Many people in London, England, were talking about
the Colonies in America. This upstart bunch of farmers
and hunters was causing trouble for the king because
they seemed to want to have a say in how they were
Lisa heard her parents talking about this problem
and asked her mother why the colonists were being
so ungrateful. “Don’t we do many things for them?”
“Of course we do,” answered her mother. “But they
feel that perhaps they are doing too much for us and
getting nothing in return. For example, when we make
laws, they have to follow them. They believe that they
should be included in the discussion of these laws.”
Just then, Lisa’s father came in. He looked upset
and sat down without saying a word. He was a merchant
and sold many things to the Colonies.
Finally, he spoke to them. “We are in for a very hard
time, I believe. A ship just returned from America with
the news that they don’t want to buy any of our goods.
They also don’t want to sell us any of their goods.
That could be very bad for us because we do so much
Very quietly, Lisa’s mother asked him a question.
“Do you think that perhaps they are right in wanting
more control of their own destiny?”
Mr. Jones looked around as if he worried about
someone hearing him. “Of course they are right,”
he insisted. “If we had any sense at all, we would do
everything we could to support them. This can only