In the years between 1764 and 1776, America truly became a nation. Where before America had been a cluster of competing British colonies—with differing origins, goals, and policies—by 1776 colonists had forged a separate identity flexible enough to support not just revolution but nation building. Through the letters and diaries of contemporary observers and participants; through the broadsides, pamphlets, and official documents that set out their grievances; and through newspaper accounts, maps, portraits, engravings, and images of artifacts, we propose to bring those tumultuous times to life for students of American history via a website on The Coming of the American Revolution. The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS), the first organization in the country systematically to collect and preserve documents detailing America’s history, is especially well suited to perform this task. Its holdings in the Revolutionary era are extensive, its relationship with other historical associations possessing relevant materials is cooperative, and its expertise in mounting documents on the World Wide Web is demonstrable (see www.masshist.org).

Taking the form of a timeline, the basic site will be organized by fifteen key events (e.g., Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, First Continental Congress, Lexington and Concord). For each event, which will be introduced by a contextual essay, we will select eight to twelve crucial documents (manuscript or printed). For each document, we will prepare high-quality images of each page (some documents will run to many pages), a searchable, printable transcription, and a bibliographic statement. Additional primary materials will illustrate events as appropriate, biographical sketches of central figures will be woven throughout the units, and suggestions for further reading will be listed.

In the summer of 2005, the MHS worked with four renowned scholars and twenty middle and high school teachers to develop four topical units on the Revolutionary Era: 1) The Ideological Dimensions; 2) The Economic Dimensions; 3) The Social Dimensions; and 4) Petitioning for Rights (including the Declaration of Independence). Each scholar led a five-day seminar/workshop with five teachers to explore one of the assigned topics. Scholars shared their expertise with teachers; together, scholars and teachers were introduced to the wealth of primary materials available at the MHS and elsewhere; they advised MHS staff as they selected materials for in-depth coverage; and they worked with staff to identify the contextual materials and analytical tools necessary to help students critically evaluate documentary materials relating to the American Revolution. Each topical unit, as presented on the website, will model the ways in which historians engage with primary sources.

The project will also include comprehensive gateways and navigational tools for teachers and students. Components for teachers include a clear statement of core concepts, goals, objectives, and framing questions, and alignment to curriculum frameworks. The project will also feature curricula written by MHS Teacher Fellows and other educators who have worked with documents from MHS collections. Student components include guidelines for examining documents, project suggestions, and suggestions for further exploration.

Our website will be available on our parent site, www.masshist.org in 2008. It will be free, accessible on all platforms, and expandable as new materials become available after the grant period ends. Links to other MHS online resources (e.g., Adams and Jefferson electronic archives) and other resources on the World Wide Web will further enhance the timeline/documentary history.