CONSEQUENCES:

About 7,200 Americans died in battle during the Revolution. Another 10,000 died from disease or exposure and about 8,500 died in British prisons.
A quarter of the slaves in South Carolina and Georgia escaped from bondage during the Revolution. The Northern states outlawed slavery or adopted gradual emancipation plans.
The states adopted written constitutions that guaranteed religious freedom, increased the legislature's size and powers, made taxation more progressive, and reformed inheritance laws.

Much more than a revolt against British taxes and trade regulations, the American Revolution was the first modern revolution. It marked the first time in history that a people fought for their independence in the name of certain universal principles such as rule of law, constitutional rights, and popular sovereignty.

To learn more about the Revolution's causes, history, and signficance

"I hope you will not consider yourself as commander in chief of your own house",
Lucy Knox to her husband General Henry Knox, August 23, 1777

To learn more about documents of the Revolutionary era

Maps:

(1783) The United States of North America with the British and Spanish territories according to the treaty.

To learn more about maps of the Revolutionary era

Images:

	Spirit of '76. Copy of painting by Archibald M. Willard, 1876.
	Washington Crossing the Delaware. Artist: E. Leutze. Engraver: J. Rogers
	Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth. Copy of engraving by J.C. Armytage after Alonzo Chapel.

To learn more about images of the Revolutionary era

Timelines:

A timeline of the Revolution
A timeline of the 18th century

Fact sheets and lesson plans:

Fact sheets:
Toward Revolution
Impact of the Revolution
Recommended lesson plan:
Declare the Causes:The Declaration of Independence
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=282

Fact checks:

Test your knowledge about the Revolutionary War
Quiz 1
Quiz 2

Recommended readings:

Ray Raphael, A People's History of the American Revolution. The Revolution-its origins, nature, and consequences-as seen through the eyes of ordinary people, including 15-year-old Joseph Plumb Martin, a soldier in George Washington's army; James Forten, a 15-year-old African American powder handler; Sybil Luddington, the female Paul Revere, as well as Tory loyalists, Native Americans, and slaves.

Gordon S. Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Rejecting the notion that the revolution was essentially a conservative effort to defend American rights against British encroachments, Wood argues that was the Revolution was truly revolutionary-transforming a hierarchical, deferential society into one that was much more democratic and commercial.

Recommended film:

1776, a musical portraying the events surrounding the Continental Congress and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Comprehensive reviews of this movie

Learn more:

The first major film to deal with the America Revolution, Robert Goldstein's Spirit of '76, is a textbook example of a movie appearing at precisely the wrong time. The film was completed in 1917, as the United States was entering World War I as an ally of Britain. A federal appeals court judge ruled that "the disposition and purpose of the whole play…is to incite hatred of England and England's soldiers." Goldstein served three years in jail for attempting to distribute a picture "calculated to foment disloyalty or insubordination" among American servicemen.

To learn more about Hollywood's depictions of the American Revolution

Recommended Web site:

Liberty
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty
The companion site to the PBS series Liberty! Chronicle of the Revolution.
To learn more about Web sites of the Revolutionary era

This site was updated on 06-Oct-08.