Lesson Plans - History Day - Time Periods - Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)

Teaching Resources

Lessons plans and sites with focused primary sources.

These are a few examples.

National Archives (NARA)

Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
DOCSTeach primary sources. Use pull down menu to select an era.
Founders Online (National Archives)
Through this website, you can read and search through thousands of records from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison and see firsthand the growth of democracy and the birth of the Republic.
American Revolution
DOCSTeach site: "Teaching Tools and Primary Sources about the Revolution and Founding a New Nation".

Smithsonian

Smithsonian - American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
Exhibit from the National Museum of American History.

National Park Service (NPS)

Use these resources from the National Park Service to learn more about how place is an important piece of discovering history.

Timeline of the Revolution
From the Seven Years War (Fort Necessity National Battlefield) to declaring Independence (Independence National Historic Park) through campaigns across the north and south, to surrender (Colonial National Historic Park), this timeline will help locate the Revolution for your students. Be sure to include how this victory forced Native Americans out to the West (Fort Stanwix National Monument) as you trace the timeline from 1763 - 1787.
People of the American Revolution
Follow the people and where they lived/worked during this time

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Read brief biographies of figures of the Revolution. Use the search tool if looking for someone specific.
American Revolution - A New Nation
Use this link for a direct path to Revolutionary Historical websites
Teaching the 250th with Historic Places: A Field Guide to Lessons for America’s Semiquincentennial
This guide is part of the Teaching with Historic Places program.

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Site: This guide contains lessons designed to give students both a sense of place and the big themes in American history. The lesson plans will help students evaluate the values of the Declaration of Independence through a diverse set of historical places. These lessons are inquiry-based, student-centered and built on primary source documents. Most of them will give students extensions to explore these themes in their own community.

The ideas from the Declaration or Constitution can often feel abstract to students. Here, four themes categorize the documents: liberty, equality, memory, and belonging. Anchoring these themes in specific places help students connect to the past. The guide will highlight specific lessons in different eras of American history that showcase these themes. Teaching with Historic Places lessons give a nuanced picture of the struggles and triumphs of different generations of Americans to form "a more perfect Union."

Library of Congress (LOC)

Revolution and the New Nation (1764-1815)
Teaching With The Library. Primary Sources & Ideas for Educators from Library of Congress
Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789 Library of Congress: "Contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Items include extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, treaties, and early printed versions of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Most broadsides are one page in length; others range from 1 to 28 pages. A number of these items contain manuscript annotations not recorded elsewhere that offer insight into the delicate process of creating consensus. In many cases, multiple copies bearing manuscript annotations are available to compare and contrast."
American Revolution: A Resource Guide (LOC)
Library of Congress (LOC) research guide: "The American Revolution (1763-83) was a rebellion by the colonies to win independence from Great Britain that led to the creation of the United States of America. This guide provides access to digital materials and a print bibliography."
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774 to 1875
Beginning with the Continental Congress in 1774, America's national legislative bodies have kept records of their proceedings. The records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Congress make up a rich documentary history of the construction of the nation and the development of the federal government and its role in the national life. These documents record American history in the words of those who built our government.