American Revolution Reference Library: Primary Sources

Part of Gales American Revolution Reference Library, American Revolution: Primary Sources, allows students and researchers to study the full text of or excerpts from 32 related Revolutionary era speeches, diary entries, newspaper and magazine articles, poems and other documents.

Arranged in subject chapters, each entry provides introductory material, things to remember, the text itself, explanations and definitions, what happened next, Did You Know facts and a further reading section. Sidebars contain short biographies on the speaker or author or related information. Some of the primary sources covered include the Stamp Act (1765), portions of the Intolerable Acts (1774) and more. 01

Reviewed with Bigelow and Schmittroth's American Revolution: Almanac and Schmittroth and Rosteck's American Revolution: Biographies.

This excellent set is for students in grades five through nine who are researching the American Revolution. Each of the three parts of the American Revolution Reference Library can be purchased and used alone or together, their complementary materials giving an excellent picture of the time. A free paper cumulative index for the set is available.Almanac is composed of 12 chapters that cover background leading up to the war, the war's development, and its end. Chapter titles include "Literature and Arts in the Revolutionary Era," "Assembling an Army," and "Native Americans and Blacks in the American Revolution." Illustrations, sidebars, a time line, glossary, and activity ideas enhance the value of the volume.Biographies contains 60 illustrated entries on patriots, presidents, British loyalists, Native Americans, and other famous people of the time. Included are Pierre Charles L'Enfant, Benjamin Rush, and Deborah Sampson. Each entry begins with name, birth and death dates and places, a phrase describing the person's contribution, and a quotation by or about the person. Articles trace each person's entire life and end with a bibliography for further research. The volumes include a time line that highlights events in the lives of the biographees.Primary Sources presents 32 excerpted documents, beginning with the 1765 Stamp Act and ending with Washington's farewell address to the Continental Army in 1783. Each entry has helpful material to give the context for the document. The adjoining margins contain definitions of terms that may be unfamiliar. This set is attractive and easy to use. It gives broad coverage of the era, not just of the war. It is especially valuable when used with its sister set, Colonial American Reference Library [RBB Jl 00]. All libraries serving students at the targeted level should consider purchasing both sets. REVWR
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