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Since 2015, Queen Elizabeth II has released more than 100,000 pages of documents in the Royal Archives relating to King George III. They reveal a startlingly new picture of the last king of America-one about as far removed as possible from the description of George in the Declaration of Independence: "A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."

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The Last King of America  - King George III

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The Last King of America  - King George III

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George III, who ruled between 1760 and 1820, was the first truly British monarch of the Hanoverian kings. Ruling Britain was his first priority and he never visited his family's home in Hanover. He was a well-intentioned and cultured family man. Sadly, his personal and political life was dogged by recurring bouts of severe mental and physical illness, and he was declared unfit to rule in 1811, handing the throne to his son, the Prince Regent, when his health failed. His illness baffled his doctors and has fascinated modern minds.

Unfairly characterised by historians as 'Farmer George' and 'mad King George', George III's long reign is notable for both his great successes and failures, including the independence of the American colonies.

We should not call George 'mad' today, but when he first fell ill he suffered additionally from the primitive medical treatment that leading doctors forced upon him in the seclusion of Kew.

Today George's personality resonates with our own times. He had an intense sense of duty and devotion to his family, as well as a curiosity in The Age of Enlightenment, which was undiminished by periods of debilitating illness.
Image: George III in coronation robes, c.1761-2. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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George III, who ruled between 1760 and 1820, was the first truly British monarch of the Hanoverian kings. Ruling Britain was his first priority and he never visited his family's home in Hanover. He was a well-intentioned and cultured family man.

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George III was the King of Great Britain and Ireland during the American Revolution. The death of his father, Frederick Lewis, the Prince of Wales, in 1751 meant that the 22-year-old prince succeeded his grandfather, George II, to the throne in 1760.

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America's Last King Wasn't the Crazy Tyrant You've Been Led to Believe

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Despite how he is portrayed in pop culture, King George III was no mad, crazy tyrant-and he can't be blamed for losing the American colonies

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Table of Contents

1. George III: Birth and Education

2. George III: Early Reign

3. George III: The American Revolution

4. George III: Mental Illness

England's longest-ruling monarch before Queen Victoria, King George III (1738-1820) ascended the British throne in 1760. During his 59-year reign, he pushed through a British victory in the Seven Years' War, led England's successful resistance to Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and presided over the loss of the American Revolution. After suffering intermittent bouts of acute mental illness, he spent his last decade in a fog of insanity and blindness.

George III: Birth and Education

The Georgian era (1714-1830) spanned the combined reigns of the five British monarchs from the Electorate of Hanover, a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. George III was the first Hanoverian king born in England rather than Germany. His parents were Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.

Did you know? The planet Uranus was originally named "Georgium sidus," the Georgian Star, after King George III of England, who had funded the 40-foot telescope William Herschel used in its discovery.

On his father's death in 1751, the 12-year-old George became Prince of Wales. He was cared for in relative isolation by his mother and tutored by the Scottish nobleman Lord Bute.

George III: Early Reign

George III became king of Great Britain and Ireland in 1760 following his grandfather George II's death. In his accession speech to Parliament, the 22-year-old monarch played down his Hanoverian connections. "Born and educated in this country," he said, "I glory in the name of Britain."

A year after his coronation, George was married to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of a German duke. It was a political union-the two met for the first time on their wedding day-but a fruitful one; Queen Charlotte gave birth to 15 children.

George III worked for an expedited end to the The Seven Years' War (1756-63), taking a position that forced his influential war minister William Pitt the Elder (who wanted to broaden the conflict) to resign in 1761. The next year George appointed Lord Bute as his prime minister, the first in a quick succession of five ineffective ministers.

In 1764 Prime Minister George Grenville introduced the Stamp Act as a way of raising revenue in the American colonies. The act was fervently opposed in America, especially by the pamphleteers whose paper would be taxed. Parliament would repeal the act two years later, but mistrust persisted in the colonies.

George III: The American Revolution

In 1770 Lord North became prime minister, beginning a 12-year period of parliamentary stability. In 1773 he passed an act taxing tea in the colonies. The Americans complained of taxation without representation (and staged the Boston Tea Party), but North held firm with George's backing.

The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The next year, the Declaration of Independence laid out the Americans' case for freedom, portraying George III as an inflexible tyrant who had squandered his right to govern the colonies. In reality the situation was more complex: Parliamentary ministers, not the crown, were responsible for colonial policies, though George still had means of direct and indirect influence.

The king was reluctant to come to terms with his army's defeat in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. He drafted an abdication speech but in the end decided to defer to Parliament's peace negotiations. The 1783 Treaty of Paris recognized the United States and ceded Florida to Spain.

George III: Mental Illness

At the end of 1783, Lord North's coalition was forced out by William Pitt the Younger, who would be prime minister for more than 17 years. In 1778 George lapsed into a months-long period of violent insanity. He was restrained with a straitjacket and suffered various treatments as crisis of rule unfolded around him. He recovered the next year and reigned for the next 12 as a newly beloved monarch and symbol of stability in the era of France's revolutionary chaos. George's support of England's role in the French Revolutionary Wars of the late 1790s offered early resistance against the Napoleonic juggernaut.

George suffered a second major bout of insanity in 1804 and recovered, but in 1810 he slipped into his final illness. A year later his son, the future George IV, became prince regent, giving him effective rule for the War of 1812 and Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. George III died blind, deaf and mad on January 29, 1820. His illnesses may have been caused by porphyria, an inherited metabolic disorder, though a 2005 analysis of hair samples suggested arsenic poisoning (from medicines and cosmetics) as a possible cause. He is buried in St. George's Chapel.

Fact Check

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George III - Children, Facts & The American Revolution

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During his 59-year reign, King George III led Britain to victory in the Seven Years' War, successfully resisted Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and presided over the loss of the American Revolution. He spent his last decade in a fog of insanity and blindness.

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American the Story of Us: Declaration of Independence 

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American the Story of Us: Declaration of Independence 

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America the Story of Us: Declaration of Independence | History

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Women Of The Revolutionary War: Camp Followers

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Hamilton: Building America | Full Episode | History

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Traitor Benedict Arnold Betrays the USA | The Revolution (S1, E7) | Full Episode

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George Washington: From General to President

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George Washington: From General to President

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George Washington: From General to President | The Revolution (S1, E13) | Full Episode

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Washington Leads the Revolution | America: The Story of Us (S1, E2) | Full Episode | History

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An American Rebellion Brews in Boston | The Revolution (E1) | Full Episode

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🇺🇸 Read Aloud | I Am George Washington by Brad Meltzer | CozyTimeTales

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BOSTON April 1, 1774 - King George III and Parliament responded decisively this week to The Boston Tea Party by closing the city port.

Four British regiments were sent to Boston, along with new Governor General Thomas Gage, who will replace the much-maligned Thomas Hutchinson.

Hardliners in the British government, looking for reasons to clamp down on the Bay colony, found their cause last December when the Sons of Liberty made a salty Darjeeling of Boston Harbor. 342 crates of tea were dumped into the ocean in response to a parliamentary act which imposed restrictions on the purchase of tea in the colonies.

In London, Massachusetts' agent to the British government, Benjamin Franklin, also felt the wrath of the British government. Franklin was excoriated in Parliament's Privy Council by Scottish barrister Alexander Wedderburn for his role in publishing some private correspondence damaging to Hutchinson.

For his part, Franklin stood stoically through the ordeal, but was heard to mutter "I shall make your king a little man for this," to Wedderburn as both left the council at the end of the day.

The tea party, Franklin's roasting in Parliament and now the closing of Boston harbor exemplify the hardening of positions on both sides of the Atlantic.

Relations began to sour soon after Britain tried to exact a price from her colonists for the protection of America and its ever expanding frontier .The 1765 Stamp Act,which was intended by Parliament to provide the funds necessary to keep the peace between settlers and the Native American populations in the wilderness, was loathed throughout the colonies. While its repeal in Parliament a year later was applauded by Americans, the British Government quickly enacted other provisions designed to fulfill the same function. Each was met with resistance in America.

Where Britain's actions will lead is the subject of wide speculation. While there is talk in America of some concerted effort on the part of the colonies to protest the closing of Boston harbor, historically, the colonies have been a diverse lot and many are skeptical whether they can unite in this cause. In any case, emotions are running high, and a sense of gloom is encompassing Massachusetts, and other colonies in America. One patriot mournfully observed, "Our cause is righteous and I have no doubt of final success. But I see our generation, and perhaps our whole land, drowned in blood."

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LIBERTY! . Chronicle of the Revolution . Boston 1774 | PBS

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BOSTON April 1, 1774 - King George III and Parliament responded decisively this week to The Boston Tea Party by closing the city port. Four British regiments were sent to Boston, along with new Governor General Thomas Gage, who will replace the much-maligned Thomas Hutchinson.

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
--Preamble to the United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States

All four pages of the document are on permanent display at the National Archives.

The Constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. Under America's first national government, the Articles of Confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American Experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.

Back to Main Page What Does it Say?

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Español We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.

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These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.

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The French and Indian War

June 19-July 11: The Albany Congress

Oct. 7: Proclamation of 1763

April 5: The Sugar Act
September 1: The Currency Act

March 22: The Stamp Act
March 24: The Quartering Act of 1765
May 29: Patrick Henry's "If this be treason, make the most of it!" speech
May 30: The Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions
Oct. 7-25: The Stamp Act Congress

March 18: The Declaratory Act

June 29: The Townshend Revenue Act

August 1: Boston Non-Importation Agreement

March 5: The Boston Massacre

June 9: The Gaspee Affair

May 10: The Tea Act Dec. 16: The Boston Tea Party

March 31: Boston Port Act, one of the " Intolerable Acts" May 20: Administration of Justice Act, one of the " Intolerable Acts" May 20: Massachusetts Government Act, one of the " Intolerable Acts" June 2: Quartering Act of 1774, one of the " Intolerable Acts" June 22: Quebec Act, one of the " Intolerable Acts" Sept. 5-Oct. 26: The First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia and issues Declaration and Resolves Oct. 10: Battle of Point Pleasant, Virginia (disputed as to whether it was a battle of the American Revolution or the culmination of Lord Dunmore's War) Oct. 20: The Association (prohibition of trade with Great Britain) Oct. 24: Galloway's Plan rejected

March 23: Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech Apr. 18: The Rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes Apr. 19: Minutemen and redcoats clash at Lexington and Concord, "the shot heard 'round the world." May 10: Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys seize Fort Ticonderoga May 10: The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia June 15: George Washington named Commander-in-Chief June 17: Battle of Bunker Hill: The British drive the Americans from Breed's Hill July 3: Washington assumes command of the Continental Army Nov. 13: Richard Montgomery's Continental Army forces occupy Montreal in Canada Dec. 11: Virginia and NC patriots rout Loyalist troops and burn Norfolk Dec. 22: Colonel Thomson with 1,500 rangers and militia capture Loyalists at Great Canebrake, SC Dec. 23-30: Snow Campaign, in SC, so called because patriots are impeded by 15" of snow Dec. 30-31: American forces under Benedict Arnold fail to seize Quebec

Jan. 1: Daniel Morgan is taken prisoner during his attempt to take Quebec City Jan. 15: Paine's Common Sense published Feb. 27: Revolutionaries drive the loyalists from Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina March 3: The Continental fleet captures New Providence Island in the Bahamas March 17: The British evacuate Boston; British Navy moves to Halifax, Canada June 8: Revolutionaries fail to take Three Rivers, Quebec June 12: The Virginia Declaration of Rights June 28: Sullivan's Island, SC, failed British naval attack June 29: The First Virginia Constitution June 28: American forces decisively defeat the British Navy at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina July 1: At the instigation of British agents, the Cherokee attack along the entire southern frontier July 1-4: Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence. See Chronology of the Declaration July 4: Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence; it's sent to the printer July 8: The Declaration of Independence is read publicly July 15: Lyndley's Fort, SC, Patriots fend off attack by Indians and Tories dressed as Indians Aug. 1: Ambushed by Cherokees, Patriots are saved by a mounted charge at Seneca, SC Aug. 2: Delegates begin to sign The Declaration of Independence Aug. 10: Tugaloo River, SC, Andrew Pickens defeats Cherokees Aug. 12: Andrew Pickens' detachment surrounded by 185 Cherokee Indians, forms a ring and fires outward. It is known as the "Ring Fight." Aug. 12: Colonel David Williamson and Andrew Pickens burn Tamassy, an Indian town Aug. 27: Redcoats defeat George Washington's army in the Battle of Long Island. Washington's army escapes at night. Sept. 15: The British occupy New York City Sept. 16: Generals George Washington, Nathanael Greene, and Israel Putnam triumphantly hold their ground at the Battle of Harlem Heights Sept. 19: Colonel David Williamson's Pennsylvania militia forces attacked by Cherokees at Coweecho River, NC Oct. 11: Benedict Arnold defeated at the Battle of Valcour Island (Lake Champlain), but delayed British advance Oct. 28: The Americans retreat from White Plains, New York. British casualties (~300) higher than American (~200). Nov. 16: The Hessians capture Fort Washington, NY Nov. 20: Lord Cornwallis captures Fort Lee from Nathanael Greene Dec. 26: Washington crosses the Delaware and captures Trenton from Hessians

Jan. 3: Washington victorious at Princeton Jan. 6-May 28: Washington winters in Morristown, NJ Apr. 27: Benedict Arnold's troops force a British retreat at Ridgefield, Connecticut. May 20: Treaty of DeWitt's Corner, SC: Cherokees lose most of their land east of the mountains June 14: Flag Resolution July 5: St. Clair surrenders Fort Ticonderoga to the British July 27: Lafayette arrives in Philadelphia Aug. 6: The Redcoats, with Iroquois support, force the patriots back at Oriskany, NY, but then have to evacuate Aug. 16: American Militia under General Stark victorious at the Battle of Bennington, VT (actually fought in Walloomsac, New York, several miles to the west) Aug. 23: British withdraw from Fort Stanwix, NY, upon hearing of Benedict Arnold's approach Aug. 25: British General Howe lands at Head of Elk, Maryland Sept. 11: The British win the Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania Sept. 16: Rainout at the Battle of the Clouds, Pennsylvania Sept. 19: Burgoyne checked by Americans under Gates at Freeman's Farm, NY. This is part of the "Battles of Saratoga." Sept. 21: Paoli Massacre, PA Sept. 26: British under Howe occupy Philadelphia Oct. 4: Americans driven off at the Battle of Germantown Oct. 7: Burgoyne loses second battle of Freeman's Farm, NY (at Bemis Heights). This is part of the "Battles of Saratoga." Oct. 17: Burgoyne surrenders to American General Gates at Saratoga, NY Oct. 22: Hessian attack on Fort Mercer, NJ repulsed Nov. 16: British capture Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania Dec. 5-7: Americans repulse British at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania Dec. 19: Washington's army retires to winter quarters at Valley Forge

Feb. 6: The United States and France sign the French Alliance March 7: British General William Howe replaced by Henry Clinton May 20: Battle of Barren Hill, Pennsylvania. Lafayette with 500 men and about 50 Oneida Indians successfully evade British onslaught June 18: British abandon Philadelphia and return to New York June 19: Washington's army leaves Valley Forge June 28: The Battle of Monmouth Court House ends in a draw July 4: George Rogers Clark captures Kaskaskia, a French village south of St. Louis Aug. 8: French and American forces besiege Newport, RI Sept. 28: The Tappan Massacre ("No Flint" Grey kills 30 Americans by bayonet) Dec. 29: The redcoats occupy Savannah

Feb. 3: Major General Moultrie defeats British detachment at Port Royal Island, SC Feb. 14: Patriots Andrew Pickens and Elijah Clarke beat Loyalists at Kettle Creek, GA Feb. 23-24: American George Rogers Clark captures Vincennes (in what is now Indiana) on the Wabash in the Western campaign March 3: British Lt. Colonel Jacques Marcus Prévost defeats Americans under General John Ashe at Brier Creek, GA May 11-13: Major General Augustin Prévost (brother of Jacques, see above) breaks his siege when American forces under Major General Lincoln approach June 20: Stono River, SC, Major General Lincoln inflicts extensive British casualties in indecisive battle June 21: Spain declares war on Great Britain July 8: Fairfield, CT, burned by British July 11: Norwalk, CT, burned by British July 15-16: American "Mad" Anthony Wayne captures Stony Point, NY Aug. 19: Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee attacks Paulus Hook, NJ Aug. 29: Newtown, NY, after two massacres, American forces burn Indian villages Sept. 23: John Paul Jones, aboard the Bonhomme Richard, captures British man-of-war Serapis near English coast
Oct. 9: American attempt to recapture Savannah, GA fails Nov.-June 23, 1780: Washington's 2nd winter at Morristown, NJ (the harshest winter of the 18th century)

May 12: British capture Charleston, SC May 29: British crush Americans at Waxhaw Creek, SC June 20: Patriots rout Tories at Ramseur's Mill, NC July 11: French troops arrive at Newport, RI, to aid the American cause Aug. 6: Patriots defeat Tories at Hanging Rock, SC Aug. 16: British rout Americans at Camden, SC Sept. 23: John André arrested, leading to the exposure of Benedict Arnold's plans to cede West Point to the British Oct. 7: King's Mountain, SC: battle lasts 65 minutes. American troops led by Isaac Shelby and John Sevier defeat Major Patrick Ferguson and one third of General Cornwallis's army Oct. 14: Washington names Nathanael Greene commander of the Southern Army

Jan. 1: Mutiny of unpaid Pennsylvania soldiers Jan. 17: American General Daniel Morgan overwhelmingly defeats British Colonel Tarleton at Cowpens, SC Feb. 1: The Battle of Cowan's Ford, Huntersville, NC March 2: Articles of Confederation adopted March 15: British win costly victory at Guilford Courthouse, NC April 25: Greene defeated at Hobkirk's Hill, SC May 15: British Major Andrew Maxwell cedes Fort Granby, SC to Lieutenant Colonel Henry Lee June 6: Americans recapture Augusta, GA June 18: British hold off Americans at Ninety Six, SC July 6: "Mad" Anthony Wayne repulsed at Green Springs Farm, VA Sept. 8: Greene defeated at Eutaw Springs, SC Sept. 15: French fleet drives British naval force from Chesapeake Bay Oct. 19: Cornwallis surrounded on land and sea by Americans and French and surrenders at Yorktown, VA

March 8: Gnadenhutten massacre, a.k.a. the Moravian massacre.
March 20: Lord North resigns as British prime minister July 11: British evacuate Savannah, GA Nov. 30: British and Americans sign preliminary Articles of Peace Dec. 14: British leave Charleston, SC

April 19: Congress ratifies preliminary peace treaty Sept. 3: The United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris Nov. 25: British troops leave New York City Dec. 23: Washington resigns as Commander

Sept. 17: U.S. Constitution signed

June 21: U.S. Constitution adopted, when New Hampshire ratifies it

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The French and Indian War June 19-July 11: The Albany Congress Oct. 7: Proclamation of 1763 April 5: The Sugar Act September 1: The Currency Act March 22: The Stamp Act March 24: The Quartering Act of 1765 May 29: Patrick Henry's "If this be treason, make the most of it!"

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Social Studies for Kids - American Revolution 

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Social Studies for Kids - American Revolution 

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The American Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War was one of the most pivotal events in American History. These links will take you on a tour of the Revolution and its War.

The American Revolutionary War: Keeping Independence
The American Revolutionary War was a long time coming. Follow it from beginning to end in this easy-to-read, detailed article. Includes a list of Causes of the War.

The Continental Army suffered through a crushing winter at Valley Forge but emerged more resilient, if lacking in numbers.

The Jay Treaty closed off several outstanding issues from the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War and, in the process, became an intense dispute between the nation's first two political parties.

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The American Revolutionary War The Revolutionary War was one of the most pivotal events in American History. These links will take you on a tour of the Revolution and its War. The American Revolutionary War: Keeping Independence The American Revolutionary War was a long time coming.

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Understanding the American Revolution and Beyond

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Learn about the Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, Bill of Rights and Founding Fathers. Everything you want to know about the American Revolution.

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Liberty! Chronical of the Revolution PBS

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Liberty! Chronical of the Revolution PBS

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Continetal Congress - Library of Congress

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Continetal Congress - Library of Congress

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About this Collection | Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

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Contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Items include extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, treaties, and early printed versions of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

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The road to Independence < History 1994 < American History From Revolution To Reconstruction and beyond

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About - Disclaimer - Copyright - Contact - © 1994-2012 GMW - University of Groningen - Humanities Computing

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Main Index Page

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Copyright © 1998 The History Place™ All Rights Reserved

Terms of use: Private home/school non-commercial, non-Internet re-usage only is allowed of any text, graphics, photos, audio clips, other electronic files or materials from The History Place.

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Main Index Page [ The History Place Main Page | The Rise of Adolf Hitler | The Triumph of Hitler | Defeat of Hitler | Timeline of World War II in Europe | Holocaust Timeline | Irish Potato Famine | Photo of the Week | This Month in History |

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Welcome to The American Revolution Website

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King George III ascends to the throne of England.

Treaty signed between England and France ending the French and Indian War. Canada and the continent east of the Mississippi River added to Great

Britain's growing empire.

Parliament passes
The Stamp Act as a means to pay for British troops on the American frontier. Colonists violently protest the measure..

December. Massachusetts patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians protest the British Tea Act by dumping crates of tea into Boston Harbor.

January. The Privy Council reprimands Benjamin Franklin in London for leaking letters damaging to the Royal Governor of Massachusetts. September. First Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia.

January. Thomas Paine's Common Sense published. Becomes an instant best seller and pushes the colonies closer to independence.

July 4. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence ratified by the Congress

July. A huge British force arrives in New York harbor bent on crushing the rebellion.

August. Continental Army routed at Long Island, New York.

December 26. Washington crosses the Delaware River and captures a Hessian force at Trenton, New Jersey.

December. In desperate need of financing and arms, Congress sends Benjamin Franklin to France to urge the French to ally with America.

February. France signs a treaty of alliance with the United States and the American Revolution becomes a world war.

December. George Washington gives up command of the Continental Army and, to the astonishment of foreign observers, returns to private life.

1785-'86 Treaty talks with Spain for rights to navigate the Mississippi fail because of regional conflicts between northern and southern states.

The crucial states of Virginia (June 25) and New York (July 26) become the 10th and 11th states to pass the Constitution.

December. A Bill of Rights passed by the 1st Congress of the United States.

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LIBERTY! . Chronicle of the Revolution . Timeline of the Revolution | PBS

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King George III ascends to the throne of England. Treaty signed between England and France ending the French and Indian War. Canada and the continent east of the Mississippi River added to Great Britain's growing empire. Parliament passes The Stamp Act as a means to pay for British troops on the American frontier.

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Liberty's Kids 105 - The Midnight Ride with Paul Revere & William Dawes | History Cartoons for Kids

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Women, spies, slaves, and other important folks during the American Revolution

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https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/paul-revere

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Who Was Paul Revere?

Paul Revere was born in the North End neighborhood of Boston at the end of 1734 (the exact date is unknown) to a French Huguenot father who ran a silversmith shop and a mother from a local family.

The young Revere was educated in reading and writing in school before completing his training as an apprentice to his silversmith father. At age 19, Revere inherited the business upon his father's death. But he left the business briefly and enlisted in a provincial army in 1756 during the French and Indian War.

Children

Revere returned to Boston after a failed military expedition and started to build his family life and business. He wed Sarah Orne in 1765, and they had eight children before she died nearly two decades later.

The silversmith was resourceful and dabbled in a range of work, taking on apprentices and workers who created specialty flatware, silver bowls, tea sets and even casting the first bell in Boston in his foundry. He turned to dentistry to augment his income when the colonial economy faltered during a recession.

Revere's network was also expanding to include local activists angered by British rule. In the mid-1760s, as tensions were rising between the colonists and the British, he joined the rebellious Sons of Liberty.

Revere took part in the Stamp Act protests in 1765, which eventually led the Crown to repeal a tax that ignited the colonists' hatred of taxation without representation.

Did you know? Paul Revere did not gain immediate fame for his April 1775 "Midnight Ride." In fact, it wasn't until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, which greatly embellished Revere's role, that he became the folk hero we think of today.

Boston Massacre

With British troops in Boston and a rebellion stewing, Revere became a master propagandist, using his artisan skills to craft engravings that incited the colonists to join in the rebellion.

The growing unrest boiled over on March 5, 1770, when British troops and a crowd of colonists faced off on Boston's King Street near the Customs house. The tense standoff ended in the Boston Massacre, as the British used their bayonet rifles to shoot and kill five unarmed colonists.

One of Reveres' best-known pieces of propaganda depicted the violent night. He reworked a Henry Pelham drawing in an engraving and widely distributed prints of the stark image of armed British troops taking aim at the colonists.

Paul Revere's House

Amid the growing political tensions in Boston, Revere continued to strengthen his roots in the colonial harbor city. In 1770, he bought the now-landmarked Paul Revere House at 19 North Square for his growing family.

Revere lived in his North End home on and off for 30 years as his family continued to evolve. After the death of his wife, Sarah, in 1773, he married Rachel Walker and they had eight additional children.

Revere sold the home in 1800, and it was purchased by his great-grandson roughly a century later to ensure it was preserved. The 1680 structure still stands today as the oldest building in downtown Boston.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

As Revere was settling into his Boston home in the early 1770s, he became active politically. He responded to the new laws about tea imports that bypassed Boston's merchants by attending secret meetings with the inner circle who planned the Boston Tea Party. Revere joined other activists and dumped tea from the British East India Company on December 16, 1773, into Boston's harbor.

His activism extended beyond the confines of Boston when Revere began work as a courier and rode from Boston to New York on horse to spread information about the colonies.

When his associates learned the British were moving troops out of Boston and planned to arrest revolutionary leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, Massachusetts, Revere was tasked with tipping them off to help them avoid arrest.

He first used his signal system and had two lanterns placed on the Old North Church steeple in Boston to alert those on the harbor that the troops had left Boston and were crossing the Charles River.

Then, at about 10 p.m. on April 18, 1775, Revere set out in the dark from his North Boston home by horse with William Dawes to reach Adams and Hancock. The two riders met Adams and Hancock in Lexington and enabled the revolutionaries to avoid arrest.

Revere's next stop that late night was Concord, Massachusetts, a hotbed of the resistance and the suspected location of the British troops' second attack. But Revere, Dawes and a third rider named Samuel Prescott were captured by the British en route, and only Prescott reached Concord.

Revere was soon released, but he had already helped give the colonial militia a key advantage by alerting them to the impending attack by the British. The Battles of Lexington and Concord would spark the Revolutionary War.

Paul Revere's Ride

Revere remained active in the Revolutionary War, building Boston's first gunpowder mill and joining a Massachusetts infantry, but his remaining war record was lackluster, and he was largely unknown in his lifetime.

He became an American folk hero about 100 years later because of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's stirring retelling of his act of patriotism in "Paul Revere's Ride."

It begins with the now-famous lines, "Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere" and depicts a dangerous, midnight ride as Revere warns the colonists about the British attack. The poem recounts his lantern signal system in the lines "one if by land, two if by sea."

The stirring poem made him an American hero, and while it contains historical inaccuracies-such as claiming Revere rode alone-the poem highlights the risks taken by this patriot at the start of the American Revolution.
READ MORE: 7 Events That Led to the American Revolution
Sources

The Paul Revere House. Paul Revere Memorial Association.
"Paul Revere's Ride." Academy of American Poets.
Revolutionary War Battles. American Battlefield Trust.
Paul Revere. Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.
Voices of the Revolution: The Five Riders. Constitution Facts.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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Paul Revere: House, Midnight Ride, Boston Massacre - HISTORY

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Paul Revere was born in the North End neighborhood of Boston at the end of 1734 (the exact date is unknown) to a French Huguenot father who ran a silversmith shop and a mother from a local family. The young Revere was educated in reading and writing in school before completing his training as an apprentice to his silversmith father.

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Constitution for Kids | What It Is and Why It Matters

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Unite or Die_Interactive Audio Book Demo

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We the People - Teaching the U.S. Constitution

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About Season of Independence

Using a map and timeline as its foundation, Season of Independence 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.

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Using a map and timeline as its foundation, Season of Independence 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.

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Shot Heard Round the World Slide Presentation

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Shot Heard Round the World Slide Presentation

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Learn about the Boston Massacre where five colonies were killed by the British. Major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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In 2018 the Museum of the American Revolution discovered polling records that document for the first time a generation of women voters in early New Jersey. To date, we have discovered 163 women voters on nine poll lists who cast ballots across the state from 1800 to 1807. We have also identified the names of at least four free Black male voters on one of the poll lists. These lists introduce new stories of the first women voters in the United States and reveal the inclusive nature of the electoral system in New Jersey in the first few decades following American independence.

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When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776 - 1807

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In 2018 the Museum of the American Revolution discovered polling records that document for the first time a generation of women voters in early New Jersey. To date, we have discovered 163 women voters on nine poll lists who cast ballots across the state from 1800 to 1807.

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Ten Crucial Days of the Revolution - Video

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Ten Crucial Days of the Revolution - Video

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The Ten Crucial Days That Changed the Revolutionary War

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What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis

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The story behind the Boston Tea Party - Ben Labaree

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Boston Masacre Animated Graphic Novel - Video

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Boston Masacre Animated Graphic Novel - Video

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About Lauren Tarshis

Lauren Tarshis's acclaimed and bestselling I Survived series, which has more than 25 million copies in print and digital formats since its launch in 2010, tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters. For each book in the series that has captivated kids and educators alike, Tarshis has conducted extensive research on topics such as the sinking of the Titanic, the destruction of Pompeii, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and now on the war that brought the United States its independence in I Survived the American Revolution, 1776. In addition to being an author, Lauren oversees the ELA magazines for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, and is the editor of Storyworks. She lives in Connecticut, and can be found online at laurentarshis.com.

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I Survived the American Revolution Webcast | Scholastic.com

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Lauren Tarshis's acclaimed and bestselling I Survived series, which has more than 25 million copies in print and digital formats since its launch in 2010, tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters.

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360° Virtual Tour of the Museum of the American Revolution

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Explore the Museum of the American Revolution's 360-Degree Virtual Museum Tour to immerse yourself in the history of the nation's founding.

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Virtual Tour - Declaration of Independence 

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Virtual Tour - Declaration of Independence 

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360° Virtual Tour of the Museum of the American Revolution

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Explore the Museum of the American Revolution's 360-Degree Virtual Museum Tour to immerse yourself in the history of the nation's founding.

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NAME: Thomas Jefferson

NICKNAME: Father of the Declaration of Independence

BORN: April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia

DIED: July 4, 1826, in Charlottesville, Virginia

TIME IN OFFICE: March 4, 1801, to March 3, 1809

VICE PRESIDENTS: Aaron Burr (first term), George Clinton (second term)

POLITICAL PARTY: Democratic-Republican

EARLY LIFE

Thomas Jefferson was born near the Blue Ridge Mountains of the British-ruled colony of Virginia on April 13, 1743. From the age of nine, Jefferson studied away from home and lived with his tutor. His father-a landowner, surveyor, and government official-died when his son was 14. Later Jefferson enrolled at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. His education included science, mathematics, philosophy, law, English language and literature, Latin, Greek, French, and dancing.

"LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS"

After college, Jefferson became a lawyer. By age 26 he was a member of Virginia's colonial legislature, or government. Like George Washington, Jefferson spoke out against Great Britain's rule over the 13 North American colonies. When the colonists decided to demand their independence from Great Britain, Jefferson was chosen to write a document explaining why the colonies should be free. The document became known as the Declaration of Independence. It's still admired today for its call for freedom, equality, and its demand that all citizens deserve "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Before he became president, Jefferson was governor of Virginia before the Revolutionary War. After the war, he served as U.S. minister to France, secretary of state for President George Washington, and vice president for President John Adams, the country's second president.

GO WEST, YOUNG NATION

When Jefferson became the third president of the United States in 1801, the country basically ended at the Mississippi River; France controlled much of what was west. That included the Port of New Orleans, in what is now Louisiana. It's coastal location made it a key spot for trade-and Jefferson wanted it. In 1803, he made what's known as one of the greatest real estate deals in history: the Louisiana Purchase.

France agreed to sell the entire city of New Orleans, which included the port, to the United States for $10 million; they threw in the rest of the territory they owned for an additional $5 million. The agreement-which gave the United States about 828,000 square miles of land-almost doubled the size of the nearly 30-year-old nation. Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to join William Clark in leading an expedition to the West Coast to explore the country's new land. The Louisiana Purchase is thought by many to be Jefferson's greatest accomplishment as president.

LASTING LEGACY

Jefferson retired to Monticello, his home in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the end of his second term. He designed and founded the University of Virginia in Charlottesville during his retirement.

Jefferson left a complicated legacy: The man who wrote the Declaration of Independence-which states that "all men are created equal"-also enslaved more than 600 people during his lifetime. But according to his writings, Jefferson knew that future generations would have to end the enslavement of people, and that it would be a long, terrible process.

Like his friend John Adams, Jefferson died 50 years to the day after the approval of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1826.

From the Nat Geo Kids books Our Country's Presidents by Ann Bausum and Weird But True Know-It-All: U.S. Presidents by Brianna Dumont, revised for digital by Avery Hurt

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Learn about the life and achievements of the 3rd president of the United States.

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Here are some other websites and videos that contain lots of information about the American Revolution

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Our Latest Theatrical Performance

A performance exploring the life and legacy of James Forten, a free Black Philadelphian, Revolutionary War sailor, successful businessman, and stalwart abolitionist.

Meet James Forten

A first-person theatrical performance about James Forten's life, written by local playwright Marissa Kennedy and performed by actor Nathan Alford-Tate, accompanies the Museum's special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, to engage school groups and Museum guests.

Live performances take place on select weekends and holidays at the Museum in the Alan B. Miller Theater on the second floor.

Watch Performances

Browse our selection of first-person performances available to view online from anywhere at any time. These performances are also periodically performed live at the Museum.

"Meet Elizabeth Freeman" Performance

Watch the original first-person theatrical performance portraying the life and experiences of Elizabeth Freeman, a Massachusetts woman who sued for her freedom from enslavement and won, produced in conjunction with our special exhibit, When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807.

"Meet Elizabeth Freeman" stars Tiffany Bacon as Elizabeth Freeman and was written by Teresa Miller.

"Meet Rebecca VanDike" Performance

Watch the original first-person theatrical performance portraying Rebecca VanDike, an early woman voter in New Jersey, produced in conjunction with our special exhibit, When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807.

"Meet Rebecca VanDike" stars D'Arcy Dersham as Rebecca VanDike and was written by Valerie Dunn.

"Meet Richard St. George" Performance

Watch the original first-person theatrical performance portraying Irish soldier and artist Richard St. George, produced in conjunction with our special exhibit, Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier.

"Meet Richard St. George" stars Seth Reichgott as Richard St. George and was written by Chris Braak.

"Meet Joseph Plumb Martin" Performance

Watch the original first-person theatrical performance portraying Continental Army soldier Joseph Plumb Martin. This was the Museum's first original theatrical piece and debuted in 2018.

"Meet Joseph Plumb Martin" stars Patrick Poole as Joseph Plumb Martin and was written by Ryan Schwartz.

Interested in More Living History?

Dive deeper into Revolutionary-era living history with interviews, cooking demos, and more.

"Freedom on the Horizon" Performance

Actress and historical interpreter Nastassia Parker portrays Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who ran away from George and Martha Washington's household in Philadelphia, in her 20-minute, one-woman theatrical piece, "Freedom on the Horizon."

Artisan Field Trip Interviews

In the 1700s, young people served seven-year apprenticeships to learn skilled trades. Just like today, people had specialized jobs. The Museum's Artisan Field Trips feature video interviews with living history artisans and makers as they demonstrate their Revolutionary-era crafts.

Living History at Home Cooking Demos

What were the Continental soldiers eating while on campaign during the Revolutionary War? The Museum's Living History at Home cooking demonstrations take you through making foods of the Revolutionary era.

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A performance exploring the life and legacy of James Forten, a free Black Philadelphian, Revolutionary War sailor, successful businessman, and stalwart abolitionist. A first-person theatrical performance about James Forten's life, written by local playwright Marissa Kennedy and performed by actor Nathan Alford-Tate, accompanies the Museum's special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, to engage school groups and Museum guests.

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Learn about the life and achievements of the first president of the United States.

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Finding Freedom | Interactive Feature | Museum of the American Revolution

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Explore the stories of African American men and women in war-torn Virginia with the Museum of the American Revolution’s online educational interactive feature.

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Virtual Tour of Washington's Headquarters

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Virtual Tour of Washington's Headquarters

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Welcome to the Museum of the American Revolution's new Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters, part of the Museum's First Oval Office Project. Immerse yourself in 360-degree panoramic images of a recreated Revolutionary War encampment, including the Museum's handsewn, full-scale replicas of General George Washington's sleeping marquee, dining tent, baggage tent, and common tents. Plus, step inside Washington's sleeping marquee, view high-resolution images of replica artifacts and wartime equipment, watch a timelapse of the encampment set-up, and learn more about Washington's mobile headquarters while on campaign with the Continental Army.

How to Use

Navigating the recreated encampment in the Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters is simple. Use your mouse, trackpad, or finger to move left or right and up or down for a full, immersive experience. View the video below for additional tips and tricks to get the most out of your Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters.

An Immersive Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters

Explore handsewn tents and reproductions of wartime equipment, learn about Washington's life on campaign and the work of his military "family," and investigate how we learned what we know and what historical mysteries still remain.

General Washington's Sleeping Marquee

Dining Tent

Baggage Tent

Common Tents
Made possible by a generous grant from the State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania

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george washington's revolutionary war field headquarters

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Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters

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Welcome to the Museum of the American Revolution's new Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters, part of the Museum's First Oval Office Project. Immerse yourself in 360-degree panoramic images of a recreated Revolutionary War encampment, including the Museum's handsewn, full-scale replicas of General George Washington's sleeping marquee, dining tent, baggage tent, and common tents.

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Events Leading Up to the American Revolutionary War - Free Powerpoints, Games, Activities, Lesson Plans

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Our Free Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities

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Thomas Jefferson was a Virginia lawyer. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, the writer of the Declaration of Independence, a governor of Virginia, ambassador to France, Secretary of State under President George Washington (our 1st president), Vice President under John Adams (our 2nd president) and elected President of the United States in 1801, becoming our 3rd president. He served two terms.

While Thomas Jefferson served as President of the United States (our 3rd president), among other things, he acquired the Louisiana Purchase, which more than doubled the size of the county and opened the west to exploration and settlement, and sponsored Lewis and Clark, two famous American explorers.

You might say he had quite a successful career in politics. He was a wonderful orator. When he wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, for example, he wrote it as if he was giving a speech.

He was also an inventor. His special interest was inventing new farm equipment. He also loved to surprise his dinner guests with fun foods like ice cream, and macaroni made with his macaroni machine.

He was a staunch believer in religious freedom.

And, in his later years, he founded, designed, and overlooked the construction of the University of Virginia.

He was happily married, had quite a few kids, and is considered one of America's Founding Fathers.

Thomas Jefferson was a voice for liberty. Yet at the time he wrote the Declaration of Independence stating that "all men are created equal", he owned 600 slaves.

Out of all his many achievements as diplomat, writer, inventor, architect, gardener, and politician, Thomas Jefferson requested that only three of his many accomplished be listed on his tomb at Monticello:

Author of the Declaration of American Independence

Author of the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom

And Father of the University of Virginia

Getting to Know Jefferson (video, animated) Jefferson's Office at Monticello (interactive) Thomas Jefferson (video, Discovery) All about Jefferson Liberty Kids - Conflict in the South, the Liberty Kids discover Thomas Jefferson owns slaves Thomas Jefferson loved to play chess - Here are some items
from the Personal Life of Thomas Jefferson (interactive) Games, Interactives, Kids Sites about Thomas Jefferson Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson's Inventions Other Famous People of the Revolutionary War for Kids
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The American Revolution for Kids and Teachers - Thomas Jefferson - American Revolution for Kids

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Thomas Jefferson was a Virginia lawyer. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, the writer of the Declaration of Independence, a governor of Virginia, ambassador to France, Secretary of State under President George Washington (our 1st president), Vice President under John Adams (our 2nd president) and elected President of the United States in 1801, becoming our 3rd president.

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The American Revolution for Kids - Nathan Hale, Patriot Spy - American Revolution for Kids

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Nathan Hale was a young man who decided to help the Colonial cause and spy on the British army. He was caught and hung. When asked if he had any last words he is supposed to have said those famous words “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

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The American Revolution for Kids - King George III - American Revolution for Kids

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For Kids: George III was the king of Great Britain during the American Revolution. King George did not understand the colonial situation, and many of the acts that led to the American Revolution stemmed from that misunderstanding.

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For Kids: Here are the major battles of the American Revolution with homework help, interactives, games, timelines, and quizzes, with a section on the importance of canons, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and the results of the Revolutionary War.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott Battles of Lexington and Concord, Shot Heard Round the World Battle of Bunker Hill Naval Battles New York, New York Battle of Saratoga Battle of Trenton Winter Encampment at Valley Forge War in the South Treaty of Paris, Results of the Revolutionary War Battle Maps, Timelines
The Importance of Canons
Ask Mr. Donn Quiz: Revolutionary War Battles & Happenings
Liberty Kids - Battles
Game - Review of Major Battles More Games about the American Revolution

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American Revolution Battles and Happenings for Kids, Maps, Timelines, Games - American Revolution for Kids

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For Kids: Here are the major battles of the American Revolution with homework help, interactives, games, timelines, and quizzes, with a section on the importance of canons, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and the results of the Revolutionary War.

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For Kids : This is a big section because this is a big deal. The American Revolution was NOT fought over the issue of paying . It was fought in part over a question of law, that being who had the authority to impose - Britain or the colonial government. To colonial leaders, taxation without representation was one of the major causes of the American Revolution. Restriction of free trade and restriction of free speech were also very important considerations. The words "United States" are not in the Declaration of Independence. Those words were not used until the next step, when the Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation.

The American colonists were British citizens, but they were not being treated like citizens by the British parliament or by the king. British parliament kept passing abusive laws. When the colonists tried to argue these laws, more laws were passed by British Parliament back in England that caused even more abuse to the colonists in America. The colonists were becoming more and more angry about the way things were. Declaration of Independence: Here's what happened: The Second Continental Congress decided to fight back. They decided the colonies needed to be independent from Britain.

homas Jefferson was given the job of writing the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress committee. Thomas Jefferson wrote the original Declaration in just four days. He reworked it a bit over the next two weeks. When he was done, he gave a copy to Ben Franklin and John Adams to read and edit before the next meeting of the colonial Congress, which they did.

The Declaration is not a long document. It begins with two sentences: "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal stations to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Declaration goes on to explain that when a government does not protect the rights of its citizens it loses its right to govern. The Declaration lists specific reasons for breaking from Britain. For the full text of the Declaration, please scroll down. But here are a couple of abuses listed in the Declaration:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Only two people signed the Declaration on July 4th - John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress, and Charles Thomson as secretary. Five hundred (500) copies of the Declaration were printed and distributed. It was not until Aug 2, 1776, that 56 men, including John Hancock , signed a fresh copy of the Declaration of Independence. Back in Britain, King George received his copy on Aug 10, 1776.

If you want to see the original copy of the Declaration, you will need to visit the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where this document is on display. Since that might be a bit difficult for many people, we posted the entire text of this document below. It's not a long document, but it is very powerful. Or go here if you would like electronic copy: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

As you read the Declaration, notice the grammar. Some words are capitalized in places that are not grammatically correct. That was intentional. These are important words, expressing important ideas, and Thomas Jefferson wanted to call attention to them. Some words are not spelled the way we would spell them today in America. That's because at the time the Declaration was written, the colonists were British citizens, and some words are spelled the way those words are spelled in Britain today. Some words are a reflection of the times. It is very important to read the Declaration as it was written. The Declaration is a National Treasure. It is one of our country's most important freedom documents because of what it says and how it is written.

The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge who was twenty-six years old. The oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin, who was seventy. Two of the signers later became presidents of the United States - John Adams who became the 2nd president of the United States, and Thomas Jefferson, who became the 3rd president. What might surprise you is that George Washington did not sign the Declaration. He did not sign the Constitution either. (George Washington became the first president of the United States because he was the military hero of the American Revolution .)

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were incredibly brave. They were the leaders of colonial government. People knew who they were and where they lived. They had families. They took an incredible risk signing the Declaration.

There was a tiny chance that British Parliament might respond by agreeing that perhaps they had been unfair with the laws they had imposed on the American colonists. Far more likely, the signers knew once King George received a copy of the Declaration that troops would be sent to arrest them. They also knew that many colonists, although angry at British treatment, did not wish to break from Britain. What these colonists wanted was for things to improve. But things were not improving. They were getting worse. Our founding fathers decided it was time to become independent, even if that meant war with Britain.
Liberty's Kids - The First Fourth of July (video, animated) The Declaration (what it says) Matt Damon reads and discusses the Declaration of Independence (video) Choose a Pen and Sign the Declaration of Independence User Guide to the Declaration of Independence King George III Speaks to British Parliament After Independence is Declared Declaration of Independence (wartgames)
Take the Quiz, interactive (with answers)

The Revolutionary War for Kids

Text of the Declaration of Independence:

When, in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. These too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, In Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. - And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

For Teachers

Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan (Donn, from the American Revolution Unit )
"An Expression of the American Mind": Understanding the Declaration of Independence Declaration of Independence lesson plan Declaration of Independence Activities July 4th Lesson Plans & Activities
Lesson Idea: Mr. Donn, small groups
Rewrite the Declaration of Independence
After the kids try to do this, ask them:
Is it difficult?
What are you missing?
What flexibility did you leave for future leaders?
Could someone misunderstand your meaning?
Justify your answer.

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The American Revolution for Kids and Teachers - The Declaration of Independence - American Revolution for Kids

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For Kids : This is a big section because this is a big deal. The American Revolution was NOT fought over the issue of paying . It was fought in part over a question of law, that being who had the authority to impose - Britain or the colonial government.

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The Battles of Lexington and Concord April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts, marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year
-- Henry Wadsworthy Longellow, "Paul Revere's Ride"

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;
Here once the embattled farmers stood;
And fired the shot heard round the world.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Concord Hymn"

The Shot Heard Round the World, Here's what happened:

The British discovered, through their informants and spies, that the colonists were buying and stockpiling guns and gunpowder. The British decided that it was time to teach those colonial farmers a lesson. So they set out from Boston to seize all the guns and gunpowder they could find, and maybe catch some of the colonial leaders.

The colonials also had spies. They knew the British planned on seizing their guns. But when would the British make their move? They watched the British army. The colonists had men standing by to ride and give the alarm when the British made their move. One of these men was a silversmith from Boston named Paul Revere. When he saw the British soldiers marching out, Paul Revere and other riders galloped over the countryside, warning colonists that the British were coming.

Lexington: When a group of several hundred British soldiers reached the town of Lexington, they were met by a militia of about 70 colonial men. The British ordered them to drop their weapons. Suddenly a shot rang out. No one knows which side fired this shot. But within minutes, 8 colonial men were dead. Others were wounded. The rest of the colonists scattered into the woods.

Concord: The British troops moved on to Concord. They had heard that the rebels at Concord had canons. This was a concern. Canons were powerful weapons. The British planned to grab everything - guns, gunpowder, canons and cannonballs. They especially wanted the canons. About a hundred British soldiers were sent to Barretts Farm, where they had been told by their spies that they would find a storage of weapons. They had to cross the North Bridge to get there. To their surprise, about 200 Minutemen were guarding the North Bridge. As the British crossed the bridge, a Minuteman fired. The British quickly retreated. They were poorly led. They saw they were outnumbered. Their position on a bridge was difficult to defend. They fled back to Concord, where they joined other British soldiers and marched towards Lexington. By then, the word had reached many farms that the British were attacking. About 4000 Minutemen and colonial militia lined the road from Concord to Lexington. As the British retreated, marching in formation, the colonists shot at the British from their hiding places behind trees. It would have been a slaughter, but many British lives were saved when a second group of British soldiers arrived on the scene. This second group brought canons, which quickly dispersed the colonial forces. Guns were no match for cannonballs. Still, before they fled, the colonists were able to kill about 200 British soldiers.

Rumors and Propaganda: The battles of Lexington and Concord were not a victory for the colonists, but they did act somewhat like an effective piece of propaganda. The word spread rapidly that colonial farmers could fight professional British soldiers and win. After all, the colonial farmers did kill about 200 British soldiers before they fled into the woods and back to their farms, where of course they acted as if they knew nothing about the battle they had just left. Like most rumors, the stories grew and grew until one would think the British hardly put up a fight at all, and the colonial militia was overwhelmingly victorious. These rumors helped a great deal. They gave the colonial people courage.

Patriots and Loyalists: Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution, although it was not yet called a war by the people of the time. It was, however, a time of decision. Colonists were forced to choose sides. Those colonists loyal to the British were called Loyalists. Colonists loyal to the colonial rebels were called Patriots. The Loyalists and the Patriots did not get along. They had two very strong and very different opinions about the future of the American colonies. They both thought they were right. Break from Britain?, the Loyalists muttered - that's insane; we need the British to defend us and support us. To not break from Britain?, muttered the Patriots - that's insane; we need our freedom to flourish and we can support ourselves.

Liberty's Kids - The Shot Heard Round the World (video, animated)

Mission 1 - For Crown or Colony - Take a side game
School House Rocks - The Shot Heard Round the World Newspaper Headline (Boston, 1774) Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott Lexington and Concord, Paul Revere,
The Shot Heard Round the World - Games & Interactives
Other Famous Battles of the Revolutionary War for Kids
The American Revolution for Kids

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The American Revolution for Kids - Lexington & Concord, The Shot Heard Round the World - Road to Revolution for Kids

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Listen, my children, and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year -- Henry Wadsworthy Longellow, "Paul Revere's Ride" By the rude bridge that arched the flood,Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;Here once the embattled farmers stood;And fired the shot heard round the world.

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For Kids: By 1770, although some colonists were still loyal to the crown, many others were upset about the taxes and the troops and the disregard the British Parliament had shown for the needs of the American colonists. Jobs were lost. British troops were arrogant. And monies were tight. Taxation without representation was the cry heard everywhere. Tension was growing.

Fights often broke out between the British soldiers and the colonists. On March 5, 1770, a group of sailors threw snowballs and sticks at a group of British soldiers. Things got crazy. A club was thrown. The British felt threatened. They fired into the crown. When it was over, five colonial men were dead, including Crispus Attucks . He was the first man to die in what would soon become the Revolutionary War. This incident was called the Boston Massacre.

The British officers involved were arrested for murder by the colonial government in Boston. The officers pleaded self-defense, and the jury agreed. They were not charged with murder. However, two British soldiers were charged with manslaughter. Their hands were branded, burned, and then they were released. To the British, that was it. It was over. To the colonists, not so much.

This incident became a propaganda tool for colonists who were unhappy with the way Britain was treating the colonists. About three weeks after the massacre, Paul Revere distributed prints from an etching he made that showed the British as the aggressors in the Boston Massacre. Paul Revere hired an artist to draw the illustration. He created the etching from the artist's drawing. It was very effective. It was also misleading. It showed the British shooting muskets into a group of innocent colonists, with clouds of smoke and bloodied bodies on the ground. There is a small dog in the front middle of the picture that appeared unharmed, perhaps to imply the British treated the colonists worse than dogs. Blown up to its actual size and in its entirety, you can see even more detail: Paul Revere image, Boston Massacre

In truth, according to witnesses at the trial of the British, it was the colonists who threw snowballs and waved sticks and swung clubs. In colonial law as well as in British law, you had the right to defend yourself if you felt yourself threatened. The British most certainly felt threatened. Still, snowballs vs. musket balls? It was a mess.

After the Boston Massacre, British Parliament repealed all taxes except the one on tea.

The colonists heaved a sign of relief. Most merchants stopped their boycott of British goods. But colonial leaders were still unhappy with the way the British were treating the colonists. They did not believe that British Parliament had the colonists best interests at heart.

Liberty Kids: John Adams and the Boston Massacre (cartoon video)

The Boston Massacre for Kids, interactives
Quiz: Causes of the American Revolution, interactive
What came before: The Townshend Acts, 1767

What came after: The Boston Tea Party, 1773

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The American Revolution for Kids - Boston Massacre

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For Kids: By 1770, although some colonists were still loyal to the crown, many others were upset about the taxes and the troops and the disregard the British Parliament had shown for the needs of the American colonists. Jobs were lost. British troops were arrogant. And monies were tight.

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For Kids: NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!

The government of Great Britain, Parliament, still needed money to pay off the cost of the Seven Years War, known in the colonies as the French and Indian War. They believed the colonists should help pay this cost since much of the fighting was done to defend them.

The Sugar Act had not generated enough money, so in 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act. While the Sugar Act did not cause too much concern other than in New England, the Stamp Act brought about huge protests.

The Stamp Act was different. The Stamp Act required colonists to buy and place stamps on paper goods such as newspapers, diplomas, contracts, prayer books, marriage licenses, and other legal documents. Laborers, craftsmen, farmers, lawyers, merchants, and basically everyone had to pay this tax. Lawyers and publishers were the hardest hit. People could not afford to both pay a lawyer and the tax. Many could not afford to buy books, not even prayer books.

This act was extremely unpopular in the colonies. It gave colonial leaders a chance to convince the colonists that they were being taxed unfairly because the colonists had no voice in government - no taxation without representation! That phrase was coined by the Sons of Liberty and it caught on.

Up until then, each colony had its own system of taxation and its own way of collecting that tax. The British government levied the Stamp Act on the colonists with total disregard to any colonial government or to the needs of the colonists themselves. The British government wanted money and they felt the colonists should pay because they said so.

Stamp Act Congress: As the uproar against the Stamp Act grew, colonial leaders created a special congress - a Stamp Act Congress. Individual colonies sent delegates to New York City to attend a meeting of this special congress.

The delegates drew up a petition protesting the Stamp Act, giving their reasons, and demanding this law be repealed. They sent this petition, with Ben Franklin, to Parliament back in England.

This was very important. It clearly demonstrated that the colonies could and would speak with one voice.

Ben Franklin convinced British Parliament to rescind (remove, repeal, delete) the Stamp Act.

Things might have ended there. But British Parliament still needed money.

Vocabulary words: rescind, delegates, petition, protests

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Road to Revolution for Kids - The Stamp Act

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For Kids: NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! The government of Great Britain, Parliament, still needed money to pay off the cost of the Seven Years War, known in the colonies as the French and Indian War. They believed the colonists should help pay this cost since much of the fighting was done to defend them.

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For Kids: The French and Indian War had cost the British a bundle. This war was fought in the American colonies. Assisted by Native Americans, the British won. They gained a lot of land in the colonies, formerly controlled by the French. But they had borrowed a considerable amount of money to fund the war. And, they had many British troops left over from the war still stationed in the colonies. Care of those troops was draining them financially.

The Proclamation of 1763: British Parliament passed a law called The Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation was an attempt to establish a western border of the 13 colonies in America. That border was the Appalachian Mountains.

The Proclamation made it illegal for colonists to settle west of the Appalachians, illegal to move into Ohio or Tennessee or Florida. Parliament was hoping this would satisfy the Native Americans in the area, and reduce the need for troops along the border to protect colonists from Indian attacks, which would of course save the British money.

It sounded like a good plan, but the law did not succeed because so many settlers had already begun to move west. (A few years later, the law was changed to recognize western settlements.)

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Road to Revolution for Kids - Proclamation of 1763

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For Kids: The French and Indian War had cost the British a bundle. This war was fought in the American colonies. Assisted by Native Americans, the British won. They gained a lot of land in the colonies, formerly controlled by the French. But they had borrowed a considerable amount of money to fund the war.

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Call Number: PGA - Currier & Ives--Declaration of Independence: ... (A size) [P&P]

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Declaration of Independence: July 4th 1776

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The Library of Congress does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not license or charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material.

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The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.

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1 print : engraving with watercolor, on laid paper ; 25.8 x 33.4 cm. (plate) | A sensationalized portrayal of the skirmish, later to become known as the “Boston Massacre,” between British soldiers and citizens of Boston on March 5, 1770. On the right a group of seven uniformed soldiers, on the signa…

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The papers of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), diplomat, architect, scientist, and third president of the United States, held in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, consist of approximately 25,000 items, making it the largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world. Dating from the early 1760s through his death in 1826, the Thomas Jefferson Papers consist mainly of his correspondence, but they also include his drafts of the Declaration of Independence, drafts of Virginia laws; his fragmentary autobiography; the small memorandum books he used to record his spending; the pages on which for many years he daily recorded the weather; many charts, lists, tables, and drawings recording his scientific and other observations; notes; maps; recipes; ciphers; locks of hair; wool samples; and more.

The collection documents Jefferson's whole life, both public and personal--as a delegate to the second Continental Congress, Virginia legislator and governor, diplomat and residence in France, secretary of state, and president. The purchase of Louisiana, the expedition of Lewis and Clark, the building of Washington, D.C. as the national capital, and Jefferson's profound engagement with science and technology are all documented here. Jefferson's family life at Monticello is reflected in correspondence with his daughters, Martha (Patsy) Jefferson Randolph (1776-1836) and Mary (Maria) Jefferson Eppes (1778-1804), and his grandchildren, and in household accounts kept by his wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson (1748-1782). Some aspects of the lives of Jefferson's slaves, including members of the Hemings family of Monticello, including James Hemings (1765-1821), a brother of Sally Hemings, who trained as a French chef in Paris, can be traced in these papers. The twenty-one volumes of legal and legislative records from colonial Virginia, 1606-1737, that Jefferson collected, are divided between this collection and one held by the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.

Notable correspondents include Abigail Adams, John Adams, Joel Barlow, Aaron Burr, François Jean de Chastellux, José Francisco Correia da Serra, Maria Cosway, Pierre Samuel Du Pont de Nemours, Alexander Hamilton, Jean Antoine Houdon, Alexander von Humboldt, Tadeusz Kościuszko, the Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, Meriwether Lewis, James Madison, James Monroe, Charles Willson Peale, Joseph Priestley, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Rush, William Short, Samuel Harrison Smith, J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, William Thornton, John Trumbull, Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, C.-F. Volney, Caspar Wistar, and George Washington.

Description of Series

The Thomas Jefferson Papers are divided into ten series as follows:

Series 1: General Correspondence, 1651-1827
Incoming letters and copies of outgoing letters, drafts of state papers and memoranda, Jefferson's "anas," and other papers. Arranged chronologically with enclosures following covering letter. Undated manuscripts are arranged by subject at the end of the series.

Series 2: Horatio Gates Letterbook, 1780-1781
Copies of letters made by Jefferson from General Horatio Gates's Revolutionary War letterbook relating to Gates's southern campaign. Arranged chronologically.

Series 3: District of Columbia Miscellany, 1790-1808
Chiefly Jefferson's correspondence with the commissioners of the District of Columbia and other officials relating to the District, including some memoranda by Jefferson. Arranged chronologically.

Series 4: Account Books, 1767-1782
Jefferson's day-by-day accounts for the periods 1767-1770, 1773, and 1779-1782, the last two kept in volumes of theVirginia Almanac. Arranged chronologically. (The 1767-1770 volume, on deposit at the Library of Congress at the time the microfilm was made, is now at the University of Virginia.)

Series 5: Commonplace Books, 1758-1772
Thomas Jefferson's legal commonplace book, 1762-1767, compiled while he was studying law, contains notes and extracts on important legal cases and precedents. An alphabetical list of legal terms and definitions is in the back of the book. His literary commonplace book, 1758-1772, contains his copied extracts from literary works, mostly poetry; and philosophy, some in Greek. The keeping of commonplace books was common practice in the eighteenth century. These two volumes are among the earliest surviving records of Jefferson's thought. For more information see: Gilbert Chinard, ed.The Commonplace Book of Thomas Jefferson (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1926) and Douglas L. Wilson, ed. Jefferson's Literary Commonplace Book. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989).

Series 6: Randolph Family Manuscripts, 1790-1889
Consists of nearly three hundred pages of miscellaneous papers, 1790-1889, belonging to Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph (1772-1836), her husband, Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. (1767-1828), and their family, including sons-in-law Joseph Coolidge, Jr. (1798-1879), husband of their daughter Ellen, and Nicholas P. Trist (1800-1874), who married their daughter Virginia. The material consists of letters, poetry, notes, lists, printed material, and a commonplace book assembled by the Randolph's daughter Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (1799-1871). Included are copies and extracts from letters by Thomas Jefferson; condolences received at Jefferson's death from James Monroe and Lydia Sigourney; a eulogy on Jefferson by Nicholas Biddle; correspondence with Jefferson's biographer, Henry S. Randall; letters to Martha Randolph from Dolley Madison; and letters from Frances Wright and the Marquis de Lafayette to Martha Randolph during Lafayette's 1824-1825 trip to the United States. This material is part of a 1917 acquisition. It is arranged chronologically.

Series 7: Miscellaneous Bound Volumes, 1768-1829
Notes and writings on weather, Virginia history, law, plantation matters, a catalog of his library, and other documents, and clippings with subject annotation by Jefferson. Arranged by volume number as follows:

Vol. 1, Notes of Legal Cases Tried in Virginia Courts and Household Accounts
This one volume served three purposes over time. Thefirst thirty-one pages contain Jefferson's notes on legal cases heard in the Virginia General Court for the April 1768, October 1768, and April 1769 terms. Following these notes are a series of household accounts for Monticello in the hand of Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson (1748-1782), wife of Thomas Jefferson. These accounts start on February 10, 1772,and conclude with an entry on April 29, 1782, made shortly before the birth of their sixth child, Lucy Elizabeth, on May 8. Martha Jefferson's health declined rapidly after Lucy's birth, and she did not resume her record keeping before her death on September 6, 1782. At the end of the volume and meant to be read by turning the book over and flipping the pages in the opposite direction are household accounts, 1805-1808, of Jefferson's granddaughter Anne Cary Randolph (1791-1826), daughter of Martha Jefferson Randolph and Thomas Mann Randolph. Anne lived at Monticello when Jefferson was president. These pages are described in greater detail in the essay, Anne Cary Randolph's Household Accounts, 1805-1808. When volume 1 was microfilmed, the Anne Cary Randolph accounts were filmed first, and the remaining two sections were rotated and filmed to follow them. This online presentation restored the images to a sequence that more closely matches the original volume.

Vol. 2, Weather Record, 1776-1818
Thomas Jefferson's meteorological observations in Philadelphia and at Monticello and Poplar Forest; also notes on scientific experiments and on plants grown on his estate, and his description of the September 17, 1811, solar eclipse.

Vol. 3, Historical Notes on Virginia
Jefferson made these Historical Notes on Virginia in 1781 while gathering material for his responses to queries about Virginia from François Henri Barbé-Marbois, secretary of the French legation in Philadelphia, which he later (1785) published under the titleNotes on the State of Virginia.

Vol. 4, Manual of Parliamentary Practice (Washington, 1801)
As vice president of the United States from 1797 to 1801, Thomas Jefferson had the duty of presiding over the United States Senate. With the assistance of John James Beckley, clerk of the House of Representatives, he compiled a notebook or pocketbook of rules and precedents of parliamentary practice. Jefferson originally planned to leave a manuscript copy with the Senate for the use of his successors and solicited comments on it from knowledgeable friends, such as George Wythe and Edmund Pendleton. However, before leaving office as vice president, Jefferson decided to have the manual printed by his friend Samuel H. Smith. Smith published the first of many editions ofA Manual of Parliamentary Practice for the Use of the Senate of the United States in Washington City in 1801. In an 1809 letter to John W. Campbell, Jefferson wrote that he did not include the Manual of Parliamentary Practice in his writings "because it was a mere compilation, into which nothing entered of my own, but the arrangement, and a few observations necessary to explain that and some of the cases." William S. Howell has edited a scholarly edition of Jefferson's parliamentary writings, which was published in 1988 by Princeton University Press as part of the second series of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. A revised edition of the Manual is still in use today, though in the House of Representatives rather than in the Senate.

Vol. 5, "Notes on Salkeld's Reports," "An Act Further to Amend the Judicial System of the United States," and "An Act to Punish Certain Offences against the United States"
William Salkeld (1515-1671) was an English legal writer and sergeant-at-law, known for his diligent work as a reporter of legal cases. HisReports of Cases Adjudged in the Court of King's Bench, 1689-1712 (1717-18) became a standard authority for precedents at the King's Bench. Salkeld was also one of the author-translators of Creswell Levinz's Reports of Cases in the King's Bench, 1660-1697 (1722). Like most law students in eighteenth-century Britain and its colonies, Jefferson took notes from Salkeld's Reports on the King's Bench cases, looking for precedents and practices that he would find useful in his own case work. Also included in this volume are drafts of two bills in an unknown handwriting, "An act further to amend the judicial system of the United States" and "An act to punish certain offences against the United States."

Vol. 6, List of the Post-Offices in the United States (Washington, D.C., 1803)
A book of the locations of post offices existing in 1803, with distances from Washington and annotations by Jefferson.

Vol. 7, Jefferson's Second Library
A catalog of the personal library that Jefferson accumulated after the sale of his first library to Congress. This second library was offered for sale at public auction on February 27, 1829.

Vol. 8, Jefferson's inscribed flyleaves from Cicero's De Re Publica (Boston, 1823)
Jefferson's inscribed flyleaves from an edition of Cicero'sDe Re Publica published in Boston in 1823. The inscriptions are to Thomas Jefferson Smith, son of Samuel Harrison Smith, an old friend and political ally. The inscriptions include a poem and "A Decalogue of Canons for observation in practical life."

Vol. 9, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (Washington, D.C., 1904)
This facsimile reproduction of Jefferson's original compilation (now in the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution) was published in Washington in 1904. Jefferson used excerpts from the New Testaments in four languages to create a compilation of what he considered to be Jesus' most authentic actions and teachings. He probably prepared the "Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" in 1820.

Vol. 10, Clippings (not yet digitized)

Series 8: Virginia Records, 1606-1737
Twenty-one volumes of seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Virginia colonial records collected and copied by Jefferson and retained as part of his personal library. Half of these volumes are held in the Manuscript Division with Jefferson's papers, and the rest are in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. For more information, see theoverview of the Virginia Records, 1606-1737, under the Articles and Essays tab.

Series 9: Collected Manuscripts, 1783-1822
Letters and notes collected by the Library since 1920. Arranged chronologically.

Series 10: Addenda, 1781-1829
Since the Thomas Jefferson Papers were microfilmed in 1974 additional material has been added to the collection. These items are included in this series. For a detailed description of these items, see the Scope and Contents section of theFinding Aid. Although the items in Series 10 were not microfilmed, selected originals were subsequently digitized and are viewable on this website.

Transcriptions

Some of Jefferson's papers are supplemented on this website by transcriptions from the published editions listed below and from others supplied by Manuscript Division specialist Gerard Gawalt (since retired). There are some discrepancies with dates and other text between documents in the published editions and the manuscript images. This is because in some cases editors transcribed a different draft than the one the Library of Congress owns. In other cases archivists at the Library of Congress and editors of the published editions arrived at different interpretations of dates, correspondents, or other data. The published editions listed below were the source of the transcriptions used on the Library's Web site. They were chosen because they are out of copyright or otherwise in the public domain. For citations to the modern editions of Jefferson's papers, see the bibliography in Related Resources.

Fitzpatrick, John C., ed. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. 39 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1931-1944. Reprint, New York: Greenwood Press, 1970. (John C. Fitzpatrick was chief of the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, in the 1930s and 1940s when he edited The Writings of George Washington; he included transcriptions of documents from the Jefferson Papers in this edition of the Washington Papers.)

Ford, Paul Leicester, ed. The Works of Thomas Jefferson in Twelve Volumes. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904.

Kingsbury, Susan Myra, ed. Records of the Virginia Company. Volumes I and II: Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1906; volumes III and IV, 1933, 1935.

Mathew, Thomas. The Beginning, Progress and Conclusion of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia in the Years 1675 & 1676. Washington: Peter Force, 1835. (Transcribed by Jefferson and originally published in the Richmond Virginia Enquirer, September 1, 5, and 8, 1804.)

Padover, Saul K., ed. Thomas Jefferson and the National Capital. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946.

Special thanks to Gerard W. Gawalt, Specialist in Early American History, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (retired), for providing transcriptions of Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson's Household Accounts in Series 7 and for authoring the accompanying essay. He provided transcriptions of correspondence between Jefferson and William Short, as well as many other transcriptions used throughout this online collection.

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About this Collection | Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606-1827 | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

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The papers of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), diplomat, architect, scientist, and third president of the United States, held in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, consist of approximately 25,000 items, making it the largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world.

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The papers of army officer and first U.S. president George Washington (1732-1799) held in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress constitute the largest collection of original Washington papers in the world. They consist of approximately 77,000 items accumulated by Washington between 1745 and 1799, including correspondence, diaries, and financial and military records. The collection documents Washington's childhood education, his first career as a surveyor, his experiences as a militia colonel during the French and Indian War, his election as a Virginia delegate to the first and second Continental Congresses, his role as general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, his presidency of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, his two terms as president (1789-1797), and his retirement. Also documented is his management of Mount Vernon, his plantation home in Virginia, and the lives of his family, servants, and slaves. Notable correspondents include John Adams, Benedict Arnold, Edward Braddock, Alexander Hamilton, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Because of the wide range of Washington's interests, activities, and correspondents, which include ordinary citizens as well as celebrated figures, his papers are a rich source for almost every aspect of colonial and early American life.

Description of Series

This collection of George Washington Papers is organized into nine series, which are listed below. Additional information about some of these series may be found in the Series Notes under the Articles and Essays tab.

Series 1, Exercise Books, Diaries, and Surveys, ca. 1745-1799
Three exercise books (school copy books), ca.1745-1747, kept by Washington between the ages of about thirteen and fifteen; thirty-six of the diaries kept by Washington from about the age of sixteen until his death in 1799; and notes and drawings documenting Washington's early career as a surveyor, 1749-1752 and undated. For more information, see the Series Notes.

Series 2, Letterbooks, 1754-1799
Forty-one letterbooks used by Washington to keep copies of his correspondence, dating from the beginning of the French and Indian War until his death. For more information, see the Series Notes.

Series 3, Varick Transcripts, 1775-1785
Forty-four letterbooks containing copies of the correspondence Washington accumulated as Commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. These were made by Richard Varick, at Washington's direction, in 1781-1785. Many of the original letters Varick copied from are in Series 4. For more information, see the Series Notes.

Series 4, General Correspondence, 1697-1799
The largest series in the George Washington papers consists of 297 volumes containing original letters to and from Washington. Also included are early family papers, speeches, military orders, farm reports, and other papers. Since Washington preserved drafts of his letters, and made letterbook copies of both outgoing and incoming correspondence, his letters often exist in multiple versions.

Series 5, Financial Papers, 1750-1796
Ledgers, journals, account books, cash books, pocket books, receipts, invoices, and business correspondence filling thirty-four volumes. These document the finances of Washington's public and private life; his plantation at Mount Vernon, including the slaves who lived and worked there; his military service during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War; his presidency, and his retirement. The financial papers also contain many detailed pieces of information about the family members, neighbors, servants and other employees, slaves, doctors, merchants, and tradespeople he dealt with. For more information, see the Series Notes.

Series 6, Military Papers, 1755-1798
A miscellaneous collection of twenty-six volumes dating from the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the Quasi-War with France. With the exception of an orderly book Washington kept as an aide to General Edward Braddock during the French and Indian War and a Virginia Militia memorandum book, these are volumes that Washington accumulated during his military career but did not create himself. Most document the Revolutionary War and include orderly books, including some captured from the British; interrogations of British deserters, lists of officers and provisions, court martial proceedings of Captain Richard Lippincott, diaries, copies of letters, and a few published volumes of military strategy. For more information, see the Series Notes.

Series 7, Applications for Office, 1789-1796
Thirty-two volumes containing letters Washington received from job-seekers while he was president of the United States.

Series 8, Miscellaneous Papers, ca. 1775-1799
The items in Series 8 are not different in substance from manuscripts elsewhere in Washington's papers. They were filed separately only because they arrived at the library separately from the bulk of Washington's papers. They include correspondence and miscellaneous notes, 1757-1799; military commissions, honorary degrees, and other certificates, 1775-1798; survey warrants, 1750-1752; and notes Washington made on his reading, ca.1760-1799. For more information, see the Series Notes.

Series 9, Addenda, ca. 1732-1943
Washington material acquired since 1970, organized by date of acquisition, and items that were removed from the first eight series as extraneous.

Transcriptions Included on this Website

Some of Washington's papers are supplemented on this website by transcriptions from the published editions listed below. There are some discrepancies in date and text between documents in these published editions and the manuscript images. This is because in some cases editors of the published editions used a different draft than the one the Library of Congress owns. In other cases archivists at the Library of Congress and editors of the published editions arrived at different interpretations of dates, correspondents, or other data. With the exception of Jackson and Twohig's edition of the Diaries, these are older editions, used because they are out of copyright or otherwise in the public domain. For citations to modern editions of Washington's papers, see the bibliography in Related Resources.

Fitzpatrick, John C., ed. The Writings of Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799, 39 vols. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1931-1944.

Fitzpatrick, John C., ed. George Washington's Accounts of Expenses While Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, 1775-1783. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1917.

Hamilton, Stanislaus Murray, ed. Letters to Washington and Accompanying Papers, 5 vols. Boston: Society of Colonial Dames of America; New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company; Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1898.

Jackson, Donald, and Dorothy Twohig, eds., The Diaries of George Washington, 6 vols. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976-1979. This edition is presented in Series 1 in two forms: facsimiles of published pages, and searchable text. The searchable text contains updates to the editors' annotations and notes that are not in the published version. These updates were provided by the editors of The Diaries at the University of Virginia's Papers of George Washington External publication project.

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About this Collection | George Washington Papers | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

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The papers of army officer and first U.S. president George Washington (1732-1799) held in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress constitute the largest collection of original Washington papers in the world. They consist of approximately 77,000 items accumulated by Washington between 1745 and 1799, including correspondence, diaries, and financial and military records.

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Christ Church in Boston where it was "one if by land, two if by sea"

Have you heard Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride"? The American Revolution Began
April 19, 1775
One if by land, two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex, village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.

After looking for the signal (one lantern if the regulars - the term used for invading British soldiers - were coming by land, or two if they were coming by sea) in the Christ Church steeple, Paul Revere and other Americans rode through the dark of the night on the eve of April 19,1775, to warn the country folk of the danger to come.

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Christ Church in Boston where it was "one if by land, two if by sea" Have you heard Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride"? The American Revolution Began April 19, 1775 One if by land, two if by sea;And I on the opposite shore will be,Ready to ride and spread the alarmThrough every Middlesex, village and farm,For the country folk to be up and to arm.

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Abigail Smith Married John Adams
October 25, 1764
Abigail Smith married John Adams, a young lawyer, on October 25, 1764, starting an eventful 54-year partnership. Through the years, the Adamses moved from colonial Boston, where they experienced the American Revolution, to London and Paris, where they acted as diplomats, to the White House in Washington, D.C., where they were its first residents.

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Abigail Smith Married John Adams October 25, 1764 Abigail Smith married John Adams, a young lawyer, on October 25, 1764, starting an eventful 54-year partnership. Through the years, the Adamses moved from colonial Boston, where they experienced the American Revolution, to London and Paris, where they acted as diplomats, to the White House in Washington, D.C., where they were its first residents.

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Get information about the Stamp Act from the DK Find Out website for kids. Find out when the Stamp Act was imposed and other facts from DK Find Out

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Hear that marching playing patriotic music? Smell those hot dogs cooking on the grill? See those fireworks exploding in the night sky? Then it must be Independence Day!

Also called the Fourth of July, Independence Day marks the historic date in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress. The written declaration stated that the American colonies were tired of being ruled by Great Britain. They wanted to become their own country.

A GROWING ANGER

Before the declaration, America was part of the Kingdom of Great Britain (now called the United Kingdom). In the 1600s, people came from Great Britain to settle in what is now North America. Between 1607 and 1732, the British founded 13 colonies: Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

As these colonies grew, the people who lived there thought the British government treated them unfairly. For instance, they had to pay taxes on items such as tea and allow British soldiers to stay in their homes. The colonists had to follow these laws but couldn't do anything to change them. The colonists rebelled. As a result, the Revolutionary War between the colonists and Great Britain began in 1775.

Fighting wasn't enough though. The colonists decided they needed to declare their independence in writing to explain their reasons and gain support from other countries like France. On July 4, 1776, a small group of representatives from the colonies-called the Continental Congress-adopted the Declaration of Independence.

DECLARING INDEPENDENCE

Written by a committee led by Thomas Jefferson, the document was signed by people from all 13 colonies. But the British government didn't accept it. So the colonists continued to fight for independence until they finally defeated Great Britain in 1783.

The Declaration of Independence, now housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., is recognized around the world as an important message of self-governance and human rights. The second sentence says it all: that all people are created equally and have rights that include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Fun fact: Jefferson, who would become the third U.S. president, wrote that sentence!)

Today the United States and Great Britain are friends. Most Americans still celebrate Independence Day, often with parades and fireworks. Historians think this is thanks to a letter written by John Adams, who helped write the declaration and would also go on to be the second U.S. president. In his letter to his wife, Abigail, Adams predicted that the colonists' independence would be celebrated by future generations as an annual festival with parades and bonfires. It's no wonder that this holiday has turned out to be such a blast!

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Get the scoop on why we celebrate the Fourth of July!

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Learn about the life and achievements of this Founding Father of the United States.

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