Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Building Unity

For Students 9th - 10th
Outline of the U.S. and the quest for unity in the early 1800s. Article briefly chronicles events such as the War of 1812 as well as political and economic decisions that created a united America separate from Britain.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Loyalists, Fence Sitters, and Patriots

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the war of propaganda the Patriots needed to wage in order to persuade the vast majority of Americans, who were at first ambivalent to the cause of independence, to support the ideals of the Revolutionary War.
Handout
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Historic Valley Forge: Who Served Here?: Aaron Burr

For Students 9th - 10th
This brief biography of Aaron Burr from the Independence Hall Associaton focuses on his military career in the Revolutionary War as well as his political career and his duel with Alexander Hamilton.
Primary
US Army Center

U.s. Army Center of Military History: New England in Arms

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed explanation of the organization of British and Revolutionary forces at the start of the American Revolution.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) Pontiac's Uprising

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) and how Pontiac's Uprising influenced the Revolutionary War.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Bunker Hill

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the Battle of Bunker Hill, which really took place at Breed's Hill, and find out why it was such a stunning victory for the Americans even though they lost the battle.
eBook
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Battle of Saratoga

For Students 5th - 8th
The weeks leading up to the Battle of Saratoga were filled with disaster for the British troops. Read about the problems General Burgoyne had, and find out how the Americans took advantage of those problems to deliver a stunning defeat...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Revolutionary Changes and Limitations: Women

For Students 5th - 8th
Often the ideal and reality do not conincide for quite some time. That's true of the ideal of true equality between the sexes after the War for Independence. See why the end of the war did not bring indepence for married women, and why...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Negotiating With the Superpowers

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the problems President George Washington had with foreign affairs. Both France and Great Britain ignored American sovereignty and claims of neutrality. Read about Great Britain's disregard of the Treaty of Paris which ended...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Articles of Confederation

For Students 5th - 8th
During the Revolutionary War, it was necessary to put together some sort of central government, primarily to raise and pay an army. Read about the rules finally passed by Congress in 1777, called the Articles of Confederation. See what...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Committees of Correspondence

For Students 5th - 7th
See how organization can be a stepping stone to freedom. Read about the actions and the reasons behind those actions of the Committees of Correspondence prior to the Revolutionary War.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Colonization & Revolutionary War: Roanoke: The Lost Colony

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the lost colony of Roanoke. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Colonization & Revolutionary War: Valley Forge

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Valley Forge and the American Revolution. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Colonization & Revolutionary War: Background to the Colonies

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the thirteen original colonies. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Colonization & Revolutionary War: The Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the creation of the Declaration of Independence. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
eBook
US Army Center

U.s. Army Center of Military History: Rufus King

For Students 9th - 10th
A good biographical sketch of Rufus King, one of the signers of the Constitution. He was a delegate from Massachusetts. He served in the Revolutionary war and was later a senator from New York.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The American Revolution in Pennsylvania

For Students 9th - 10th
An essay describing the unique ways in which the American Revolution played out in Pennsylvania.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The French Alliance

For Students 5th - 8th
The surrender of General Burgoynne at Saratoga gave the French the assurance that the Continental Army had a fighting chance to beat the British. Read about early French help and the formal agreements signed between France and America.
Activity
US Army Center

U.s. Army Center of Military History: The Continental Army and the Congress

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed description of the events in and around the formation and support of The Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress.
Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Who Am I? (Portrait Puzzler)

For Students 9th - 10th
Match the portraits of eight famous Americans who played major roles in the American Revolution with their famous deeds. A short exercise that can be used by individual learners to test their understanding of basic U.S. history content...
Handout
Other

Mary Ballard's Diary on Line: Courtship and Marriage

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at courtship and marriage in the period right after the Revolutionary War through the diary of Mary Ballard. Contains a brief explanation of courtship in this period and sections of the diary related to the topic.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Road to Revolution: 1763 1776

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection of primary sources helps students explore the events that led up to the American Revolutionary War.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War Politics Drove Thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980

For Students 9th - 10th
After Fidel Castro loosened emigration policies, some 125,000 Cubans landed on U.S. shores over a span of five months. The Mariel Boatlift of 1980 was a mass emigration of Cubans to the United States. The exodus was driven by a stagnant...
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Continental Congress

For Students 9th - 10th
From 1774 to 1789, the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States. The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to...