Welcome to the Independence Day 2023 Patriotic Swap! Check partner pairs below.

Partner Pair-Up Date: June 19

Mail By Date: June 26 (Hopefully arriving in time for July 4th festivities)

Are you smarter than an 8th grader?   Trivia Questions

As an Army Brat, I grew up in a patriotic household. I'm not talking politics--the two don't always go together. And I'm not talking about hot dogs and firecrackers; in fact, firecrackers aren't allowed on army posts. I'm talking about a genuine love for your country--yes, the flag-waving, hand-on-your-heart kind.

I'd like to celebrate our nation's independence in true PBS-style--with a Patriotic Swap.

I don't want to put a great deal on the "whats" that you swap, but there are going to be two "don'ts" to this swap:

• Nothing political
• No fireworks

So here are some things that you might mail to your buddy:

• Independence Day themed picnic supplies: paper plates, napkins, cups
• Independence Day themed trinkets: beads, noise makers, nightlight, spoon rest, windsocks Current Catalog  and Oriental Trading have some cute items. I'm also sure that you can visit any dollar store and find some cute things.
• Notecards, postcards, stickers
• Homemade items
• Picnic or dessert recipes
• Of course, any books or magazines related to our theme

Please keep your gift under $10. Keep in mind that you might receive something that costs less than what you mailed or something that you may not even really want. I want you to give and receive with your heart.

I will pair folks up on June 19 and post the buddy list in this forum. The person you mail to may not be the person who mails to you. I will send a blast message out to the participants with all addresses. Please "friend" me if need be. You will mail to your partner, but of course you can mail to as many folks as you wish. Please be cognizant of the MBD--you have a week to mail. You could go ahead and get your items together ready to ship. 

Please post when you mail (tracking number optional) and when you receive.

Okay! Let's go! Let me know in this topic if you're participating. Please send me your address. 

I might have to make a few changes as we go along. I will post any changes in the discussion and in this post.

1. Melissa E. (englishmaven)
2. Patrice R. (patrice192)
3. Mona L
4. Towana (ladypink)
5. Connie B. (conniej76)
6. Jeanne G. (IlliniAlum83)
7. Cheryl R. (grammacheryl)
8. Chris O. (Lambie)
9. Robin G. (catlingmex)
10. Lisa (tommygirl)

Melissa E mails to Jeanne G 9400130109355002141446 

Patrice R mails to Mona L Mailed 

Mona L mails to Chris O Mailed from Amazon 

Towana mails to Melissa E 9534611511433175493881  

Connie B mails to Towana 9505 5136 3468 3173 3764 01

Jeanne G mails to Connie B 9505514161063175859052 

Cheryl R mails to Robin G 9534 6146 0277 3177 6666 40 

Chris O mails to Cheryl R 9505 5148 6517 3175 7047 22 

Robin G mails to Lisa 9500111590163175193225 

Lisa mails to Patrice R 9114 9999 4431 4057 2830 31 

Are you smarter than an 8th grader?

Beginning June 19, I will post 13 days of US History trivia questions. These questions come from our school district's 8th grade US History textbook. The first person to respond with the correct answer to the question will pick a US state. The person picking the state that is randomly chosen from an online randomizer (or closest to the state in the list) will win a journal from Amazon. If no one picks the state and two folks are equal distance from that state, then both will win the journal.

The states are listed in the order that they joined the United States:

1. Delaware 7 December 1787
2. Pennsylvania 12 December 1787 Towana
3. New Jersey 18 December 1787
4. Georgia 2 January 1788
5. Connecticut 9 January 1788
6. Massachusetts 6 February 1788
7. Maryland 28 April 1788
8. South Carolina 23 May 1788
9. New Hampshire 21 June 1788
10. Virginia 25 June 1788
11. New York 26 July 1788
12. North Carolina 21 November 1788
13. Rhode Island 29 March 1791
14. Vermont 4 March 1791
15. Kentucky 1 June 1792
16. Tennessee 1 June 1796 Connie
17. Ohio 1 March 1803
18. Louisiana 30 April 1812
19. Indiana 11 December 1816 Towana
20. Mississippi 10 December 1817 Towana
21. Illinois 3 December 1818 Connie B
22. Alabama 14 December 1819
23. Maine 15 March 1820
24. Missouri 10 August 1821
25. Arkansas 15 June 1836
26. Michigan 26 January 1837
27. Florida 3 March 1845
28. Texas 29 December 1845
29. Iowa 28 December 1846
30. Wisconsin 29 May 1848
31. California 9 September 1850 Mona
32. Minnesota 11 May 1858
33. Oregon 14 February 1859
34. Kansas 29 January 1861
35. West Virginia 20 June 1863
36. Nevada 31 October 1864
37. Nebraska 1 March 1867
38. Colorado 1 August 1876 Jeanne
39. North Dakota 2 November 1889
40. South Dakota 2 November 1889
41. Montana 8 November 1889
42. Washington 11 November 1889
43. Idaho 3 July 1890
44. Wyoming 10 July 1890
45. Utah 4 January 1896
46. Oklahoma 16 November 1907
47. New Mexico 6 January 1912
48. Arizona 14 February 1912 Lisa
49. Alaska 3 January 1959
50. Hawaii 21 August 1959 Jeanne

Please add me to the swap, Melissa. Thank you for hosting!

Please add me, too! Just as an FYI, My apartment has no private outdoor space. A garden flag, larger porch decoration, etc. wouldn't work for me. I am only sharing this because I would feel badly if any of you spent money to send me something like this. I would, of course, share it with someone who could, you know that :) 

Hello.  I'm in. 

Sign me up please! I had so much fun with this swap last year and my birthday is in this swap too!:)

I will play!

I'm so glad to see so many kind friends have already signed up. Thank you again for hosting, Melissa :)

I'll give it a go if you lovely ladies don't mind handmade goodies. 

Everyone loves handmade goodies!

I´m in! So glad this is happening again this year!

I would like to participate. 

I will close signups at noon CST.

I'm going to pair the participants, then I will send the mailing list via PM. If your address is incorrect, please let me and your partner know. 

Participants will have approximately 24 hours to respond to the trivia questions. Note the word "approximate".

June 19: Who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and what was the purpose and significance of it? Connie B

June 20: Explain why the Virginia company was important in founding the first English colony in North America. 

June 21: What effects has the Declaration of Independence had on other countries? 

June 22: What was the Proclamation of 1763? 

June 23: According to the Declaration of Independence, what should be the role of government? Lisa

June 24: After the American Revolution began, some colonists were Loyalists and some were Patriots. What do these two terms mean? Jeanne

June 25: After the battle of Lexington and Concord, the Continental Congress knew it needed an army. In June 1775, just days before the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress formed the Continental Army. Who was the leader of the Continental Army? Mona

June 26: Sneak Attack! Typical battles had one side of troops line up while another line of troops stood on the other side. Shots were then fired. These were the rules of combat at the time of the American Revolution. Although the Continental Army did fight battles in this formation, they also used guerrilla warfare. What is guerilla warfare? Towana and Jeanne

June 27: One of the most important battles that relied on guerrilla warfare was at Kings Mountain. Where is Kings Mountain and why was it such an important battle? Towana

June 28: The Lee Resolution, proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, marked a pivotal moment in American history. What was the Lee Resolution? 

June 29: Who wrote the following words? “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Towana

June 30: What does this phrase mean: "One if by land, two if by sea"? Connie

I just sent the address list. Please tell me if I've made any errors. I caught one myself when I was looking through my personal messages this morning. Now, I'm off to get a trivia question for today.

Thank you hug, Melissa! 

Yeah for buddies!!!

Connie B. (conniej76)  →  Melissa E. (englishmaven) - Murfreesboro, TN

    6/19/2023 @ 2:10 PM ET

Connie~Please pick a state from the list above.

On 22 September 1862, President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It declared all slaves in rebelling Confederate state would be free if the rebels did not rejoin the Union by 1 January 1863. The Confedrate states refused to obey Lincoln's order and focus of the Civil War shifted from preserving the Union to freeing the slaves.

Here's is the text from the textbook to help you answer today's trivia question:

European nations raced to explore and colonize the Americas starting in the late 1400s. Spain was first to gain great power and wealth from its colonies in the Americas. England, France, and the Netherlands wanted the same. Soon, these nations competed to be the wealthiest and the most powerful. England wanted to become more powerful than Spain.

King James I of England thought the best way to establish a colony was to let wealthy people and merchants invest in it. This would free England from paying the costs of settling a new land. Once the investors raised enough money, England would issue a charter. Investors would then pay fees and taxes to England on whatever money they made. England's plan for power was in place!

The stockholders of the Virginia Company of London were among the first to invest. To raise money, they asked people to buy stock in the venture. This ensured that they had the money to pay for everything needed to start a new colony. The investors expected the colonists to find gold and other natural resources to trade with England. If they did, the company and the investors would earn a profit.

With the money in hand, the Virginia Company sought permission from the king to start an English colony. In 1606, King James I issued a charter to the Virginia Company, allowing it to establish a colony in North America. With money and a charter, the Virginia Company was in business!

I am picking Illinois. :)

Explain why the Virginia company was important in founding the first English colony in North America. 

Thank you Connie for your response via PM. However, the charter that was granted to the Virginia Company was for the colony in Jamestown, not Roanoke. Although the story of Roanoke is an excellent one.

Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to establish a colony in North Carolina in the late 1580s. Often called The Lost Colony, this unsuccessful and costly settlement made the English crown wary of trying again. An American colony was founded by the Virginia Company in 1606 as a joint stock company. The company promised to offer opportunities for economic investment and profit, as well as religious freedom to its settlers. This combination of economic and religious incentives resulted in the successful founding of Jamestown in 1607.

In December 1606, the Virginia Company's three ships, containing 144 men and boys, set sail. On May 13, 1607, these first settlers selected Jamestown Island to build their fort. The Virginia Company was looking for a way to make money and saw the potential in colonizing North America. They believed that trading with the natives, as well as the potential to find gold and other resources, would be profitable. They also wanted to create new religious and economic opportunities for English settlers. For instance, the Virginia Company offered incentives such as free land and money to those who chose to move to the new colony. These incentives encouraged settlers to settle the Jamestown area thus creating the first successful colony in North America.