The Revolutionary War

PBS Liberty Documentaries

 

Site Overview:

            This site creatively relays information about the Revolutionary War through an exciting multimedia presentation.  Supplemented by clips from the popular PBS documentaries, Liberty, the site contains a wide assortment of facts about the colonies, key battles, and important historical figures.  From the home page, this site can be navigated by clicking on links to Chronicles of the Revolution or Perspectives on Liberty.  Several other links are found under each of these main links.  The Chronicles of the Revolution segment contains replicas of colonial newspapers, an illustrated timeline, and useful index of topics addressed on the Liberty site.  Under the Perspectives on Liberty portion, daily life on a colonial plantation can be experienced, in addition to information on foreign relations and a comparison of a soldier in the Continental Army and the British Army.  Alternatively, for a student with some prior knowledge of the American Revolution, the site can additionally be experienced through the link the Road to Revolution game.  This fascinating site enhances any study of the American Revolution through an outstanding layout and graphics yielding a unique and riveting educational experience. 

 

Goals and Objectives:

The goals and objectives of this site are: (1) to investigate events leading to the Revolutionary War, (2) to identify key historical figures and their influence on the path to independence, (3) to experience the culture of the colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War, (4) to become familiar with the main battles and important victories of the Revolutionary War.

 

Research:

            In 1607, Jamestown became the first permanent British settlement in North America.  This establishment marked the beginning of Great Britain’s imperialistic conquests in North America eventually resulting in the formation of 13 colonies.  Amicable relations existed between the colonies and Great Britain until after the French and Indian War.  However, the French and Indian War depleted the finances of Great Britain.  In an effort to ameliorate the situation, King George began to impose many taxes on the colonists. 

In time, the colonists began to resent Great Britain as a result of taxation without representation and other actions.  In an effort to assert greater authority over the colonies, Great Britain issued writs of assistance in 1763 that permitted interference in the colonies’ economies resulting in opposition from the colonies.  Import taxes placed on goods through the Molasses Act and the Sugar Act further soured colonial relations with Great Britain.  The colonists heavily resented the Quartering Act as well because it forced the colonists to house British troops.  Imposition of further taxes resulted from Parliament’s passage of the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts.  After these acts were repealed, a period of peace existed until its disruption by the Tea Act of 1773.  In protest of the tax on tea, many colonists boycotted tea.  The famous Boston Tea Party was staged in protest of this act.  Enraged by the colonists’ destruction of goods, Great Britain desired to punish the colonists for their actions.  This desire was manifested in the Intolerable Acts.  In response, the colonists organized the First Continental Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to express their grievances to Great Britain.

King George III sent more troops to the colony of Massachusetts to quell the state of rebellion while displaying military mite.  General Gage’s discovery of militia ammunition resulted in the first shots of the American Revolution fired on April 18, 1775 in Lexington and Concord.  The fighting continued, and some notable battles include Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Valley Forge, and Yorktown.  On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence listing the colonies’ grievances and reasons for separation.  The American Revolution officially concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.    

 

Scavenger Hunt Questions:

Grades K-3

 

1. Why is the Fourth of July the birthday of our country?
2. How did colonists disguise themselves at the Boston Tea Party?
3. Who led the Continental Army?
4. How long did the American Revolution last?
5. What was the name of John Paul Jones’s ship?

 

Grades 4-8

 

1. Why did the colonists stage the Boston Tea Party?
2. Who was Phyllis Wheatley?
3. What were Hessians?
4. Why was the American victory at Yorktown significant?
5. How did Thomas Paine contribute to the struggle for independence?
6. List foreigners who played important roles in the American Revolution and their country of origin.
7. Compare the beliefs of a Federalist and an Anti-Federalist.  What was added to the Constitution to persuade Anti-Federalists to support the Constitution?
8. What jobs were colonial men typically responsible for on a farm? What jobs were women responsible for?

 

Grades 9-12

 

1. When relations soured with Great Britain, two ideological groups formed.  What was the name of each group and how did their beliefs differ?
2. Why are traitors sometimes called “Benedict Arnolds”?
3. How did women contribute to the protest of the Tea Act of 1773?
4. Describe the demographics of colonial America at the time of the American Revolution.
5. Compare colonial militias, minutemen, and soldiers of the Continental Army.
6. What are the The Federalist Papers?  Who wrote them and why were they written? 
7. How did foreign alliances effect the outcome of the Revolutionary War?  Identify allies and support your answer with specific ways allies helped the Continental Army.
8. What was the significance of an overwhelming American victory at Saratoga?
9. Why didn’t Pennsylvania have a militia?
10. Compare soldiers in the Continental Army and the British Redcoats.

 

Additional Activities:

-         Play the trivia game linked to the website.

-         On a map, find the 13 states which were formerly the 13 colonies.

-         Imagine the Second Continental Congress has asked you to write to King George III and explain why the colonies must separate from Great Britain.  Create your own Declaration of Independence.

-         Read historical fiction about the Revolutionary War.  Try Johnny Tremain or the Felicity books from the American Girls Collection.

-         Imagine what life would be like today if the Continental Army had not defeated the British troops.  Write several paragraphs describing this different life.

-         Make an illustrated timeline covering the main events leading to the birth of the United States of America.

-         If you live in or visit Virginia, visit Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, or Colonial Williamsburg.

-         Make a colonial craft.  Try candle making, ink making, writing with a quill pen, tussie-mussie, or pomander ball.

-         Become an expert on one of the Revolutionary War heroes.  Read a biography and write a book report or give an oral review of the book.

-         Not all colonists supported the War for Independence.  Do you think the colonies had the right to separate from Great Britain?   Defend your point of view with factual support in a 3 to 5 paragraph statement.

-         Research colonial weapons.  Find out what weapons were typically used, how they were made, and how the weapons affected tactics used in combat.

-         Read John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government.  Although he wrote many years before Thomas Jefferson, Compare Locke’s ideas to Jefferson’s beliefs contained in the Declaration of Independence.

-         Learn about the political parties and secret societies that formed in the colonies.  Make a chart listing their names and central beliefs or causes.

-         Watch the musical 1776 to experience the debates, difficulties, and compromises of the Second Continental Congress.

-         Label notable battle sites on a map and create a key to indicate Continental or British victory.