Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
Loon Lake Elementary: Heading to War
This general overview of the events leading to the American Revolution includes images from the time period.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: The Transatlantic Slave Trade
A collection uses primary sources to explore the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Digital History
Digital History: The French and Indian War [Pdf]
Read about George Washington's role in the beginning of the French and Indian War, which started in the wilderness of the English colonies and spread to Europe. Was this war a major cause of the American Revolution? Students are asked to...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Taxation Without Representation?
Check out this informative site to learn more about life in the colonies before the Revolutionary War. Find out why the colonists had issues with "taxation without representation." "You will work independently and in pairs to learn about...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Black Lost Cause: Implications of Colored Service
Discusses the difficulties involved in developing a true picture of how many African Americans actively supported the Confederate cause.
University of Groningen
American History: Presidents: Thomas Jefferson
Included here are Thomas Jefferson's two inaugural addresses and his State of the Nation speeches. You can follow Jefferson's increased distress concerning the young nation's treatment by European nations. Fascinating reading.
University of Groningen
American History: Presidents: James Madison
Included are James Madison's two inaugural addresses, his State of the Nation speeches, as well as other writings related to the Constitution. Of particular interest is his speech of 1812.
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: James Otis
James Otis was called the most important American of the 1760s by John Adams. A trained lawyer and master of argument, James Otis was a leader of the Patriot movement in Boston in those years. Initially a prosecutor for the British...
Other
Object of History: Rallying Revolutionaries: "Common Sense"
Annotated excerpts from Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" that clearly demonstrate the writer's ability to persuade his American readers to separate from England.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: French and Indian War
This resource is an essay on the war between Britain and Indian allies and France and Indian allies in 1750s and 1760s. It discusses background, progress, and effects of the French-Indian war.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: Impact of Dred Scott: Beginning Scott v Sandford
Explains the background for the Dred Scott case and its journey through the court system, finally reaching the US Supreme Court.
US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: Courage of the Founders:perilous Road to Independence
Primary source document, The Agreemnt of Secrecy, 1775, and an 1896 painting in the Old Raleigh Tavern, outlining and illustrating the strict rules of secrecy adopted by Congress to protect lives and the cause of American liberty, .
National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame: Mercy Otis Warren
Short biographical sketch on Mercy Otis Warren, an American revolutionary activist who called for revolt against the British.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Land of the Brave: Boston Tea Party
Article on the 1773 Boston Tea Party details the events, cause, and effect.
Curated OER
God Arising and Pleading His People's Cause
This essay discusses how religion influenced people in regards to fighting the British during the American Revolution. There are several primary sources to examine in this site.
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: John Dickinson
John Dickinson was called "The Penman of the American Revolution." During the 1760s and 1770s, he authored numerous important essays in defense of American rights, including The Late Regulations Respecting the British Colonies, the...
Digital History
Digital History: The Stamp Act and Virtual Representation [Pdf]
This lesson plan is from a unit on events leading to the American revolution. It highlights the Stamp Act, and the British concept of 'virtual representation' where a member of government was believed to represent every citizen, not just...
Digital History
Digital History: British Mercantilism and the Cost of Empire [Pdf]
Learn about the theory of mercantilism and how it affected the economies of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. Practice making a bar graph showing the value of exports to and imports from England between 1700 and 1774 with...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Gabriel's Rebellion: Another View of Virginia
Gabriel Prosser, a skilled slave, planned a revolt as a way to carry out the ideals of the American Revolution and give freedom to slaves. Read about what his vision was, what group of white men might be helpful to his cause, and what...
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Charles Pinckney
Born near Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina, Charles Pinckney was the child of a wealthy family. He received a first-rate education and became an accomplished lawyer. Pinckney joined the state militia during the American...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Independence: Boston Tea Party and Other Acts of Rebellion [Pdf]
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that helps learners understand why the American colonists objected to taxation without representation. Includes activities that investigate the acts...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Great Depression
This site provides a brief description of the events surrounding the 20's and the Great Depression in the United States.
Other
Schoolhouse Rock: No More Kings
This resource provides fun lyrics to a song called No More Kings about the beginnings of the American Nation. This is taken from the popular 1970s cartoon series, Schoolhouse Rock.
Bowling Green State University
United States History: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration
These are study notes for key points when learning about the industrialization of America during the Gilded Age. Looks at causes and consequences of the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, the impact of rapid urbanization, and the...