Developed for the Museum’s exhibit, Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier, this 20-minute performance provides viewers with an opportunity to consider the opinions and experiences of someone who chose to fight for the British against uprisings in both North America and Ireland. Learners can also explore the evergreen online exhibit
Beyond the Battlefield: A Virtual Field Trip
Museums are great places to learn about life during the American Revolution, both on and off of the battlefield and both before and after the Revolutionary War itself. This virtual field trip features Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived… series of book from Scholastic, Inc., museum educator Adrienne Whaley, and curator Matthew Skic as
Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia – Virtual Exhibit Tour
During the Revolutionary War, James Forten – a young man of African descent born free in Philadelphia – served on a privateer ship to support the Revolutionary cause. Afterwards, he and his family fought to encourage the new nation to live up to its revolutionary ideals. Use the materials in this online exhibit, supported by
When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807 – Online Exhibit
Between 1776 and 1807, women and free people of African descent were legally allowed to vote in New Jersey if they met a property-ownership requirement. Through primary source documents, high-quality images of artifacts and historical objects, and interviews with historians, this exhibit explores a little-known moment in the history of the Revolutionary era, how the
Timeline of the American Revolution
Using a mixture of historical objects, artifacts, and documents drawn from the Museum’s collection, this multimedia timeline explores both key moments and surprising stories of the American Revolution. The Timeline features high-quality images and is enhanced by video explorations of select items. It encourages users to look closely, dig deeply, and even extend their experience
The Supreme Court and the 1876 Presidential Election – Video
In 1876 the outcome of the presidential election between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes was decided by a 15-member Commission, which included 5 Supreme Court Justices. Usually, the Hayes-Tilden election is taught as the event that ended Reconstruction, but this 15-minute video adds to that story. It examines the nuts of bolts of presidential
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Court-packing Controversy -Video
In 1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his plan to enlarge the Supreme Court to as many as 15 justices. Congress debated the merits of the plan and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes opposed it. After 168 days the bill failed, but the lessons from the Court-packing episode are relevant today. This 15-minute documentary designed
Lessons Plans for “Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Court-packing Controversy”
These lesson plans for basic high school and for AP US History have been created for students who have watched the video. They include activities such as analyzing part of the text of FDR’s Court-packing Plan, interpreting political cartoons reacting to the plan, and discussing the intersection of the three branches of government.
Freedom of the Press: New York Times v. United States
This documentary examines the First Amendment’s protection of a free press as well as the historic origins of this right and the ramifications of the landmark ruling in New York Times v. United States in which the Supreme Court that prior restraint is unconstitutional. The federal government could not prevent newspapers from publishing the Pentagon Papers. A lesson plan, Defenders of Liberty: The People and the Press, accompanies the video.
The Right to Remain Silent: Miranda v. Arizona
This documentary explores the landmark Supreme Court decision Miranda v. Arizona that said criminal suspects, at the time of their arrest but before any interrogation, must be told of their Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney. The decision led to the familiar Miranda warning that begins “You have the right to remain silent…”