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The American Revolution
Each week, Education World's Great Sites for Teaching About… page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. This week's sites are among the best on the Web for teaching about the American Revolution.
The Federalist Papers
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/const/fed/fedpapers.html
The Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays urging New Yorkers to ratify the proposed United States Constitution, are often used to help interpret the intentions of the men who drafted the Constitution. All 85 papers are posted here, and the entire site is fully searchable by exact words or their variants. This is a terrific resource for secondary school research!
Arbuckle's Fort
http://www.greenbrierhistorical.org/Archives/ArbucklesFort/fort.html
This virtual tour of an American Revolutionary War fort provides a fascinating trip back to the days when soldiers fought for our nation's independence. The site includes a history of the fort, a day-by-day account of the excavation, and a look at some of the artifacts recovered. This site provides a truly striking look the lives of the people who inhabited the fort more than 200 years ago.
The Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html
The Library of Congress presents primary documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, which should be especially useful for students in high school and above.
America Rock
http://www.school-house-rock.com/AmericaRock.html
This Schoolhouse Rock site presents classic made-for-Saturday-morning ditties, including such songs as No More Kings, Fireworks, The Shot Heard Round the World, and The Preamble. The songs might seem silly, but they manage to convey historical events in a fun fashion that's sure to appeal to students of all ages.
Liberty! The American Revolution
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty
This companion to the PBS special on the American Revolution has a great set of resources for classroom use. Note especially Chronicle of the Revolution and the game The Road to Revolution, both designed to stimulate student interest and make learning fun. Interactive quizzes and fictional newspaper accounts add to the excitement of experiencing history right in the classroom!
Independence Day on the Net
http://www.holidays.net/independence
This is a comprehensive celebration of the history, legends, and traditions of this most American of holidays. John Adams originally conceived of the idea as a day for fireworks and great public rejoicing [set dash] and how right he was! This site is the next best thing to the actual holiday, replete with music, fireworks, and lots of information. Independence Day on the Net allows you to culminate your study of the American Revolution with all kinds of elementary-level activities, such as a recipe for old-fashioned apple pie and an Uncle Sam folk art activity.
Little Known Facts about the American Revolutionary War
http://www.state.de.us/facts/ushist/revfacts.htm
Did you know that women fought in the Continental Army that there were two Boston Tea Parties? If not, this is the site for you! These and ten additional little-known facts are for those who thought they knew everything there is to know about the Revolutionary War.
Article by Walter McKenzie
Education World®
Copyright © 2007 Education World
Please check out our Fourth of July holiday page.
Originally published 04/24/2000
Links updated 05/28/2007
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