United States History to 1877

Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s

USI.6

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American Revolution by

a) identifying the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the American Revolution;
b) identifying how political ideas shaped the revolutionary movement in America and led to the Declaration of Independence, with emphasis on the ideas of John Locke;
c) describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution, with emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine;
d) explaining reasons why the colonies were able to defeat Britain.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Begin the unit by asking students what advantages helped the American colonists win the Revolutionary War.
Explain that the defense of the colonists' own land, strong beliefs, and capable leadership contributed to the American victory in the Revolutionary War.
Review the key individuals and events of the American Revolution.
Review that the Treaty of Paris formally recognized the new nation in 1783, although many questions were left unsettled. The United States was floundering through a postwar depression and seeking not too successfully to meet its administrative problems under the Articles of Confederation.
The leaders in the new country were those prominent either in the council halls or on the fields of the Revolution, and the first three Presidents after the Constitution of the United States was adopted were Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Some of the more radical Revolutionary leaders were disappointed in the turn toward conservatism when the Revolution was over, but liberty and democracy had been fixed as the highest ideals of the United States.
The American Revolution had a great influence on liberal thought throughout Europe. The struggles and successes of the youthful democracy were much in the minds of those who brought about the French Revolution, and most assuredly later helped to inspire revolutionists in Spain's American colonies.
Summarize the colonial advatages that enabled the colonists to defeat the British.
Colonial advantages included:
- Colonists' defense of their own land, principles, and beliefs
- Support from France and Spain
- Strong leadership

WEB SITES

http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/USA/RevolutionEra.html
Resources on the Revolutionary War

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/amrevol.html
Links and lessons on the American Revolution from the Educational Technology Center - KSU

http://www.kidsclick.org/cgi-bin/searchkids.pl
KidsClick! Declaration of Independence Web links

http://chnm.gmu.edu/fairfaxtah/b21.html
These lessons were written by teachers from Fairfax County Public Schools participating in the Teaching American History Grant program

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
Numerous documents and other resources, including many primary source documents

http://www.history.org/
Information about the colonial capital

http://www.besthistorysites.net/USHistory_Colonial_print.html
Collection of sites on colonial American history

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
Numerous teaching and learning tools for lessons about American history

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