New York State Resource Guide for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution
Theme 1: Indigenous History is New York History
Ganondagan State Park (https://www.iloveny.com/listing/ganondagan-state-historic-site/125277/): Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, NY stands at the location of what was one of the largest, most vital 17th-century Seneca towns until its destruction in 1687.
New York State Museum (https://nysm.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/representguide.pdf): Exhibits on contemporary Native American Art appropriate for a diversity of ages, correlate.
New York Archives Junior (https://considerthesourceny.org/new-york-archives-jr/fall-2023): Designed for grades 4-8, NY Archives JR! The Fall 2023 theme issue is on the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people. Some Haudenosaunee people sided with the British. In 1777, colonists attacked Haudenosaunee homes.
Theme 2: Choose Your Side
PBS Learning Media: 250th (https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/shared/1165858/6390679/)
New York Archives Junior (https://considerthesource.s3.amazonaws.com/8017/2676/6031/NYArchives_Jr_Fall_2024_final_pagesLR.pdf): Designed for grades 4-8, NY Archives JR! The Fall 2024 theme issue focuses on the betrayal of Benedict Arnold and the capture of John Andre.
Black History (https://considerthesourceny.org/featured-collections/black-history-resources) Documents and learning activities related to the history, culture, and struggle for equality of African Americans in New York and the United States.
Treason of the Blackest Dye (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4SGafhwyfo) This video was created as a companion to the Fall 2024 NY Archives JR! and tells the story of the capture of John Andre and the area known as the Neutral Zone during the Revolution.
Theme 3: Power of Place
New York State Museum Fort Orange Guide (https://nysm.nysed.gov/fort-orange-educational-guide)
Created for teachers of the 4th and 7th grades, this educational guide provides five lessons that introduce students to Fort Orange and the world of New Netherland.
Path Through History (https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/path-through-history/attractions/historic-sites/) Links to the I Love NY Path Through History featuring numerous historical sites relevant to the six Themes of the Revolution.
Saratoga National Historical Park (https://savingplaces.org/places/saratoga-national-historical-park): The Battle of Saratoga was an American victory during the Revolutionary War in the fall of 1777.
Fort Ontario State Historic Site (https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/fortontario/details.aspx): Visitors to Fort Ontario State Historic Site today will see the star-shaped fort dating to the early 1840’s with 1863 to 1872 improvements.
Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site (https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/17/details.aspx): In the critical months that General George Washington spent at Newburgh, he made some of his most important contributions to shaping the American republic. It was here that Washington rejected the idea of an American monarchy.
Theme 4: We the People
Federal Hall (https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/17/details.aspx): On Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, George Washington took the oath of office as our first President. The building serves as a museum and memorial to our first President and the beginnings of the United States of America.
First Steps to Freedom (https://nysm.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/ep_teachers-guide_final_links_a_1.pdf): The educational materials in this guide were developed around President Abraham Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, a draft of which is in the collections of the New York State Library in Albany, New York.
The Fifteenth Amendment Educator Guide (https://nysm.nysed.gov/fifteenth-amendment): On February 3, 1870, the United States ratified the 15th Amendment, which allowed all African American men the right to vote. The educational materials in these activities were developed to explore the ratification of the 15th Amendment.
Theme 5: Unfinished Revolutions
Stonewall National Monument (https://www.iloveny.com/listing/stonewall-national-monument/31541/):
The birthplace of the modern gay rights movement took place on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village in June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn.
Women’s Rights National Historic Park (https://www.iloveny.com/listing/womens-rights-national-historical-park/3890/): Website for the Seneca Falls 1848 Women’s Rights Convention.
NYSM Women’s Suffrage Centennial Educator’s Guide (https://nysm.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/votes-for-women-educator-guide_0.pdf): A teaching aid for use with the New York State Museum’s exhibition Votes for Women.
Theme 6: Changing Interpretations of the Revolution
New York State Library American Revolution Primary Sources (https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/scandocs/revolution)
Fraunces Tavern Museum (https://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/history): Built by the De Lancey family in 1719, 54 Pearl Street has been a private residence, hotel, and one of the most important taverns of the Revolutionary War. The Fraunces Tavern Museum website featuring educational resources focused on the taverns impact during the American Revolution and its’ evolving legacy today.
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