Primary Source Set The American Revolution
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Map of Colonial America, around 1763 -
"No Stamped Paper to be had," 1765 -
"The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston" -
Four coffins of men killed in the Boston Massacre -
"The Patriotick Barber of New York" -
Proclamation from Lord Dunmore, 1775 -
Map showing the Battles of Lexington and Concord -
Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, June 1776 -
Receipt from Martha Morris to George Washington, October 1776 -
"The Sentiments of an American Woman,"" 1780 -
A prison for the confinement of loyalists, 1781 -
Numerical codes for George Washington's spy ring, 1783 -
Pay voucher for revolutionary soldier Cuff Freeman -
"Articles of a Treaty, Concluded at the Mouth of the Great Miami," 1786 -
Notes by Thomas Jefferson on the authorship of the essays in the Federalist Papers -
Print celebrating the ratification of the Constitution by the states -
"Order of Procession, in honor of the establishment of the Constitution of the United States," 1788 -
An early draft of the Bill of Rights, 1789
The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. If your use will be beyond a single classroom, please review the copyright and fair use guidelines.
Teacher’s Guide
To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides: Analysis Tool and Guides
Background
When the American colonies fought for and won independence from Great Britain, their victory redrew the map of the western hemisphere, as the globe-spanning British empire lost its colonies in North America and a new nation, the United States of America, emerged there. At the same time, it revolutionized the lives of everyday people. After years of conflict that in some cases turned neighbor against neighbor, people who were once colonial subjects of a monarchy became part of a republic.
The Revolution was also a revolution of ideas. From the earliest years of the war, Americans discussed how best to create a new system of government, stating in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” and that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” In the years immediately following, they worked to design a form of government that would moderate a strong central authority with a system of checks and balances. The new US Constitution was signed in 1787, ratified by the states in 1788, and has been in place ever since, serving as a model for democracies around the world.
These are a few key moments in the revolutionary era and the first years of the new nation:
- 1763: The French and Indian War ends, giving the British empire victory over the French, but leaving it with significant debt.
- March 22, 1765: The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act to raise revenue, requiring colonists to pay a tax on all paper and parchment documents.
- March 5, 1770: British sentries guarding the Boston Customs House fire into a crowd, killing several civilians. This incident became known as the Boston Massacre.
- September 5, 1774: A Continental Congress made up of delegates from twelve colonies meets in Philadelphia. This Congress only meets until October 26, but a second Continental Congress will meet from May 10, 1775, to March 2, 1789.
- April 19, 1775: British and American forces exchange fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord.
- June 19, 1775: George Washington is commissioned commander in chief of the Continental Army.
- August 23, 1775: Britain’s King George III issues a proclamation declaring that the colonies are in a state of rebellion.
- July 4, 1776: The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence.
- October 19, 1781: British forces, under the command of General Charles Cornwallis, surrender to General Washington and allied French forces at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending the fighting in the Revolutionary War.
- September 3, 1783: Representatives of the US and Great Britain sign a treaty that formally ends the Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress ratifies the treaty on January 14, 1784, officially establishing the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.
- May 1787: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention gather in Philadelphia.
- September 17, 1787: Members of the Constitutional Convention sign the final draft of the Constitution. It must be ratified by at least nine states to make its adoption official.
- October 27, 1787: The first of the pro-Constitution essays that would later be known as the Federalist Papers is published in a New York newspaper.
- June 21, 1788: New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify the new Constitution, making its adoption official.
- May 29, 1790: Rhode Island becomes the last state to ratify the new Constitution.
- December 15, 1791: The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified, establishing fundamental rights of US citizens.
Suggestions for Teachers
- Ask students to select a map from the time of the American Revolution. Without revealing background information about the map, allow students time to closely examine it and describe what they see. Encourage students to list words, phrases, symbols, numbers, and other details that stand out. Ask students to name things that are unfamiliar or surprising. Encourage students to hypothesize: Who created the map and why, when and where was it produced, and what does it depict? Finally, share the background information about the map and ask: How does this information support or refute parts of their hypothesis? What questions do students still have about the map?
- Direct students to select one or more historic newspaper accounts from Chronicling America that report on, or express an opinion on, events from the American Revolution. Encourage them to identify the different perspectives that are included in each account. Are any perspectives missing? Why might that be?
- Challenge students to analyze a rough draft of one of the nation's founding documents. Ask them to identify corrections or other changes marked on the document and to speculate as to why those changes were suggested. Which of those changes were made in the final document? Ask them to discuss the ways in which the nation might have turned out differently if those changes hadn't been made.
