Part 1 & 2 Short Essays
Colonial and Revolutionary America, through 1800
Your short essay for Parts 1 & 2 should each consist of a 3-5 page discussion of the topic based on original documents or on what you observed during a site visit. Recommended sites are shown on the right.
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Essay Topics |
Suggested Sites to Visit |
| Life in Colonial America. For this project you will look at life in Colonial America and examine the experiences of many who came to these sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile shores. |
Colonial Williamsburg |
| Colonial Virginia Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in North America, but it came close to not surviving. This project looks at the trials and tribulations of the early Virginians. |
Jamestown |
Religion in Colonial America. The Puritans were not the only religious colonists. Religion was in fact part of the fabric or every colony, and church and state were intimately tied together. This project asks you to examine religion across the colonies. |
| The Massachusetts Puritans. The term “Puritan” immediately conjures up a picture in the minds of most Americans: a Puritan was a stolid, generally unhappy, religious fanatic, dour and unsmiling, someone afraid of pleasure. But was there more to the founders of Massachusetts Bay than that? This project invites you to examine the contributions of the Puritans to American history. |
| The Enlightenment and America. For those who are curious about the intellectual development of the United States, an examination of the impact of the European enlightenment on American thinking during the colonial period may be of interest. Arguably, the most significant outcome of the Enlightenment—or “Age of Reason”—was the American Revolution. |
Last of the Mohicans: Film Project.
This 1992 film depicts the Battle of Fort William Henry in 1757 and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means and Wes Studi. It was directed by Michael Mann.
The film reveals much about colonial life and foreshadows the coming American Revolution. Be sure to read the background information linked from the film project page. See also “How to Critique. ” |
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| The George Washington Project. Learn about America's “Indispensable Man.” For this project it would be good to read all or part of one of the many fine biographies of Washington. |
Mt. Vernon |
| The Founding Congresses This Project Addresses the Colonial and Early American Assemblies, Congresses and Conventions that were Instrumental in Shaping the United States, from the Stamp Act Congress to the Constitutional Convention. |
Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia |
| The James Madison Project. Study the contributions of the “Father of the Constitution,” America's fourth president and the first Speaker of the House, considered by some to be the most brilliant thinker among the founding fathers. |
Montpelier
Orange, Virginia |
The Revolutionary War Era. What was the American Revolution really about? In fact, was it really a revolution at all?
Complete list of National Park Service sites related to the American Revolution
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Yorktown Battlefield
Valley Forge National Historic Park
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
North Carolina
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