PBS
Pbs Liberty!: Benedict Arnold's Leg
The PBS program "Liberty!" notes Saratoga National Historic Park's monument to Benedict Arnold's leg. A brief, partial biography of Benedict Arnold covers the significance behind the monument, as well as the events that followed Arnold's...
Library of Congress
Loc: Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words
This extensive exhibition offers observations on various facets of Franklin's life, as well as his writing and other accomplishments.
Other
Object of History: Remembrances of Revolution and Declaration of Independence
View copies of three original documents that are letters between political leaders concerning the Declaration of Independence.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Making Rules
Follow the incremental process that the colonial leaders took over a ten-year period of time making new rules that would finally result in independence from Great Britain. See how many of them really didn't plan on independence, but that...
University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: Richard Henry Lee
Good, introductory biography from the University of Groningen of Richard Henry Lee and the Lee family. Text provides hyperlinks to related information.
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The Articles of Confederation
At this site from the University of Groningen's page of "From Revolution to Reconstruction", you can read the Articles of Confederation, written in 1781. Authors listed with the states for which they were writing.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: School Publishers: An Interview With Thomas Jefferson
"What do you think Thomas Jefferson was like as a person? What were his interests and hobbies? Where did he go to school? Imagine yourself as a reporter in 1826, about to interview Mr. Jefferson at Monticello, his home."
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: James Madison
A brief biography of James Madison. Find out why James Madison was called the father of the constitution. Learn how his life affected the United States. (In Spanish)
University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: Daniel Leonard (1740 1829)
This article tells of a prominent Massachusetts lawyer who wrote a series of letters expressing the Loyalist point of view.
![Digital History: The Battle of Lexington [Pdf] Website](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Digital History: The Battle of Lexington [Pdf] Website")
Digital History
Digital History: The Battle of Lexington [Pdf]
Primary sources make for good reading. Here find accounts by the colonial militia commander, the British commander, and accounts by soldiers themselves that tell of their impressions of what happened at the Battle of Lexington. [PDF]
Digital History
Digital History: Declaring Independence [Pdf]
Follow the steps that Americans took before declaring their independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence set out the ideals and reasons behind this stunning move. Use the student exercises to understand the different levels...
Digital History
Digital History: The Age of Constitution Writing [Pdf]
See how colonial and state constitutions differed and how the idea of a social contract between a government and its citizens is reflected in the state constitutions. The second half of this site gives an abbreviated text of the Articles...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Revolution Begins
General Thomas Gage, an amiable English gentleman with an American-born wife, commanded the garrison at Boston, where political activity had almost wholly replaced trade. Gage's main duty in the colonies had been to enforce the Coercive...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Constitutional Convention
George Washington wrote of the period between the Treaty of Paris and the writing of the Constitution that the states were united only by a "rope of sand."Disputes between Maryland and Virginia over navigation on the Potomac River led to...
University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: Abraham Baldwin 1754 1807
Baldwin was born at Guilford, Conn., in 1754, the second son of a blacksmith who fathered 12 children by 2 wives. Besides Abraham, several of the family attained distinction. His sister Ruth married the poet and diplomat Joel Barlow, and...
Digital History
Digital History: The Road to Revolution
A time line and explanation of the many events, including the colonists' interpretations of those events, that led to the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War.
Digital History
Digital History: The Revolution Begins
Perhaps if King George III had been attentive to the colonists' pleas, things would have turned out differently. Read about the siege of Boston by the British troops, and the "shot heard around the world."
Digital History
Digital History: Declaring Indpendence
Read about the ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence espoused by those brave souls who signed their names to the revolutionary document in 1776.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Story Behind the Boston Tea Party
This short TED talk given by Ben Labaree gives the background of the Boston Tea Party and its eventual ramifications. [3:48]
US National Archives
Our Documents: Great Seal of the United States (1782)
View and learn about the original design of the great seal, including the history of its creation and its current uses.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Signers of the Declaration: John Adams
This site provides an interactive biography of former President John Adams, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Other
Thomas Jefferson
Citizendium is similar to Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia where the public edits articles. In this article, an overview of Jefferson's life and political views are provided.
Other
Object of History: Jefferson Desk (Desk on Which the Declaration Was Drafted)
Provides information on the desk that Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Other
Object of History: Other Authors of the Declaration of Independence
View a photo of the committee that discussed the important points to be covered in the Declaration of Independence.