Revolutionary War
The Topic:
Revolutionary War
Easier - The Revolutionary War also called the American Revolution began in 1775. British soldiers and American patriots fought at Lexington, Massachusetts and nearby Concord. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris ended the war. Great Britain was forced to recognize the independence of the 13 colonies of the United States.
Harder - The Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783) led to the birth of a new nation. The war began on April 19, 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
For about a decade, tension had been mounting between Great Britain and the American Colonies. The British government had passed a series of laws in an attempt to increase control over the colonies. But Americans had become used to having control over their local government. They objected to the new laws and protested being taxed without their consent. In 1775, Britain's Parliament declared Massachusetts, the center of most of the protests, to be in rebellion. British troops were placed in Boston to take swift action against the rebels. Shortly afterwards, war broke out.
The Colonies were largely unprepared for war. They lacked a central government and had neither an organized army or navy. Delegates from the colonies formed the first Continental Congress, which took on the duties of a national government. Congress directed the war effort and voted to organize an army and a navy. George Washington, a wealthy Virginia landowner and former military officer, was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army. On July 4, 1776, the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, in which the colonies declared their freedom from British rule.
Tension had been building between Great Britain and the American Colonies for more than 10 years before the Revolutionary War began. Starting in the mid-1760's, the British government passed a series of laws to increase its control over the colonies. Americans had grown used to a large measure of self-government. They strongly resisted the new laws, especially tax laws. Fierce debate developed over the British Parliament's right to tax the colonies without their consent.
Great Britain with its larger and better trained army and navy launched a huge land and sea effort to crush the revolution. However, they had to transport and supply its army across the Atlantic Ocean. As the war continued, the British won many battles but gained little from their victories. The American patriots always formed new forces and continued the fight.
3 Cheers for the Red, White and Blue
http://www.hobart.k12.in.us/gemedia/amrev/revwar/revindex.htm
This extensive links-site was developed for elementary and middle school students. The site features events leading up to the war, battles of the war, biographies of important people, quotes, and much more.
Other Revolutionary War Links-sites:
2) The Revolutionary War http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/9198/revwar/revindex.htm
3) American Revolution http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/DE/research/revolution/index.html
4)American Revolution at Kid Infohttp://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/American_Revolution.html
5) American Revolution for Kids http://artemis.simmons.edu/~williamf/AmRev/index.html
6) American Revolutionary Warhttp://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/EMS/RevWar/AmRevolution.htm
7) Revolutionary War http://www.trnty.edu/depts/education/TEACH/war/
8) Revolutionary War http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/amrevol.html
http://www.dell.homestead.com/revwar/files/INDEX.HTM#anchor-flags
This comprehensive site covers events leading up to the war, major battles, important people, and includes a detailed timeline plus much more.
Liberty! The American Revolution at PBS Online
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/
This online companion site to the televised series features tons of facts about the Revolution, perspectives of people involved, and a Revolutionary game.
Maryland Loyalism and the American Revolution
http://users.erols.com/candidus/index.htm
This website is devoted to the history of those Marylanders who sided with England in the 'unnatural rebellion.'
Related Websites:
2) British (His Majesty's 64th Regiment of Foot) http://www.cvco.org/sigs/reg64/index.html
3) British Army in the American War of Independence http://members.aol.com/Guardssite/
4) Loyalist, British Songs & Poetry of the American Revolution
http://users.erols.com/candidus/music.htm
And For the Rebel Side:
5) Folk Music of the American Revolution http://members.aol.com/bobbyj164/mrev.htm
Using the websites, complete one or more of the following Revolutionary War projects:
Complete Some Revolutionary War Activities. Go to the (1)Road to Revolution, (2)Road to the Revolution, and Examining Valley Forge and test your knowledge while you have some fun learning. You may also want to compete an Internet Treasure Hunt about battles of the American Revolution at Hunt for Battle of Bunker Hill.
Complete a Revolutionary War WebQuest. Adapt or follow the instructions at one of the following webQuest sites:
1) Dear King George III http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/8809/
2) George Rogers Clark: Revolutionary War Hero (Grades 4-6)http://osf1.gmu.edu/~khayden/georgeclark.html
3) Johnny Tremain: The Revolutionary War (Grade 5-8)http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/WebQ97/REVOLUT.HTM
4) Journey into the Revolutionary War by Beverly Schwartzman & Diana Olague (Grades 3-5)http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/formats/webquests/fall99/SAISDWQRR/Neal%20Elementary
5) Revolutionary Independence by John Finnigan (Grades 7-8)http://www.milton.k12.vt.us/WebQuests/jfinnegan/revolution.htm
6) Revolutionary War Handbill (Grade 5-8)http://www.aps.edu/aps/doubleeagle/5grade/huffstodt/revolutionarywarweb.htm
7) Revolutionary War WebQuest (1997 ThinkQuest Project)http://library.thinkquest.org/11683/High.html
Complete a Revolutionary War Timeline. Create a timeline for the Revolutionary War. Include all the events that you believe led to the war's outcome. Identify what you consider to be the most important battles. Is there one battle that you would call the 'turning point.'?
Compare and Contrast Two Lives. Select two persons who were involved in the Revolution - male or female, British or American, loyalist or patriot, native American, African American, soldier, or statesman - - then identify the likes and differences in their lives. You can find some information about Revolutionary War people at Revolutionary War biographies.
Write a Revolutionary War Journal. Pretend that you are a soldier, a spy, a loyalist - - and imagine what it would have been like . . Pick a location - - this could be a campaign, a skirmish, a battle, or other event. Then write a journal about your pretend experience.
Illustrate a Revolutionary War Event. Pick an event and draw a scene that captures what went on there. Remember, it could be a camp scene, part of a battle, or any part that represents the Revolutionary War.
Revolutionary War Battles, Campaigns, and Skirmishes
If you are looking for more information about Revolutionary War battles, visit ourRevolutionary Wary Battles, Campaigns, and Skirmishes webpage. We ran out of room, so there you can find a webpage full of battle, campaign, and skirmish resources.
Revolutionary War Biography Websites
A separate webpage was also needed to handle the almost two-hundred websites for biographies of patriots, 'founding fathers,' women, native Americans, and British leaders - - all involved in the American Revolution. You will find those resources at another page titled Revolutionary War Biographies.
Websites By Kids For Kids
http://www.greeceny.com/arm/welch/
These webpages were created by a 7th grade social studies class; contains articles on the events and battles, weapons, uniforms, and music of the Revolution.
Birth of a Nation (1998 ThinkQuest Junior Project)
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3803/
This site details the people, places, and events of the first days of the Revolutionary War.
Fifth Grade Revolutionary War Expository Reports
http://www.beavton.k12.or.us/Barnes/revwarreports/revwar.html
Here you can read student reports on different people and events during the Revolutionary War.
George Washington & the Crossing (Site designed by 8th grade students)
http://www.jwjhs.reg4.k12.ct.us/tc/
Learn about General George Washington and his influence on the Battle of Trenton and the Revolutionary War.
Information on the American Revolution (Reports by 5th grade students)
http://hana.asij.ac.jp/elementary/links/currlink/5-m/main.htm
Learn about the people, places, and events of the American Revolution.
Revolutionary War: A Journey Towards Freedom (1997 ThinkQuest Project)
http://library.thinkquest.org/10966/index.html
This site is designed to be an online reference tool and a forum for discussion on American History around the time of the Revolution (1763-1810).
Road to Revolution (5th grade project)
http://www.norfolk.k12.ma.us/students/kaufman/revolution/R2R.html
After a period of being practically ignored by the British government, colonists were unhappy to have Parliament start making laws which restricted trade and limited the freedoms which the American colonists perceived as being theirs. Each new action by Parliament brought the colonies closer together and further along the road to revolution.
Timeline of the Revolutionary War from Valley Oak Elementary School (Davis, CA)
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/vme/vo/
A group of students put together this website project in celebration of the Fourth of July.
Two Revolutionary War Battles (ThinkQuest Junior Project)
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5257/
This project compares the battles of Saratoga (NY) and Ridgefield (CT) .
More Revolutionary War Websites
http://earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/index.html
Here are the the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, shown as they first appeared to the public at that time.
Related Websites:
2) Declaring Independence http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara1.html
3) Declaration of Independence: A Historyhttp://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/declaration/dechist.html
Arbuckle's Fort Archaeology Excavations
http://www.greenbrierhistorical.org/fort.html
Learn about the archaeological discoveries at a Revolutionary War fort excavation in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.
Captain Thomas Preston's Account of the Boston Massacre
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1751-1775/bostonmassacre/prest.htm
Read a first hand account of this event.
Related Websites:
2) Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacrehttp://www.ukans.edu/carrie/docs/texts/bostanon.html
3) Boston Massacre http://hana.asij.ac.jp/elementary/links/currlink/5-m/boston.htm
http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/index.html
Learn the story of the six month encampment of the Continental Army of the newly formed United States of America under the command of General George Washington.
Related Websites:
2) Middlebrook Winter Encampmenthttp://www.eclipse.net/~gvalis/ggv/NJrev/battles/midbrk.html
3) Winter at Valley Forge http://www.dell.homestead.com/revwar/files/VALLEY.HTM
4) Valley Forge http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/9198/revwar/vforge.htm
Revolutionary America at Hargrett Library Rare Map Collection
http://scarlett.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/revamer.html
These rare maps show the colonies, attack plans, battlefields, and more.
http://genxtvland.simplenet.com/SchoolHouseRock/song.hts?hi+shot
Here you find the lyrics, sound, and video of this SchoolHouse Rock cartoon which describes the Revolutionary War.
Spies of the American Revolution (University of Michigan Clements Library)
http://www.clements.umich.edu/spies/index-people.html
This website contains stories, letters, routes and spy information!
Townshend Act (Student essay at 4essays.com)
http://www.4essays.com/essays/TOWNSHEN.HTM
Parliament had not given up the right to tax the colonies and in 1767, at the urging of chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend, it passed the Townshend Acts, which imposed taxes on lead, glass, tea, paint, and paper that Americans imported from Britain.
Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution: Revolutionary War 1777
http://www.ushistory.org/march/index.html
This website provides a comprehensive overview of the 'road to Valley Forge.'
http://home.ptd.net/~revwar/index.html
Here you can read a few excerpts taken from newspapers and other eighteenth century news sources.
Women in the Revolutionary War
http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/femvets.html
Here you can find out about Deborah Samson, Rachel and Grace Martin, Anne Warner Bailey and Anne Trotter Bailey, and Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley.
Websites For Teachers
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/american_revolution.htm
This site has a unit plan with twelve lessons plus links to resource sites.
American Revolutionary War: Thematic Unit (Grades 5-8) by Shannon O'Connor
http://people2.clarityconnect.com/webpages4/kcarsons/oconunit/index.htm
Throughout the 15-day course of study, students will read the story, Johnny Tremain, and respond through journal entries, role-playing, and artwork.
Join the Revolution! at Education World
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson175.shtml
This lesson planning article has fourteen ideas to re-create the activities and events of the Revolutionary period.
Revolutionary War and Children's Literature (Grades 3-8)
http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/ushistory/revolution.html
This is the first section of a sample chapter from In Times Past: An Encyclopedia for Integrating US History with Literature by Carol Otis Hurst and Rebecca Otis.
Revolutionary War Battles (Grade 8)
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/elit/mid/geodocs/revbattles.htm
Students will work in pairs and select a Revolutionary War battle. One student will represent a British point of view and the other student will represent the American side. Each student will keep a journal that includes events leading up to, during and the aftermath of the battle.
Teaching the American Revolution: Scaffolding to Success at Education World
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr218.shtml
This curriculum article explains how students learned about the Revolutionary War by considering the issues from both the American perspective and the British point of view.
Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 1/99
Updated, 8/00
