The discussions for Round 1 are closed, but you should post to the same discussion area for the new round of discussions . . . . . . And now, ROUND 2 . . . .

As with the last round of discussion, please adhere to the following guidelines:

FIRST, look over the various topics.

  • Pick a topic from the options below (A, B, C, D, E, or F).

SECOND, when you are ready to post:

  • Tell us which topic you are addressing.
  • Post your response. Proofread your post before you click submit.
  • Come back for discussion with others.

ADDITIONALLY? IF you want extra credit:

  • Post a response to a classmates post, and/or
  • Post a response to another discussion topic, and/or
  • Post in the study hall for anything you need or want to help with

TOPIC A“Stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.” – Anonymous. Creighton learns about many virtues, some of which are honor, loyalty, honesty, humility. This topic deals with honor and loyalty. In chapter 16, the narrator tells us:

“But now Creighton understood for the first time the truth of the matter: If loyalty really was the most worthy of virtues, then loyalty that was misplaced or misguided must be the most worthless.”

Ask yourself:

  1. What did Creighton’s father stand for? How can you take the lesson of what Creighton’s father died for and use it to grow?
  2. What is meant by Creighton’s realization about loyalty? How can you personally use the knowledge Creighton has gained?
  3. Do you stand for something that you (probably) shouldn’t? Do you stand for anything? How do poeple see what you stand for in your actions?

There are a lot of questions in this thread. Pick one to answer. No matter which one you pick, try to talk about yourself as much as possible.


TOPIC B – What is courage? Throughout the first three sections of the book, Creighton struggles to come to terms with the circumstances surrounding his father’s death. After the ransacking and burning of the print shop, General Arnold speaks to Creighton about courage:

“It’s a far more difficult thing to make up your own mind about what’s right and to act accordingly – to go against the demands of duty when it’s necessary, to take another path when you feel the one you’ve been led down is wrong. That requires real courage.”

Read one or more of the following articles: then post on the topic they present:

THEN post your thoughts on the topic as presented by the author. Do you agree with the author? Why or Why not?


TOPIC C – A free press. Enemies of the Patriots’ cause felt the need to destroy the place where The Liberty Tree newspaper was printed. In your response for discussion, please address the following questions:

  • What do you think this says about the power of the press?
  • Can you think of a recent example in which a newspaper became a powerful tool in waging war or impacting world politics?

TOPIC D – He’s a puzzle, a riddle, an enigma! A major character in this novel is Benedict Arnold – who could possibly be one of the most interesting individuals in American History. In real life he was a hero to the Patriots, and was later hated by those same soliders. Read a little about the life of Benedict Arnold at one of the websites below.Use the following links to find information on this hot topic:

Then return here to post some comments in response to the following questions:

  • What did Benedict Arnold stand for to the Americans?
  • What did Benedict Arnold stand for to the British?

TOPIC E – Right is right. Creighton makes a tough decision when he helps break his uncle out of jail. Try to put yourself in Creighton’s shoes.

  • Would you have made the same choice?
  • What other options did Creighton have, and what did he risk in making those decisions?

TOPIC F – A Duel! A duel becomes a major event in this portion of the novel. One of the most famous duels in American history tragically takes the life of Alexander Hamilton.Read more about the famous Burr-Hamilton duel that took place in 1804 at one of the links below.In your comment for this post, explain why you think that Burr actually shot and killed Hamilton.




NOW, go to the discussion areas, and discuss. Remember to be open-minded, honest, kind, and gentle in how you discuss with each other.



Tell us.For Regular Credit you must:

  1. Which discussion topic are you dealing with: 1, 2, 3, or 4?
  2. What do you have to say about that?

For EXTRA CREDIT you can:

  1. Answer extra topic question(s)
  2. Get into a discussion with other student(s)

#1The setting for this portion of the novel is the city of New Orleans. Since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, there has been much discussion on the future of this important American city.How do you feel about rebuilding the city of New Orleans? Do you think that the federal government should spend billions of dollars to rebuild the city of New Orleans and protect it from future hurricanes, or should the citizens of New Orleans be asked to pick up and move somewhere else and the city not be rebuilt, or can you think of some other idea?


#2Sophie and Creighton are given a great deal of responsibility in Ben Franklin’s print shop as teenagers. In colonial America many teenagers around the age of 14 or 15 are doing work and taking responsibility for things that today are often associated with adults.Do you think that in American society today we wait too long to treat teenagers as adults? What would be some pros and cons of allowing teenagers in America to have the full rights and responsibilities of adults at the age of 15?


#3The code used by Ben Franklin was possible because it used a book that almost everyone in the colonies was able to access.If you were to write a similar code today, which book would you choose (remember that it should be a book almost everyone has access to or could access). Would you use a certain book if you were only trying to include a certain group of people? In your comment please list the book you would use and why you chose that book.


#4In this portion of the book you have been introduced to Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin was truly one of the most important men in colonial America. The amount of inventions and ideas directly associated with this man is incredible.Here’s what I want you to do:

Step #1 – Check out more about Ben Franklin using the links below.
Step #2 –
Pick one of his ideas/inventions that directly impacted you somehow. Tell us the idea you are focused on – describe it briefly – then explain how your life has been directly impacted by it.

Here are the links:

Print Friendly, PDF & Email