History

Y8 History

Key Stage 3

Year 8

Did the Enlightenment fuel the American Revolution?

In this lesson, we will learn about some of the big ideas which people were getting excited about in the eighteenth century. Some of these ideas were so powerful, they went on to help cause revolutions.


What was the Enlightenment?

In this lesson, we will find out about what it was like to live in a time with so many new and exciting ideas. Questions we will try to answer include: how were these ideas spread? Which groups of people were affected by the ideas? This lesson focuses on what was happening in eighteenth century Paris as it was the centre of Enlightenment thought at the time.

Enlightenment Culture

In this lesson, we will start to learn how the Enlightenment ideas we learnt about in the previous lessons started to cause revolutions in distant parts of the world. This lesson will give us some background about the Americas.

The 13 Colonies

In this lesson, we will learn about the start of the American Revolution. This involved war breaking out between the American colonists and the British government.

Why did war break out between Britain and its colonies?

In this lesson, we will learn about how the 13 Colonies were able to defeat the British government and its powerful navy and professional army. We will find out about how a new country was created with a completely new type of government. By the end of the lesson we will be able to decide whether or not America experienced a revolution.

The Revolutionary War

In this lesson, will look at one of the most famous documents in history: the American Declaration of Independence. It was created during the American Revolutionary War and then shaped the country that was created. We are going to read the document to help decide for ourselves whether the Enlightenment fueled the American Revolution.

Key Stage 3, History, Did the Enlightenment fuel the American Revolution?

What was the Enlightenment?

Enlightenment Culture

The 13 Colonies

Why did war break out between Britain and its colonies?

The Revolutionary War

The Declaration of Independence