What factors go into a decision to enter a war? Use a collection of primary source documents and images to prompt a discussion about the American Revolution and the reasons for entering a war against Britain.

Uncle Sam wants you to support the troops. Learners use an engaging lesson plan to analyze primary and secondary sources to discover what life was really like for American citizens at home during WWII. Pupils complete...

This article on the American Revolutionary War looks at its causes, the phases of the war, naval warfare, the involvement of other countries, the Treaty of Paris, the different groups of combatants, and the impact of the war.

Unfortunately, "literary" writing was not as simple and direct as political writing. When trying to write poetry, most educated authors stumbled into the pitfall of elegant neoclassicism. The epic, in particular, exercised a fatal...

The passion of Revolutionary literature is found in pamphlets, the most popular form of political literature of the day. Over 2,000 pamphlets were published during the Revolution. The pamphlets thrilled patriots and threatened loyalists;...

A short biography of Alexander Hamilton containing information on his military service during the American Revolution as well as his later life in politics.

A scholarly look at the use of propaganda to influence American support for World War I once the country entered the fray. Read about the Committee on Public Information, examples of harassment of those not deemed sufficiently patriotic,...

This general overview of the events leading to the American Revolution includes images from the time period.

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...

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...

Sybil Ludington was just 16 years old when she made a night-time ride rallying Patriot soldiers During the American Revolution.

Samuel Adams was born on September 22, 1722, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He entered Harvard College at the age of 14. During the 1760s, Adams became a leader of the Patriot resistance to the British government's attempt to tax the American...

Thomas Paine was a major figure during the early years of the American Revolution. One of the foremost propagandists for American liberty in the 1770s, Paine penned words that rallied the war-weary spirit of the colonists and that still...

Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and joined the Patriot forces during the American Revolution. She was the only woman to earn a military pension for participation in the Revolutionary army.

Alexander Hamilton is perhaps the most misunderstood and under-appreciated of the Founders. A proponent of a strong national government with an "energetic executive," he is sometimes described as the godfather of modern big government....

A biography of Patrick Henry which focuses on his years as a lawyer and his involvement in the American Revolution. Content also includes a fact sheet on his life.

Read Edward Everett Hale's famous short story here. Scroll down and choose "Previous," for criticism and interpretation of the story by Henry S. Canby.

A short biography of John Phillip Sousa (1854-1932 CE). Click to the past radio shows to hear his music and learn more about this famous composer.

The Library of Congress provides a brief biography of Richard Henry Lee. Select "Return to Essay" to explore his role within the context of America's fight towards independence.

This site gives a brief description of the famous historical painting by Emmaneul Gottlieb Leutze.

Overview and biographical facts on the life of Patrick Henry, famous patriot and one of the Founding Fathers of America.

Overview and biographical facts on the life of Paul Revere, a political activist and patriot who had roles in the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.

This resource presents biographical information about Nancy Morgan Hart. Along with a retelling of her actions, assisting the patriots, in the American Revolution.

An exciting account of the stirring events of the battle between Loyalists and Patriot backwoodsmen at the Battle of King's Mountain in October 1780.