, so she named herself pharaohthe king! Tere was a big difference between being queen and beingpharaoh. Te queen was merely the pharaohs companion. She was noteven called by her own name, instead addressed only in relation to themen in her lifeKings Daughter or Kings Great Wife. A pharaoh,on the other hand, was the unquestionable ruler and owner of all theland and people in Egypt. At any time a pharaoh could ask his subjects
to stop their regular jobs and build a giant pyramid or temple. Tepharaoh was also responsible for tax collection, food storage for emer-gencies, construction of canals and buildings, and maintaining law andorder. As head of the army, he not only planned military actions butalso personally led his troops into battle.
Most important, Egyptians believed their pharaohs were divine: themessengers of the gods here on earth. A pharaoh could speak directly
to the gods for his people, helping guarantee prosperity for Egypt andprotecting it from disaster. Te ancient Egyptians believed that withouttheir pharaoh, they could not survive.
Hatshepsut realized that a female pharaoh would be shocking andupsetting to her people. Egyptians believed in maat, the ideal state ofthe universe, and a female pharaoh was sure to upset the order of things.So, to protect her rule, Hatshepsut
transformed herself into somethingher people would feel more comfort-able with. In carvings, Hatshepsut
would appear front and center, butflat-chested, dressed in male clothing,and with a fake pharaohs beard. Herpeople knew she was still a woman, but
these images told them that Hatshepsutcould and would serve in a mans role.And since every pharaoh needed aqueen consort in order to perform
Unlike Hatshepsut,Egyptian girls werentallowed to have jobsoutside the home. Ifthey were lucky, theycould work as weavers,
singers, dancers, ormusicians.
1
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
13/23
4
many of the ritual duties, Hatshepsutbroke another tradition and named herdaughter, Neferure, as queen!
It is extraordinary that in Egypts
male-dominated society Hatshepsutspeople accepted her as their divineruler. Even after uthmosis III cameof age, the Egyptian people keptHatshepsut as their pharaoh, makingher reign last over twenty years! In atime when the average Egyptian lived
just thirty years, Hatshepsuts twenty-year rule was astounding.
Te territory she commandedstretched from northeastern Africa allthe way across the Arabian Peninsulato present-day Syria. Her reign wasmarked by new and welcome peace,
stability, and prosperity. She increasedforeign exploration, launching severalsuccessful trade missions to lands moredistant than Egyptians had ever trav-eled to before. Hatshepsut is probablymost famous, however, for her impres-sive architectural advances. She worked
hard to restore temples that had falleninto decay (even 3,500 years ago, someof Egypts buildings were already
ancient!), and built hundreds of shrines, monuments, and statues. Deirel-Bahri, the mortuary temple on the Nile River she had constructedfor her eventual death, is considered one of the most beautiful buildingsever created.
When Hatshepsut grew too old to rule, she finally allowed herfully-grown stepson to become pharaoh. uthmosis III followed in hisstepmothers well-laid footsteps and became a very popular, success-ful pharaoh himself. Power must have agreed with Hatshepsut; she
EGYPTIANSLOVED CATS!
When a cat died, its
owners shaved theireyebrows and toretheir clothing toshow grief.
They oftenmummified theircatsone Egyptiancemetery contained300,000 catmummies!
If you killed acat, you could besentenced to deathby stoning.
When royalty hunted,the birds they shotwere retrieved byspecially trainedcats!
1
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
14/23
HOW WILLYOUROCK THE WORLD?I have read all the books on Egypt in the childrens library, and Im now working on
the adult library. Im going to rock the world by becoming an Egyptologist! Thats
an archaeologist who specializes in ancient Egypt. I will write about my experi-
ences so other people learn more about Egypt and its history. I would also love toopen the Sphinx and see whats inside!
KARISSALIGHTYAGE 13f
HOW WILLYOUROCK THE WORLD?
5
died when she was well into her fifties, decades later than the averageEgyptian. She was buried in the majestic tomb she had prepared forherself years before. Hatshepsut, a woman who broke all the rules, had afitting end to her unique life. She was buried in the Valley of the Kings.
Hatshepsut was one of the greatest rulers of ancient Egypt. Herreign was more influential and successful than that of Cleopatra, Kingutankahman, and Queen Nefertiti, and yet little is known about hertoday. Why? Years after her death, someone tried to blot out all mem-ory of Hatshepsut. Her statues were smashed to pieces; her image washacked out of carvings; her paintings were burned; her name was erasedfrom pharaoh lists; her mummy disappeared. A landslide even covered
her glorious temple at Deir el-Bahri.Someone wanted it to look as if Hatshepsut never existed. But who?
Her jealous stepson? An angry lover? Later Egyptians who wanted toforget their female pharaoh? Tis is still a great mystery. In spite of thesemysterious and sinister attempts to erase her reign, Hatshepsuts legendcould not be buried.
In the late 1800s, archaeologists dug her back to life, discovering her
temple and tracing her name underneath newer carvings. Tey piecedtogether enough about Hatshepsut to know that she was surely themost influential woman Egypt has ever known. In 2007 her mummy
was found and positively identified. Once again, she has claimed herrightful place among Egyptian kings, and the story of Hatshepsutsunconventional life continues to fascinate the archaeologists of today.
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
15/23
7
The Trung SistersAPPROXIMATELY 1443 AD YWARRIOR QUEENSYVIETNAM
All the male heroes bowed theirheads in submission. Only the two sistersproudly stood up to avenge the country.
FIFTEENTH-CENTURY VIETNAMESE POEM
From atop the elephants that would carry them into battle, therung sisters scanned the crowd below them. ens of thousandsof Vietnamese soldiers looked up at them with pride and fear in
their eyes. Fear because they knew that, in the 150 years since theChinese had invaded Vietnam, no one had risen up against them;the Chinese had more troops, better weapons, and more sophisticatedtraining. But pride, too, because they were fighting for the freedom
of their country, and they were led by the greatest heroines the Eastwould ever know. rung rac, the older sister, raised her sword andvowed revenge:
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
16/23
8
Foremost, I will avenge my country,Second, I will restore the Hung lineage,Tird, I will avenge the death of my husband,Lastly, I vow that these goals will be accomplished.1
With those words, eighty thousand Vietnamese rushed into battle.Tese unlikely warrior sisters, rung rac and rung Nhi, were born
in a small town in northern Vietnam around 14 AD. Both their father,a powerful Vietnamese lord, and their mother hated the Chinese rulersand werent afraid to say so. Ever since China had invaded Vietnam in111 BC, the Chinese had forced the Vietnamese people to pay outra-
geous taxes and to give up their culture and traditions. Te rung sistersgrew up witnessing the harsh and unfair domination of their people.Even though their father died while the girls were very young, theynever forgot his dreams for a free Vietnam.
Teir mother, Lady Man Tien, was a strong, unusual woman. Intraditional Vietnamese society, women had more rights than womenof Asia or Europe. Tey could inherit property and become political
leaders, judges, traders, and warriors. But the Chinese rulers were turn-ing back the clock for women in Vietnam, taking away their freedoms.(Have you heard of foot binding?). Lady Tien defied the Chinese when
she chose not to remarry, and insteadfocused all her energy on training heryoung daughters in the arts of war:military strategy, martial arts, and
sword and bow fighting. She knew thebattle was coming.It is most likely that rung rac
was just a teenager when she fell in loveand married Ti Sch, a young districtchief. ogether with rung Nhi, theyprotested Chinese rule and secretly
plotted to overthrow the invaders.rung rac was described as havinga brave and fearless disposition, andChinese records claim that Ti Sch
When the Trung sistersdefeated the Chinese
in their first battle,Governor To Dinh, whohad ordered Trung
Tracs husband killed,was so terrified thathe disguised himself byshaving off all his hair,
and he secretly fledVietnam.
1
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
17/23
9
followed his wifes decisions, not theother way around. It is thought that theteen sisters were in charge of recruit-ing Vietnamese lords to fight. When
the Chinese governor discovered theirplan, he brutally executed rung racshusband, hanging his body from thecitys gate as a warning to the rebels.
His plan backfired, however.Instead of being cowed, the rungsisters were so enraged by the murder
and growing Chinese injustices thatthey decided it was time to revolt. Teyurged their people to be brave and riseup with them. Eighty thousand menand women volunteered for the revo-lutionary army; most of them were in their twenties! rung rac evenrefused to wear the traditional mourning clothes for her husband so she
wouldnt depress the spirits of her fellow warriors.From the volunteers, the rung sisters chose thirty-six women,
including their elderly mother, to be generals and help them lead thetroops. In 40 AD, after 150 years of Chinese rule, the rung sistersled their people in the first national rebellion against the invaders. Tetwo sisters were a good balancerung rac was a master planner andrung Nhi a fearless warriorand with their untrained army, they
miraculously succeeded in freeing sixty-five fortresses the Chinese hadcaptured, driving them out of Vietnam. Stories of rung rac and hersister spread quickly, until even the leader of China was shaking in hisboots. Historical records state, A woman proudly led a young nation;Even the Han emperor heard of it and was terrified.
After this grand success, the rung sisters created a new nation thatstretched from southern Vietnam all the way into southern China. Tey
were elected co-rulers and quickly reversed many of the unfair policiesof the Chinese. Tey worked to create a simpler government that fol-lowed traditional Vietnamese values, and they abolished the hated taxesimposed by the invaders. For the next three years, the rung sisters
The heroism of thewomen fighters in the
Trung army is legendary.
In one story, GeneralPhung Thi Chinh led hersoldiers into battle eventhough she was pregnant.She delivered her baby
on the battlefield,strapped the infant
to her back, and keptfighting.
1
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
18/23
10
ruled their newly independent nation while constantly battling againstangry Chinese forces.
Unfortunately, Vietnams freedom did not last. Te Chinese armyhad more men, weapons, and military experience. In 43 AD, the rung
sisters fought their last battle. Near present-day Hanoi, several thousandVietnamese soldiers were captured and beheaded by the Chinese, andmore than ten thousand were taken prisoner. Rather than surrenderand accept defeat, the rung sisters chose what the Vietnamese con-sider a more honorable escape: suicide. Some stories say they drownedthemselves in a river, while others claim they actually floated up intothe clouds.
For the next nine hundred fifty years, the legend of the rung sis-ters encouraged the Vietnamese in their ongoing struggle against theChinese; many of the rebellions during those dark years were led by
women! Teir story was passed by word of mouth from one generationto the next until the sisters were actually worshipped as goddesses.
In Vietnam today, there are still constant reminders of the rungsisters. Stories, poems, songs, plays, posters, monuments, and even
postage stamps of the sisters continue to inspire the Vietnamese. Inthe capital, Ho Chi Minh City, a street is named for them, and manysacred temples have been built in their honor, including the famousHai Ba (wo Sisters) pagoda in Hanoi. Te Vietnamese governmentproclaimed them national heroes, and every year, on Hai Ba rung Dayin March, the people of Vietnam celebrate the rung sisters sacrificesand courage.
For one hundred fifty years, no one in Vietnam had garnered thecourage to stand up to the Chinese. Not until the rung sisters rebelleddid the Vietnamese people begin to fight for their freedom. Te heroiclegends of these brave young women have inspired the Vietnamesepeople for centuries as they struggled to fight off foreign domination.Soldiers carried pictures of them into battle to give them strength. And,thanks to the rung sisters, Vietnam now has a long history of famous
female warriors. Many people believe that if the rung sisters had noturged their people to rebel against the Chinese, there would be noVietnam today.
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
19/23
11
HOW WILLYOUROCK THE WORLD?I will rock the world by being the first female, Jewish president of the United
States. Some of the important issues I would take charge of are comparable pay
for women and better maternity leave policies.
BASSIESHUSTERMAN
Y
AGE 14
f
HOW WILLYOUROCK THE WORLD?
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
20/23
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
21/23
14
Joan and her men were triumphant. On May 8, 1429, the French armyregained control of Orleans due to Joans brave, inspirational leadership.
Joan was born on a cold January morning in 1412 in the French vil-lage of Domremy, where her father worked as a farmer. She was a deeply
spiritual girl and had a vision of herself becoming something very dif-ferent from a traditional peasant woman of that time.
During Joans childhood, her country was in the midst of theHundred Years War with England, and the English army had takencontrol of much of France. Meanwhile, the king of France, CharlesVI, died in 1422. raditionally, the heir to the throne (also called thedauphin) would be taken to the city of Rheims to be crowned as the
new king. But because of the war, the dauphin could not safely travel toRheims and thus could not be officially coronated.
When she was about thirteen, Joan believed she heard the voiceof God telling her that shed been chosen to accomplish great things.Over the next few years, she had visions of Saint Michael, SaintCatherine, and Saint Margaret, who told her it was her fate to freethe city of Orleans (which was on the way to Rheims) and to take the
dauphin to be crowned king at Rheimsit was to be a most danger-ous mission.
Joan set off to meet her destiny in 1429. As a seventeen-year-oldpeasant girl, it was quite difficult for young Joan to convince people tohelp her. But she was an incredibly strong-willed girl with a persuasivepersonality. o begin her journey, she convinced the captain of the dau-
phins forces to furnish her with a horse
and a few escorts. Dressed in mensclothing, Joan traveled across war-tornFrance to meet the future king.
When Joan arrived, the dauphinwas skeptical about the young girlsdivine mission and military plan, sohe summoned a group of clergy and
biblical scholars to examine her. Joanconquered their disbelief and wasgranted her own troops to commandin an attack on Orleans. She was even
The children in thevillage knew all about
the war going onaround them. Joan andher friends sometimesplayed in an abandoned
castle, pretending to besoldiers in the war.
1
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
22/23
15
given the rank of captain! Te young leader armed herself for battle.She wore a suit of light armor and carried a unique sword with fivecrosses etched on its blade. She also carried a silk-edged white ban-ner, decorated with an embroidered pattern of Jesus Christ holding the
globe in his hands. With her new army behind her, Joan set out forOrleans.
She led a series of successful attacks against the English. Joans fear-less, inspirational leadership gave her troops the spirit and morale theyneeded to beat the English army in the battle. She is described as mostexpert in war, as much as in carrying the lance as in mustering a forceand ordering the ranks, and in laying the guns. Te English were
defeated, and the first part of Joans vision had come true.After her victory in Orleans, which most French people viewed as a
miracle, Joan proceeded to the next part of her visionto take the dau-phin to Rheims to be crowned. Once again she had to use her powers ofpersuasion to convince the dauphin to follow her plan. Joan set off forRheims, defeating the English in many battles along the way and freeingall the French towns between Orleans and Rheims. Te dauphin followed
a week later, when he was sure it was safe. He was crowned Charles VII,King of France, in Rheims, uniting war-torn France under one leader. Joanstood at his side during the entire coronation.
In 1430 Joan tried to protect France from yet another threat: anattack by the Burgundians. She fought bravely but was captured. TeBurgundians sold her to the still-bitter English, who were anxious totake revenge on their female foe. Te English brought Joan to trial,
accusing her of witchcraft and dressing as a man (which was considereda crime against the Church). Te English were afraid of Joans powerand influence over the people of France, so they sentenced her to death
without a fair trial.On May 30, 1431, nineteen-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the
stake as an eager crowd watched. Te executioner said afterward, Igreatly fear that I am damned for I have burnt a holy woman.
Charles VII made no effort to save Frances brave warrior, andmany believe this was because he was embarrassed that Frances vic-tory was won by a peasant girl. wenty years after Joans death, CharlesVII ordered an investigation of her trial, and the original verdict was
-
8/2/2019 Girls Who Rocked the World_Excerpt
23/23
annulled. It took almost five hundred years, but finally in 1920 Joanwas declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Joan of Arcs fearless leadership had a substantial influence on theHundred Years War. Her military victories demoralized the English
and brought new hope to the people of France. Joans life has inspiredcountless artists, writers, musicians, and historians. She is the patronsaint of France, where her feast day, May 30, is celebrated as a nationalholiday. Tough Joan of Arc lived for only nineteen years, her legacy ofheroism has survived for centuries.
ROCK ON!MAYRAAVELLARNEVES
Mayra Avellar Neves has grown up in one of Brazils most violent shantytowns,
called favelas, outside of Rio de Janeiro. The drug cartels and the police are
fighting a civil war that is sometimes so extreme that teachers and doctors cant
come into the town. When Mayra was fifteen years old, she organized hundreds
of children and teens for a protest march demanding that the violence stop at least
during school hours. In 2007 she organized another march, and then in 2008
Mayra won the International Childrens Peace Prize, which supported her peace
mission with over $100,000.
ROCK ON!f f