Essays

The War for Independence

The essays in this section have been written by leading scholars of American history. They provide additional depth on events and ideas referred to in the introductory essay and, in some cases, different interpretations by historians looking at the same events. These essays are particularly useful in introducing your students to one of the most exciting aspects of studying history—understanding the past from a variety of perspectives.

Inventing American Diplomacy

Author: R. B. Bernstein Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

News of the Battle of Yorktown was published in Boston one week after Cornwallis

No Way Out: Lord Cornwallis, the Siege of Yorktown, and America’s Victory in the War for Independence

Author: James Kirby Martin Curriculum Subjects: Grade Levels:

The Indians’ War of Independence

Author: Colin G. Calloway Curriculum Subjects: Geography, Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar, based on a painting by John Singleton Copley, engraved by William Sharp, 1810. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

The Other Theater: The War for American Independence beyond the Colonies

Author: Patrick Spero Curriculum Subjects: Geography, World History Grade Levels:

“Entrance of the American Army into New York, Novr. 25th, 1783,” published by Vi

The Social and Intellectual Legacy of the American Revolution

Author: Gary B. Nash Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

“The Heroine of Monmouth, June 28, 1778,” Currier & Ives, 1876 (LC-USZC2-2573)

Women and Wagoners: Camp Followers in the American War for Independence

Author: Holly A. Mayer Curriculum Subjects: Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Essays from Other Sub-Eras

“Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge,” by Brown & Bigelow, 1907. (LOC)

Advice (Not Taken) for the French Revolution from America

Author: Susan Dunn Curriculum Subjects: World History Grade Levels: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Lockean Liberalism and the American Revolution

Author: Isaac Kramnick Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Recueil des loix constitutives des colonies, 1778 (GLC01720)

The Declaration of Independence in Global Perspective

Author: David Armitage Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Destruction of the statue of George III in New York, 1776. (GLC)

The Invention of the Fourth of July

Author: David Waldstreicher Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Letter to William Johnson, British commissioner of Northern Indian Affairs, 1761. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

The League of the Iroquois

Author: Matthew Dennis Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels:

Farewell to England, pamphlet by William Penn, 1682. (GLC)

The Origins and Legacy of the Pennsylvania Quakers

Author: Barry Levy Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy Grade Levels:

"History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution," fron

The Righteous Revolution of Mercy Otis Warren

Author: Ray Raphael Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, Literature, Religion and Philosophy Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Members of the Venezuelan Congress sign the that country’s declaration of independence from Spain. Detail from “El 5 de Julio de 1811,” by Juan Lovero (Colección Concejo Municipal del Distrito Federal, Caracas)

The US and Spanish American Revolutions

Author: Jay Sexton Curriculum Subjects: Economics, Geography, Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels:

Thomas Jefferson and Deism

Author: Peter S. Onuf Curriculum Subjects: Grade Levels: