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- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the author
When the American colonies fought for and won independence from Great Britain, their victory did more than redraw the map of the western hemisphere—for the American Revolution was also a revolution of ideas, serving as a model for democracies around the world. Curated from the unparalleled collections of the Library of Congress, the primary sources in this volume provide opportunities for learners to explore many different aspects of the Revolution. Part of “Discover and Learn with the Library,” an educational series published by the Library of Congress in association with the American Library Association, The American Revolution offers the following:
- provides classroom-ready materials for teachers, librarians, and home educators working with grades 6–12 and is designed to support state curricula and teaching standards;
- presents full-color facsimiles of primary sources alongside source citations, information about the sources’ origins, teaching strategies, and guides to additional online resources;
- harnesses these sources to guide learners as they explore the causes that ignited the conflict, the ways it affected everyday life, and the ideas and debates that shaped not only the republic’s founding documents but also its future as a nation;
- spotlights uniquely instructive materials such as a page from the code book of George Washington’s spy ring, the plan for a parade celebrating the ratification of the Constitution, an early version of the Bill of Rights, a British proclamation offering to free “all indentured servants and Negroes” willing to fight for Great Britain, and a pay voucher for a Black soldier in the Continental Army; and
- features perforated pages on each primary source for ease of sharing.
Foreword
Discover and Learn: The Power of Primary Sources
How to Use This Resource
Background: The American Revolution
Primary Source Discovery Pages
Causes
- Colonial America Before the Revolution [Map icon]
- “No Stamped Paper to be had” [Newspaper icon]
- An Image Depicts the Boston Massacre [Photograph/print]
- Commemorating the Victims of a “Bloody Massacre” [Newspaper icon]
Life During the Revolution
- A Conflict in a Barber Shop [photographs/print]
- A British Proclamation Offers Freedom [books and other printed text]
- First Battles of the War [maps]
- A Draft of the Declaration [manuscript icon]
- Thomas Jefferson, Weather Enthusiast [manuscript icon]
- The Life Behind a Laundry Receipt [Manuscript icon]
- Thomas Paine’s American Crisis [books and other printed texts icon]
- “Not Worth a Continental”: Colonial Currency [books and other printed texts icon]
- “The Sentiments of an American Woman” [books and other printed texts icon and map icon]
- A Code Book for George Washington’s Spies [manuscript icon]
- A Pay Voucher for a Continental Soldier [manuscript icon]
Founding a New Nation
- Reuniting Families After Emancipation [books and other printed texts icon]
- Piecework in a New York Tenement [manuscripts]
- Commemorating a Beloved Jewish Author [manuscripts]
- “Join the Famous Irish Regiment” [newspapers]
- “Free Classes in English!” [books and other printed texts]
- Celebrating Mexican Independence in Minnesota [books and other printed texts]
Transcripts
More to Discover
Teacher’s Guides
- Analyzing Books and Other Printed Texts
- Analyzing Manuscripts
- Analyzing Maps
- Analyzing Newspapers
- Analyzing Photographs and Prints
- Analyzing Primary Sources
Primary Source Analysis Tool
Primary Sources Cited
Index