Sara Georgini's collections
13 Revolutions
"The Revolution was in the Minds and Hearts of the People," John Adams wrote on 13 Feb. 1818. The colonists' drive to independence marked a new era of American history, Adams thought, when "Thirteen Clocks were made to Strike together; a perfection of Mechanism which no Artist had ever before effected."
So how did people experience the American Revolution?
1. Take a look at the material culture and manuscript resources shown below. Using 3-5 items ONLY, write a SHORT recap (1 paragraph) of the Revolution's rise and progress, ca. 1760s-1780s.
2. Then, nominate 1 MORE Smithsonian item to join this gallery. Choose any artifact/manuscript that you think we MUST see in order to understand vast early America's revolutionary culture--and tell us WHY.
As you build your history, which episodes and people come to the fore? How does the big picture change?
Sara Georgini
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