The Revolutionary War is a complex subject…
Listed below are a variety of resources to help you cover the subject, everything from YouTube videos that may be helpful to books (both young adult and picture books). Please be aware that this resource was originally created in 2015 and many of the links may be out of date. I have done my best to update those linked on this page.
Coming Soon: Resources for Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson!
If you have not yet read the latest book by Laurie Halse Anderson, I highly recommend that you do! It is fantastic historical fiction set in Boston just as the British troops evacuate Boston, and then there is an influx of smallpox.
NEW for NOVEMBER 2025!: The American Revolution by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt
For review the events leading up to the war, the first episode covers most of the events of Massachusetts in one go. The first episode ends with Lexington and Concord, and the second episode begins with a very in-depth review of Bunker Hill.
- Timeline of Revolutionary War by the National Park Service
- Boston National Historic Park
- Making Invisible Ink – KQED Full-Time Kid
More Online Resources:
- The Boston Reconsidered Blog (A publication of Revolutionary Spaces)
- Robin wrote blog posts on the Revolutionary War for On King Street (the precursor to Boston Reconsidered).
- Massachusetts Historical Society Digital Archives – http://masshist.org/collections/online
- Journal of the American Revolution: https://allthingsliberty.com/
- Boston 1775 (John Bell): http://boston1775.blogspot.com/
- Foxtrot Firefly’s Research Report: https://foxtrotfirefly.substack.com/t/american-revolution
Videos:
- Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZfRaWAtBVg
- Follow A Patriotic Family: http://video.pbs.org/video/1633550857/
- Cliveden: http://video.pbs.org/video/1603931054/
- Slavery & Freedom: http://video.pbs.org/video/2233128518/
- Finding Your Roots: RDJ’s Patriot Ancestor: http://video.pbs.org/video/2220940437/
- A Map of Valley Forge: http://video.pbs.org/video/2285050331/
Music:
Hamilton: An American Musical can be used, particularly “My Shot”, “Battle of Yorktown”. (The second act is good for looking at the first years of the new nation and the original political parties.)
1776 has several songs that can be used for the years up to declaring independence. (The song “Molasses to Rum” is specifically cited in the text set for usage to discuss slavery at the time of the revolution.)