On April 19, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War, were fought. These battles would inspire Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous poem, “Concord Hymn,” which he wrote for the July 4, 1837 dedication of a memorial obelisk commemorating the fight at Concord.
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith, was asked by Joseph Warren to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British troops were marching to arrest them. After crossing the Charles River by rowboat, he rode to Lexington, alerting patriots along the way. Revere got word to Adams and Hancock, but was captured by a British Army patrol on his way to Concord. Revere … Read more »
On January 29, 1737, Thomas Paine was born in Norfolk, England. In 1774, he moved to London, where he met Benjamin Franklin, who suggested that he consider emigrating to America. Taking Franklin’s advice (and his letter of introduction), Paine arrived in Philadelphia on November 30, 1774. Soon thereafter he became a citizen of Pennsylvania and, in January of 1775, took up the editorship of Pennsylvania Magazine.
On January 10, 1776, … Read more »
Over at City Journal, Myron Magnet has a new article that reminds us just how incredible the American founding was. “That so many great men came together at that time and place to do such great deeds,” he writes, “is one of history’s most thought-provoking miracles.”
Comparing the success of the American revolution with the failures of the French and Russian revolutions, Magnet argues that “a key reason the [American] revolution … Read more »
On October 26, 1774, the First Continental Congress petitioned King George III with a list of grievances, seeking his assistance to provide to the colonists their rights as English citizens. The letter was signed by fifty-one delegates to the Congress. Writing as “English Freemen” and “the heirs of freedom,” the Congress sought relief from the Coercive Acts, passed by the British Parliament in March of 1774, that the colonists … Read more »
Distinguished scholar-teachers Amy and Leon Kass demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.
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“What a wonderful collection of American songs, speeches, and stories. It should be valuable for teachers, students, parents, and readers of all kinds.”
— Diane Ravitch
