Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Lexington and Concord: A Historical Interpretation Lesson"

In Defense of Liberty: The Magna Carta in the American Revolution

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 09:29:26 GMT

In this lesson, students will carefully examine an authentic Massachusetts thirty-shilling note (1775) from the Museum's collection and hypothesize the meaning of its visual elements. Students will use primary and secondary sources to refine the hypothesis and in the process, discover the role the Magna Carta played in the colonists' defense of their rights as Englishmen. The lesson provides insight into the causes of the American Revolution and builds students' ability to read and interpret objects as primary sources.

War of Independence

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:37:36 GMT

Americans went to war to win their independence from Great Britain. Through the use of images and objects from the Museum's collections, students will learn about the involvement of colonial militias during the French and Indian War, the causes of the Revolution, life in the Continental Army, the major battles of the War of Independence, the participants on both sides of the conflict and the legacy of General George Washington. This website is part of the online exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. A non-flash version of the site is availalbe: The War of Independence.

The Dodge Family and Chance: Seeking Freedom in the Revolutionary War

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:38:06 GMT

Students can learn about the Dodges, Chance and life at the time of the American Revolution by investigating a room from their house, a will from 1786, and artifacts from the period. By the 1770s, Abraham and Bethiah Dodge and many other Americans were willing to risk everything for independence, and African Americans such as Chance, their slave; asked white patriots to live up to their ideas about liberty. The Dodges and Chance are one group of people that lived in the Ipswich, Massachusetts house which is the focus of Within These Walls, an online exhibition.