“July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
-Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3rd 1776
In Pioneer’s ongoing series of blogs here, here, here, and here on curricular resources for parents, families, and teachers during COVID-19, this one focuses on:
Celebrating American Independence!
“[T]he sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people,” President George Washington said in his 1789 Inaugural Address. It had been a long road for the 57 year old Father of the Country, and former military commander of the improbable American cause of independence from Great Britain, the most powerful imperial force on Earth in the late 18th century.
This American Cincinnatus was named after the mythical ancient Roman Cincinnatus who had left the plough and his farm to lead his country in a time of trouble, ultimately restoring order and returning to his farm and citizenship. Washington of Virginia led his rag tag Continental Army from June 1775 to December 1783, and earned a historic victory before ceremoniously resigning his military command. When his adversary, King George III of Great Britain, heard the news of Washington’s resignation after the long War for Independence, he said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
Consequently, Washington was a man posterity would call the young republic’s “indispensable man.” In an age that was extraordinary deep in terms of accomplished, historic leaders – Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Patrick Henry, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Marshall – every one of his peers recognized that the Revolutionary and Founding eras, were in fact the Age of Washington.
American schoolchildren need to know more about the basic history of and lessons from the American Revolution and War for Independence, including perhaps the greatest leader and hero the country has ever produced, George Washington. To do our small part to help the cause, we’re offering a variety of resources to help parents, teachers, schoolchildren, and citizens better celebrate the Fourth of July!

George Washington, by Ingri d’Aulaire and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

Benjamin Franklin, by Ingri D’Aulaire and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

What Was the Boston Tea Party?, by Kathleen Krull

Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies, by Cokie Roberts and Diane Goode

Who Was Thomas Jefferson?, by Dennis Brindell Fradin

George vs. George: The American Revolution As Seen from Both Sides, by Rosalyn Schanzer

Who Was Abigail Adams?, by True Kelley

Paul Revere’s Ride, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Author) and Ted Rand (Illustrator)

Who Was Paul Revere?, by Roberta Edwards

Let It Begin Here!: Lexington & Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution, by Dennis Brindell Fradin (Author) and Larry Day (Illustrator)

Who Was Ben Franklin?, by Dennis Brindell Fradin

Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, by Selene Castrovilla

What Is the Declaration of Independence?, by Michael C. Harris

Who Was George Washington?, by Roberta Edwards

Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes

Samuel Adams: The Father of American Independence, by Dennis B. Fradin

Our Sacred Honor: Words of Advice from the Founders in Stories, Letters, Poems, and Speeches, by William J. Bennett (Editor)

Three Men of Boston, by John R. Galvin

James Otis: The Pre-Revolutionist, by John Clark Ridpath

The Meaning of Independence: John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, by Edmund S. Morgan

The Radicalism of the American Revolution, by Gordon S. Wood

The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, by Bernard Bailyn

The Minute Men: The First Fight: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution, by John R. Galvin

Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence, by Carol Berkin

The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, by Robert Middlekauff

1776, by David McCullough

John Adams, by David McCullough

Washington: The Indispensable Man, by James Thomas Flexner

George Mason: Forgotten Founder, by Jeff Broadwater

American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, by Pauline Maier

Abigail Adams: A Biography, by Phyllis Lee Levin

Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence, by John Ferling

Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution, by Mark Puls

Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution, by Charles Rappleye

A Son of Thunder: Patrick Henry and the American Republic, by Henry Mayer

Paul Revere’s Ride, by David Hackett Fischer

Washington’s Crossing, David Hackett Fischer

Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow

John Adams, DVD Box Set, byTom Hooper (Director), Paul Giamatti (Actor), Laura Linney (Actor)

History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution: All Three Volumes, by Mercy Otis Warren

1776 (Restored Director’s Cut), by William Daniels (Actor), Howard DaSilva (Actor), Peter H. Hunt (Director)

Boston’s Massacre, by Eric Hinderaker

American Tempest: How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution, by Harlow Giles Unger

Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill, by Richard M. Ketchum

Saratoga, by Richard Ketchum

Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution, by Richard M. Ketchum

Lafayette, by Harlow Giles Unger

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, by Jon Meacham

My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams, by Abigail Adams and John Adams
