From Lexington to Yorktown: A Class on the American Revolutionary War

Could George Washington lead an underfunded, poorly paid, untrained army of part-time soldiers to victory against the highly-trained, well-equipped professional army of the British Empire? He could. He did. And in this class, you'll learn how he did it. From the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord to the final battle at Yorktown, you'll meet the Patriots and Loyalists, soldiers and officers of both sides, the generals, diplomats, spies, and mercenaries, as well as the ordinary men and women who each played a role in this epic struggle between the American colonies and the British Crown.

Lesson 1: The Shot Heard Round the World
Preparation of militias * Patrick Henry's Give me Liberty speech *  Minutemen * Paul Revere's Ride * Battle of Lexington and Concord * Concord Hymn

Lesson 2: The Whites of Their Eyes
Second Continental Congress * petition to King George III * George Washington * Continental Army * Bunker Hill  

Lesson 3: We Hold These Truths
Loyalists and Patriots * Thomas Paine's Common Sense * Declaration of Independence * Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson 

Lesson 4: A Part-Time Army
Strengths and weaknesses of the combatants * African American participation and perspectives * Contributions of women 

Lesson 5: The Crossing
Battle of New York City * Nathan Hale * checkerboard strategy * The Crossing * Trenton and Princeton * Hessians

Lesson 6: A Turning Point
Hudson River strategy * John Burgoyne * William Howe * Horatio Gates * Battle of Saratoga * alliance with France 

Lesson 7: The Coldest Winter in America
Valley Forge * Frederick von Steuben * Marquis de Lafayette * 

Lesson 8: A Swamp Fox and a Victory at Sea
Southern Strategy * Savannah * Charleston * guerilla warfare * Francis Marion * George Rogers Clark * John Paul Jones *  Bonhomme Richard * Serapis * Benedict Arnold 

Lesson 9: The World Turned Upside Down
Charles Cornwallis * battle of Kings Mountain * Yorktown * Rochambeau 

Each week students will:
• view a recorded lesson that introduces the content
• view a recorded lesson that demonstrates a reading comprehension skill
• independently read and respond to written texts, videos, and images
• practice rare-word vocabulary on Quizlet (no student account necessary) 
• complete a challenge activity

In addition to the prerecorded lessons, I will provide a study exercise for each lesson that focuses on a discreet skill, such as summarizing, taking Cornell Notes, creating a content web, or using question-answer relationships to answer questions about a nonfiction text.

My teaching style is one of starting with a question and generating additional questions that often lead to unexpected connections and discoveries.  Each lesson will include a discussion of the sources from multiple perspectives, both primary and secondary, whether any of these sources contain bias, and whether there are areas of disagreement regarding the facts or interpretation.

Please note: There are no scheduled live video lessons.  Students will be expected to complete the weekly assignments and participate in the padlet activities at their own pace. This course format works well if your learner prefers independent pacing or is uncomfortable with live video classes.