America Untold:
Forgotten heroes, Forgotten Stories
Scarlet Ingstad
Christian, Independent Author, Historian
Christian, Independent Author, Historian
Ever wonder how Tallmadge and his spies used invisible ink or wrote on hard-boiled eggs? Today I want to introduce you all to a few different, fun ways to teach your kids (or yourself!) about 18th century espionage. During the lockdown in 2020, I played around with a few of these myself to pass the time and thought I would share some tips and tricks, as well as recipes, ideas, and other fun ways to teach your kids about this era of history. This is a great way to educate young people after they watch TURN: Washington's Spies! Invisible Ink on Paper We'll start with creating the ink and the reeagent, then move on to how in the world Abraham Woodhull wrote on those hard-boiled eggs. Some background on the ink itself: Both British and American armies used invisible ink to send coded and hidden messages. Revolutionary war ink was typically a combination of ferrous sulfate and water. James Jay, the brother of John Jay, invented a chemical solution out of tannic acid to be used as invisible ink as well. He was the main supplier of invisible ink to Washington, Tallmadge, and their spies. The letters were written, usually between the lines of printed books, and then treated with heat or another chemical agent to reveal the hidden message. So how can we recreate invisible ink today as part of a hands-on-learning lesson? It's actually fairly simple and there are different methods you can try using house-hold items: When I was playing around with these techniques during the pandemic, I had the best luck with option #1, the baking soda. I did learn that if you are not patient with the drying portion, the messages don't turn out all that well--patience is key! Instead of using the light bulb as the graphic depicts, I used the iodine and water re-agent solution. If you happen to try any heat-based "re-agent" method, let me know if it works! Invisible Ink and Eggs Now for the extremely tricky part---just HOW did Woodhull and the spies successfully write on hard-boiled eggs in TURN: Washington's Spies?! As Washington would say on the show: "Excellent question." I had a HECK of a time with this one, and it took about 2 dozen eggs til I got it figured out, but it was definitely worth the experiment. The best method for this activity that I found came from a blog post on readwatcheat.com (see below). I highly recommend following these instructions! Crafting and Decoding Messages
When you get tired of turning your kitchen into a complete mess, you can also get your kiddos (again, or just yourself) involved in crafting and decoding secret messages to one another or their friends! This is the easiest activity of all, because we have access to Benjamin Tallmadge's original codebook thanks to Mount Vernon! You can print out a copy of it through this link: Tallmadge's Codebook, or you can purchase a super-affordable paper copy through this link: Tallmadge Printed Codebook. The rest is really simple. Have the kids craft a message to a friend or family member utilizing the codebook. Try to get them to use as many numerical codes as possible for an extra challenge. Then, have the other child or family member decode the message and respond to it. You can also turn this into a mystery game, having them solve riddles, etc. Great way to pass the time and it lets the children use the very same codes Tallmadge and his spies used during the Revolutionary War! Additional Resources: A few more sources I used in crafting this blog post as well as some links to additional spy-games and information that might be useful for those who have children who are enamored by TURN: Washington's Spies or even Hamilton the Musical. Getting kids involved in history early is so important, and activities like these are great way to do it! And adults, don't be afraid to do these on your own too--I did! Share your thoughts below or send me a message and let me know how the activities went, tips and tricks, etc! - The Culper Spy Ring for Kids - History for Kids: SPIES! - Spy Techniques of the Revolutionary War - George Washington's Culper Spy Ring: Separating Fact from Fiction - Culper Spy Ring - Mount Vernon Digital Archives
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Scarlet Ingstad
I am an independent author and historian seeking to uplift the stories of the lesser-known heroes and heroines of the American Revolution, alongside modern-day heroes and heroines who have served in the U.S. military and continue their service through their historical work. Archives
March 2022
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