Independence Day

To celebrate the 4th of July and generate public appreciation for our nation's history, Teaching with Historic Places is featuring lesson plans related to America's battle for independence, the creation of our nation, and other lessons with related Independence Day themes. These lessons, based on sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are free and ready for immediate classroom use by students in history and social studies classes.

• The Battle of Bennington: An American Victory
Learn how a battle in a tiny valley near the frontier in northern New York helped determine whether the American colonies would become an independent nation.

• The Battle of Bunker Hill: Now We Are at War
Learn how this American Revolution battle spurred colonial unity and sparked the formation of the Continental Army.

• The Battle of Oriskany: "Blood Shed a Stream Running Down"
Learn how New York's Mohawk Valley became the setting for a fierce Revolutionary War battle that pitted residents of the area, including the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, against each other.

• Glen Echo Park: Center for Education and Recreation
Understand the evolution Maryland's Glen Echo Park, including how this site served as a community center for celebrating the Fourth of July.

• Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence
Learn how the deceptive results of this battle in the backwoods of North Carolina helped set the stage for American victory.

• Independence Hall: International Symbol of Freedom
Learn about Independence Hall and about how the international influence of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution led to the designation of the building in which they were adopted as a World Heritage Site.

• The Liberty Bell: From Obscurity to Icon
Understand the influences that shaped the symbolic meaning of the bell and how it was transformed into an international symbol of liberty.

• “The Rockets' Red Glare”: Francis Scott Key and the Bombardment of Fort McHenry
Learn how the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore led to the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and how Key’s song became a powerful symbol for Americans. Learn how a classroom teacher uses this lesson.

• Saratoga: The Tide Turns on the Frontier
Learn about 18th-century warfare and the battle that was a turning point of the American Revolution.

• The Washington Monument: Tribute in Stone
Understand why George Washington was so revered during his lifetime and beyond, and learn why it took 100 years to complete this famous monument in his honor.

 
To learn more about TwHP's other lessons, visit the Lesson Plan Descriptions page.