Author's Note, Step back in time and discover what a slave, a general, and a poet have in common. This reading for middle grade students celebrates Black History Month in February, Women's History Month in March, and Patriot's Day and National Poetry Month in April, while focusing on American history all year. Students, parents, professionals, or a combination thereof may perform the 50-minute play. It is classroom tested and meets the Curriculum Standards. The play was first performed at the Munroe Center for the Arts, Lexington, Massachusetts, for a spring Family Literary Tea. Author David McCullough, whom I first met at the Rededication of the Longfellow House, inspired it. He suggested that children should perform in more plays. He feels they will never forget a historical event if they're in a play about it. The letters from Wheatley and Washington are authentic. The letters to young writers are historical fiction. Marian R. Carlson, June 2020