Website Spotlight: Massachusetts Historical Society

Website URL: http://www.masshist.org/revolution/

Introductory Note:

Welcome to one in a series of posts which spotlight quality websites that I use with my U.S. History survey course students at Azusa Pacific University to enrich the regular material in our learning modules.

In this post, I limit myself to those specific aspects of the website which I find fit particularly well within our face-to-face class sessions (each student is required to bring a laptop to class) or as the basis for the students' regularly-assigned written reactions.

++++++++++

How This Site is Structured
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/teachers/about.php#structured

The heart of the website highlights 15 topics: An overview essay puts each topic in context--with links to specific documents.
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/topics.php

+++

I ask the students to work through the following links:

Sugar Act
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/sugar.php

Stamp Act
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/stamp.php

Formation of the Sons of Liberty
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/sons_of_liberty.php

Townshend Acts
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/townshend.php

Non-Consumption and Non-Importation
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/non_importation.php

Boston Massacre
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/massacre.php

Formation of the Committees of Correspondence
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/committees.php

Boston Tea Party
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/teaparty.php

Coercive Acts
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/coercive.php

First Continental Congress
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/congress1.php

Lexington and Concord
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/lexington.php

Second Continental Congress
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/congress2.php

Battle of Bunker Hill
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/bunkerhill.php

Washington Takes Command of the Continental Army
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/washington.php

Declaration of Independence
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/declarations.php

+++

Excerpts from John Rowe's Diary (the excerpts are blended into the 15 topics)
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/resources/rowes.php

+++

Check out these lesson plans:

Forces arguing for conflict versus those hoping to compromise
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/teachers/lessons/lesson_concept_4a.php

History did not have to happen the way it did. Counter-factual
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/teachers/lessons/lesson_concept_8.php

+++

Useful Links: This is done very completely
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/resources/useful_links.php

++++++++++

Concluding Note:

I hope you will use this blog post in conjunction with both the modules on my Learning Professor wiki and the numerous other posts in my Website Spotlight series.

1. The website spotlighted in this post fits within the following U.S. History survey course module on the wiki:
http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/Road+to+Revolution

2. The other blog posts in my Website Spotlight series--chronologically displayed by U.S. History survey course module-- can be found on this wiki page:
http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/WEBSITE+SPOTLIGHT