What Is Government?

Governments have been around for almost four thousand years. Throughout that time, they have shared the same central function: to lead and protect their people. Despite that similarity, governments do not all look or act the same way. This video explores what government is and to what extent your voice is heard by those in power.

Civic Engagement and How Students Can Get Involved

What rights and abilities do you have when it comes to advocating for issues you believe in? Use the lesson plan to discuss civic engagement and the role citizens play in making their voices heard.

Take the Political Party Quiz to Find Out Where You Fit!

Have you ever wondered where you fit on the political spectrum? To help you find out, PBS NewsHour partnered with the Pew Research Center to create a simple quiz that helps calculate your partisan status and how you compare with others.

Meet Richard St. George – Theatrical Performance

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

Through Their Eyes – Teacher Resource Guide

Built to support the Through Their Eyes core museum student experience, as well as use of the Virtual Tour of the Museum of the American Revolution, this teacher resource guide features modular activities of varying lengths, types, and purposes to encourage student thinking and discussion. High quality images, worksheets, and more engage students around themes

Virtual Tour of the Museum of the American Revolution

Use this virtual tour of the core galleries of the Museum of the American Revolution to explore the dynamic late 18th century through four guiding questions: How do people become Revolutionaries? How did the Revolution Survive its darkest hour? How Revolutionary was the war? What kind of nation did the Revolution create? Along the way,

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

Finding Freedom – Interactive Online Storybook

Drawing from historical sources as well as contemporary analysis, Finding Freedom explores the lives and decisions of five real people of African descent living in Virginia in 1781, as the British and American armies battle across the state. Their first-person narratives – supported by classroom resources, including primary sources – feature points of decision-making to

Season of Independence – Online Interactive Map and Timeline

Mirroring an in-museum resource, this interactive online map and timeline tracks statements of support for independence across the 13 American colonies in rebellion over time, while placing those colonies in larger geographic context. Throughout, it presents the voices of those who supported independence, disagreed, and hoped to avoid a war altogether. Use the accompanying classroom