American Revolution · 1775-1783

The American Revolution

Thirteen British colonies go to war with their king and declare that "all men are created equal". Students follow the war from Lexington to Saratoga and Yorktown, and ask what independence meant for Loyalists, enslaved people and Native nations as well as for the new United States.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1715 to AD 1783
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Thirteen British colonies go to war with their king and declare that "all men are created equal". Students follow the war from Lexington to Saratoga and Yorktown, and ask what independence meant for Loyalists, enslaved people and Native nations as well as for the new United States.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain three causes of the war between Britain and its American colonies.
  • Locate Lexington, Philadelphia, Saratoga and Yorktown and explain what happened at each.
  • Describe what independence meant for different groups, including enslaved people and Native nations.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1715

Thirteen colonies

Open the map in 1715 and find the British American colonies along the Atlantic coast. Compare them with the land to the west. Who lived in those lands?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1783

A new country

Jump to 1783 and find the United States of America. How far west does it reach now? Compare it with the colonies of 1715.

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1783

Britain's enemies

Zoom out over the Atlantic in 1783. France, Spain and the Dutch Republic all fought Britain during this war. Why would they help rebels against a king?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The colonists protested "no taxation without representation". What did they mean?
  2. The Declaration of Independence said "all men are created equal", yet many of its signers enslaved people. How do you explain this?
  3. Why was the American victory at Saratoga in 1777 a turning point?
  4. Thousands of enslaved people escaped to the British, who promised freedom to many of them. Why would the British do that?
  5. For many Native nations, an American victory meant losing more land. Why did most of them side with Britain?
4

Game round

10 min

Play a round of Rule History as Catherine the Great. In 1775 King George III asked her for Russian soldiers to fight in America, and she refused. Discuss: why would other rulers stay out of, or join, a war between a king and his colonies?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.