Email this page to a friend with a personal messageAnne Frank was a young girl in Amsterdam when the Nazis were invading the Netherlands. Her family was forced to go into hiding. While Anne was in hiding she kept a journal. Her journal was a story of what her and her family went through while they were hiding from the Germans during World War II. The journal was published into a book, and has become very popular. The book was made into film and theatrical productions, and has inspired the lives of thousands.
Anne Frank was born June 12, 1929 in Weimar, Germany. Anne's family lived in a community of Jewish and non Jewish residents. As a child Anne was encouraged by her father to read and become knowledgeable.
In March 1933, Adolf Hitler was elected leader of the Nazi party. Changes began to happen immediately after. The Frank family was scared of what might happen to them. Anne moved with her Mom to her Grandmother's house in Aachen. Her father stayed behind, but was soon offered an opportunity to open a business in Amsterdam. He took the offer and the family moved.
When they arrived in Amsterdam, Anne and her sister were enrolled in school. Anne attended a Montessori school. Anne was very good at reading and writing. She wrote things while she was at school, but she was always hiding her work so none of it was found. Anne had a distinct personality; she was recognized at being energetic, and outspoken.
In 1940 the Germans invaded the Netherlands. Discrimination against the Jews began. Laws were created, and all the Jews we segregated. The children had to leave their schools and attend a school for Jews only called Lyceum. Anne and her sister were still able to excel in their studies.
One Anne's 13th birthday, June 12, 1942 her dad gave her a diary. The book was covered in red and white plaid cloth with a small lock on it. Immediately she began to write, she wrote things that a typical school girl would write. She described herself, her family and her friends. She wrote about school and boys. She briefly discussed the changes that occurred when the Nazis first came.
In 1942 Anne's sister received a call telling her to report to a work camp. This is when the plan to hide was formulated. Her family made a plan to go into hiding above her father's company in his office building. On July 6, 1942 the family settled into their hiding place. Anne spent most of her time reading and writing, while she was in hiding. They spent over 2 years there, and Anne was very aware of the situation.
On August 4, 1944 the hiding place was given up by an unidentified informer. German police raided their hiding place. Everyone was arrested for hiding and sent to a camp for hard labor. Anne was sent to several different camps. The last camp she was in was called Bergen-Belson. Anne was very sick and the last transfer made her even more sick. Anne died from typhus in that camp with her sister a few weeks before the British troops came and liberated the camp.
Anne Frank is important because her story was important. She told a story that was very hard to be told. World War II was a very brutal war. Her diary helps people understand from her point of view what it was like to be in hiding from the Nazis. She was a member of the holocaust and describes her experience well for only being a child. She was a courageous girl in a fierce world, and most importantly, despite the evil surrounding her, she was able to maintain a positive view on humanity as a whole.
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