American Revolution / Early America

The American Revolution

• Religion and the American Revolution: Was the American Revolution a religious event?
• American Revolution and Hollywood
• American Revolution: Readings on Women and African Americans
• Historical Fiction (American Revolution): My Brother Sam is Dead
• Colonists Divided: Revolution as Civil War
• Boycotting British Goods: This lesson looks at the changes in British policies and the colonists’ resistance through the topic of tea, clothing, and other British goods. Students analyze and interpret key historical artifacts.
• The War in the North: This lesson will trace events in the North from 1775 to 1778.

Early America

• Anti-Federalist Arguments: This lesson will focus on the chief objections of the Anti-federalists, especially The Federal Farmer (Richard Henry Lee), Centinel, and Brutus, regarding the extended republic.
• Inventing a New Republican Culture for America: This lesson focuses on several key individuals and their roles in establishing a new republican culture that paralleled the new structure of government of the new nation.
• Alien and Sedition Act: The Sedition Act touched off a lively debate about the right of free speech. It also presented an early test case to the citizens and government of the United States. In times of war or imminent danger, how do you balance the need for security with the rights of individuals? How can partisan politics affect the process of shaping security policies?
• The First Political Parties: Why were political parties created in America?

Founding Fathers

• George Washington: A Living Symbol: How does an individual become the embodiment of a nation? Can the process be reversed to permit a glimpse into the human life underlying the symbol? See also this lesson on Washington’s military career.
• James Madison: Why is James Madison such an important figure? Why is he known as the “Father of the Constitution”?

Founding Documents

• The Argument of the Declaration of Independence: Students attempt to formulate their own declaration before examining the Declaration of Independence. Through a close reading of the document, they come to an understanding of how its structure forms a coherent, lucid, and powerful argument for independence.

Videos about the American Revolution

• Flight over Slavery in the Revolution
• American Scripture: The Making of the Declaration