Voices of Revolution
In 2026, as we mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are pleased to share a suite of classroom resources featuring our Year in Revolution video series that explore the variety of people—American, French, British, Loyalist, Female, Black, Native American, German, Spanish—who participated in the Revolutionary War and some of the battlefields where their paths crossed—from well-known battles at Yorktown and Brandywine to lesser-known engagements like Young’s House, New York, and Pensacola, Florida.
Learn more about our exhibition Voices of Revolution.
AMERICAN “NOTIONS OF INDEPENDENCE”
The Enlightenment ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence directly influenced the actions of the citizens and soldiers of colonial America. In this lesson students analyze primary sources to discover how the Declaration of Independence’s argument for liberty and independence was articulated and reflected throughout the newly independent states, and how those ideals continue to shape our nation today.
American Notions of Independence
AMERICA’S FIRST ALLIES: THE ONEIDA INDIAN NATION
Students will explore how the American colonies’ greatest Indigenous supporter declared neutrality at the onset of the Revolution and hypothesize why they ultimately gave their allegiance to the colonists.
America's First Allies
VOICES FROM THE HULL: WILLIAM RUSSELL AND THE EXPERIENCE OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR PRISONERS
Students will analyze William Russell’s Revolutionary War letters and related documents to explore the shared hardships, resilience, and emotional experiences of American prisoners of war through primary source investigation and historical inquiry.
voices from the hull
WITNESSES TO WAR: WALDECK, DE GALVEZ, AND THE BATTLE FOR PENSACOLA
Students explore the global dimensions of the American Revolution through the intersecting experiences of Philipp Waldeck, Bernardo de Gálvez, and the Siege of Pensacola, using primary sources and maps to uncover how German soldiers, Spanish commanders, and Gulf Coast geography shaped the course of the war.
witnesses to war