Embattled Farmers and the Shot Heard Round the World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord --
By looking at Embattled Farmers and the Shot Heard Round the World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord, students can more easily understand how the American War for Independence began. The conflict here put the English colonies on the road to separation from Great Britain and led to, in 1776, the signing of the Declaration of Independence the creation of the United States of America. Those interested in learning more will find that the Internet offers a variety of materials.
The American Battlefield Protection Program
The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program provides detailed battle summaries of the Revolutionary War on its web site.
Boston National Historical Park
Boston National Historical Park is a unit of the National Park System. The park's web page provides details on the park and visitation information. Included on the site is a Virtual Visitor Center that guides you through the Freedom Trail, Charlestown Navy Yard, and other sites that demonstrate Boston's role in our nation's history.
Library of Congress
Search the "American Memory" collection on the Library of Congress web page for further information about the revolutionary time period. The following links are of special interest: Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention: 1774-1789, Words and Deeds in American History, the George Washington Papers, Map Collections: 1544-1999, and An American Time Capsule.
Liberty! The American Revolution
Liberty! is the story of the American Revolution two and a half decades of debate, rebellion, war, and peace. It begins after the French and Indian War and ends with the creation of the U.S. Constitution. Liberty! is an online companion to the PBS documentary, Liberty! The American Revolution.
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration offers a wealth of documents related to the Revolutionary War and the creation of the United States of America in their online exhibit hall. Visit "American Originals" to view documents such as George Washington's account of expenses while Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Also visit "The Charters of Freedom" to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
National Park Service Travel Itinerary
The National Park Service's Discover Our Shared Heritage online travel itinerary, "Massachusetts Conservation ," provides information on National Register sites that relate to this lesson plan: Concord Monument Square and the Ralph Waldo Emerson house.
The Blue Darter's Guide to the American Revolution
This web site is the creation of the American History Honors Class at Apopka High School in Orange County, Florida. It was written by students to be a source for students on certain topics in world history. Included on the site are descriptions of the famous battles and people of the American Revolution.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
The WPI web site provides detailed military information about Revolutionary War battles, including the Battle of Breed's Hill/Bunker Hill. Also on the web page is an overview of the events leading to the battle, a brief history of the battle, and a detailed breakdown of battle.
More from Teaching with Historic Places
Lesson plans about the American Revolution include:
The Battle of Bennington: An American Victory, The Battle of Bunker Hill: Now We Are at War, The Battle of Oriskany: "Blood Shed a Stream Running Down," Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence, Independence Hall: International Symbol of Freedom, and Saratoga: The Tide Turns on the Frontier.
Another lesson plan about memorialization in the United States is Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial: Where Man and Memory Intersect. A lesson about American culture and iconography is The Liberty Bell: From Obscurity to Icon.
The renowned artist behind the Minute Man statue, Daniel Chester French, is the subject of another Teaching with Historic Places lesson plan: Chesterwood: The Workshop of an American Sculptor. Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, French's fellow artist and friend, is the subject of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site: Home of a Gilded Age Icon.
Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994), The Minutemen and Their World by Robert A. Gross (Toronto: McGraw Hill, 1976), The Minute Men, The First Fight: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution (Pergamon-Brassey’s: Washington: 1989), Lexington and Concord by Arthur B. Tourtellot (New York: W.W. Norton, 1959) and The Day of Concord and Lexington by Allen French (Boston, 1925).
Students interested in learning more may want to read the following: