Teacher’s Guide

teachersguide

Our Journal of the American Revolution Teacher’s Guide is a collection of more than 175 insightful, groundbreaking, myth-busting and thought-provoking articles that will help engage students who are learning about our nation’s founding era.  Beyond this collection, we also maintain a searchable archive of 800+ articles, as well as publish annual volumes and a book series. Plus, if assign research papers, be sure to review or share our JAR Style Guide for helpful tips and rules on common history terms and punctuation. Check back for updates.

People

// Top 10 Patriot Militia Commanders of the Revolutionary War by Thomas Thorleifur Sobol
// Top 5 Foreign Continental Army Officers (Other Than Lafayette) by Gene Procknow
// Top 10 Continental Army Generals by William M. Welsch
// The 10 Worst Continental Army Generals by William M. Welsch
// 10 Remarkable Runaway Ads by Don N. Hagist
// 8 Fast Facts About Hessians by Bethany Collins
// 8 Fast Facts About Camp Followers by Robert M. Dunkerly
// Top 10 British Losers by Andrew O’Shaughnessy
// Top 10 American Loyalist Officers by Gene Procknow
// 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War by Pamela Murrow
// Top 10 Women Writers by Don N. Hagist
// Top 10 Partisans of the Southern Campaigns by Wayne Lynch
// Young People at War by Thomas Fleming
// Top 10 Facts About British Soldiers by Don N. Hagist
// African Americans in the American Revolution by Thomas Fleming
// Alexander Hamilton’s Extramarital Escapades by John L. Smith, Jr.
// Paoli: Hero of the Sons of Liberty by Bob Ruppert
// Benedict Arnold: Natural Born Military Genius by James Kirby Martin
// Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold and a “forgotten” Publius by Stephen Brumwell
// The Carefree and Kindhearted General George Washington by Nancy K. Loane
// George Mason: Author of Rights by Bob Ruppert
// His Majesty’s Indian Allies: 10 Notables by Joshua Shepherd
// Joseph Plumb Martin, Soldier-Author by Robert Carver Brooks
// Isaac Barré: Advocate for Americans in the House of Commons by Bob Ruppert
// Enlisting Lasses: Women Who Aspired to be Soldiers by Don N. Hagist
// Indian Patriots from Eastern Massachusetts: Six Perspectives by Daniel J. Tortora
// The Loyalist Refugee Experience in Canada by Alexander Cain
// Three Brave British Army Wives by Don N. Hagist
// William Lee & Oney Judge: A Look at George Washington & Slavery by Mary V. Thompson
// How Old Were Redcoats? Age and Experience of British Soldiers in America by Don N. Hagist
// Abraham Woodhull: The Spy Named Samuel Culper by Michael Schellhammer
// James Rivington: King’s Printer and Patriot Spy? by Todd Andrlik
// A Patriot-Loyalist: Playing Both Sides by Todd W. Braisted
// Alexander Hamilton, Dangerous Man by Michael Schellhammer
// Domestic Disputes: Public Announcements of Private Affairs by Don N. Hagist
// George Washington’s Use of Humor during the Revolutionary War by Joseph Manca
// Militia and Continentals by Thomas Fleming
// Fever by Kim Burdick
// Top 10 Banastre Tarleton Myths by John Knight

Places

// Mount Vernon During the American Revolution by Mary V. Thompson
// 10 Quotes from Valley Forge by Nancy K. Loane
// The Blue Hills Beacons by Bob Ruppert
// Fortifying Philadelphia: A Chain of Redoubts and Floating Bridges by Bob Ruppert
// The Great West Point Chain by Hugh T. Harrington

Politics

// Barlow Trecothick’s Role in the Repeal of the Stamp Act by Bob Ruppert
// A Brief Guide to the British Government by Will Monk
// Breaking News 1776: First Reports of Independence by Todd Andrlik
// Traveling to the Second Continental Congress by Will Monk
// Coercive Powers Amendment by Bob Ruppert
// How John Adams Almost Undermined the French Alliance by Bob Ruppert
// Vice-Admiralty Courts and Writs of Assistance by Bob Ruppert
// When Rabble-Rousing Samuel Adams Slowed Down the Revolution by Ray Raphael
// The Seed from which the Sons of Liberty Grew by Bob Ruppert
// Reconciliation No Longer An Option by Bob Ruppert
// Benjamin Franklin: America’s First Whistleblower by John L. Smith, Jr.
// The Three Documents that brought France into the War by Bob Ruppert
// The Currency Act: A Problem and a Solution by Bob Ruppert
// The First Continental Congress Responds to the Intolerable Acts by Michael Cecere
// The Stamp Act – A Brief History by Mary Nesnay
// Hyping the Boston Massacre by Michael Schellhammer
// “No Taxation without Representation” (Part 1) (Part 2) by J. L. Bell
// America’s First Declaration of Independence by Ray Raphael

Culture

// A Prisoner’s Poem: Philip Freneau’s Account of a British Prison Ship by Michelle Porter
// Satirizing the Revolution through Popular Song by Michelle Porter
// John Trumbull: Art and Politics in the Revolution by Morgan Sumrell
// Richard Williams Maps the Siege of Boston by Allison K. Lange
// Top 10 Revolutionary War Newspapers by Carol Sue Humphrey
// How Paul Revere’s Ride was Published and Censored in 1775 by Todd Andrlik
// “The Rattlesnake tells the Story” by Bob Ruppert
// Propaganda Warfare: Benjamin Franklin Fakes a Newspaper by Hugh T. Harrington
// Congress Bans Theatre! by David Malinsky
// Washington’s Five Books by J. L. Bell
// George Washington’s Favorite Play by Thomas Fleming
// A Short History of “Yankee Doodle” by Thomas Fleming
// The Role of Dancing by Pamela Murrow

Military and Conflict (Pre-1775)

// 5 Myths of Tarring and Feathering by J. L. Bell
// 7 Myths about the Boston Tea Party by Benjamin L. Carp
// The Battle of Golden Hill – Six Weeks Before the Boston Massacre by Bob Ruppert
// Prelude to Rebellion: Dunmore’s Raid on the Williamsburg Magazine by Norman Fuss
// Revising the Gaspee Legacy by Steven Park
// Strategy to Pre-war Violence? (Group Interview)
// Tides and Tonnage: A Different Take on the Boston Tea Party by Hugh T. Harrington
// You Won’t Believe How Samuel Adams Recruited Sons of Liberty by J. L. Bell
// The True Start of the American Revolution by Ray Raphael

Military and Conflict (1775-1783)

// Top 10 Battles of the Revolutionary War by Don N. Hagist
// The 25 Deadliest Battles of the Revolutionary War by Todd Andrlik
// Most underrated battle? (Group Interview)
// Most overrated battle? (Group Interview)
// 10 Facts About Prisoners of War by Gary Shattuck
// 20 Terrifying Revolutionary War Soldier Experiences by Thomas Verenna
// 10 Fateful Hits and Misses by Michael Schellhammer
// 5 Great Intelligence Successes (and 4 Failures) by Michael Schellhammer
// Dissecting the Timeline of Paul Revere’s Ride by Derek W. Beck
// The Tiger Aids the Eaglet: How India Secured America’s Independence by Richard Sambasivam
// After Yorktown: The Final Struggle for American Independence by Gene Procknow
// Furloughs, Discharges and the End of the Continental Army by Bob Ruppert
// Washington Plays Hardball with the Howes by John L. Smith, Jr.
// The Final Theaters, the Final Fights by Don Glickstein
// India: The Last Battle of the American Revolutionary War by John L. Smith, Jr.
// George Rogers Clark at Vincennes: “You May Expect No Mercy” by Joshua Shepherd
// The Bermuda Powder Raids of 1775 by Hugh T. Harrington
// Anthony Wayne’s 1782 Savannah Campaign by Hugh T. Harrington
// Misinformation, Disinformation, and Gen. Washington’s Gunpowder Supply by J. L. Bell
// Explaining Pennsylvania’s Militia by Thomas Verenna
// The Battle of Valcour Island by Michael Barbieri
// The Impact of General von Steuben by Michael Schellhammer
// The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge by John L. Smith, Jr.
// Bows and Arrows – Pikes and Spears by Hugh T. Harrington
// The Gunpowder Shortage by Jimmy Dick
// “Light Horse Harry” Lee and Pyle’s Massacre by Jim Piecuch
// Repercussions of the Battle of Camden by Jim Piecuch
// A Melancholy Accident: The Disastrous Explosion at Charleston by Joshua Shepherd
// Raid Across the Ice: the British Operation to Capture Washington by Benjamin Huggins

Economics

// Faking It: British Counterfeiting During the American Revolution by Stuart Hatfield
// How was the Revolutionary War paid for? by John L. Smith, Jr.
// The Worth of a Continental by Michael Barbieri
// What do Bond Prices Tell us About the Early Republic by Richard Sambasivam

Thought Provoking and Myth Busting

// Ages of Revolution: How Old Were They on July 4, 1776? by Todd Andrlik
// Was American Independence Inevitable? (Group Interview)
// How has your perspective changed? (Group Interview)
// How do you define “Founding Fathers”? (Group Interview)
// Which side benefited the most from the Native Americans? (Group Interview)
// 10 Myths for the Fourth of July by Ray Raphael
// George Washington or John Hanson: Who Was the First President? by Ray Raphael
// How the British Won the American Revolutionary War by Gene Procknow
// Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death”—Granddaddy of Revolution Mythologies by Ray Raphael
// Global distraction? (Group Interview)
// The American Crisis Before Crossing the Delaware? by Jett Conner
// Why Did George Washington Become a Revolutionary? by Ray Raphael
// Most Misunderstood Event? (Group Interview)
// Top 10 Reasons to Join the British Army by Don N. Hagist
// Drilling Holes in George Washington’s Wooden Teeth Myth by John L. Smith, Jr.
// Daniel Boone: Facts vs. Hearsay by John L. Smith, Jr.
// Most Important Diplomatic Action? (Group Interview)
// Did Paul Revere’s Ride Really Matter? by J. L. Bell
// The One Big Mystery? by Editors
// The Signal of Sam Adams by Ray Raphael
// Paul Revere’s Other Riders by Ray Raphael
// Who Shot First? The Americans! by Derek W. Beck
// When were they Patriots and Loyalists? (Group Interview)
// Could America Have Thrived Without Slavery? (Group Interview)
// Most Overrated Revolutionary? (Group Interview)
// Most Underrated Revolutionary? (Group Interview)
// The Aim of British Soldiers by Don N. Hagist
// The Battle of Bunker Hill by Howard Pyle by Don N. Hagist
// The Whites of their Eyes by Ray Raphael
// Mary Hays McCauley’s Claim to Fame by Ray Raphael
// Molly Pitcher and Captain Molly by Ray Raphael
// The Federalist (Papers): Then and Now by Ray Raphael
// Jefferson and the Declaration by Ray Raphael
// Haym Salomon: Financial Hero? by Hugh T. Harrington
// The Myth of Rifleman Timothy Murphy by Hugh T. Harrington
// Thomas Paine’s Inflated Numbers by Ray Raphael
// The Historiography of the American Revolution by Michael D. Hattem
// Revolutionary War Olympics: The Games Our Founders Played by Joshua Shepherd

Featured Primary Sources

// The Discharge
// The Revolutionary Rebus
// To the Sound of the Fife
// Building and Attacking Redoubts
// The Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg, Dixon and Hunter), August 26, 1775
// Map of Burgoyne’s Army After Bemis Heights
// Ebenezer Parkman’s Diary
// A View in America in 1778
// Military Paperwork: The Morning Report
// Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Massachusetts
// The Tombstone Edition: Pennsylvania Journal, October 31, 1765

Beyond the Classroom

// Top 10 Revolutionary War Movies by Hugh T. Harrington
// Essential American Revolution Library? (Group Interview)
// The Essential American Revolution Library by Hugh T. Harrington
// Revolutionary War 101: Beginning Books by Hugh T. Harrington
// Mount Independence: “The most intact Revolutionary War site in America” by Michael Barbieri
// A Revolutionary Guide to Arlington Cemetery by Gene Procknow
// More than a Library: The David Library of the American Revolution by Brianna Heverly
// Visiting Boston’s Liberty Tree Site by John L. Smith, Jr.
// Most Referenced Book? (Group Interview)
// Favorite Revolutionary War Site to Visit? (Group Interview)
// Needs Further Exploration? (Group Interview)
// The Ultimate Revolutionary War Infographic by Todd Andrlik

Videos About the American Revolution

// Journal of the American Revolution YouTube Channel

Wear What You Teach

// How Old Were They in 1776 (men’s t-shirt)
// Remember the Ladies (women’s t-shirt)
// 40 Revolutionary War Battles (men’s t-shirt)
// See more t-shirt and gift options

About JAR

Journal of the American Revolution is the leading source of information about the Revolutionary War era, providing educational, peer-reviewed articles by professional historians and experts. Designed for institutions, scholars and enthusiasts alike, our online journal, annual volumes and book series showcase the latest research and scholarship about the founding of the United States of America. Since 2014, JAR’s groundbreaking research has been cited by more than 20 history books and 30 Wikipedia entries. Our work has been featured by TIME Magazine, Discovery Channel, New York Times, Mental Floss, Smithsonian, Slate, National Review, Mount Vernon and more. We are also frequently asked to consult on television, museum and education curriculum projects. Recently, JAR was utilized by users of Genius.com to annotate the lyrics of severals songs from Hamilton, the Broadway musical.

 

Last Updated:

8/29/2016
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8/12/2016