Inside Lexington and Concord: Communities on the Road to Revolution

Minute Man National Historical Park
Summer Institute for Teachers
Grades 5 - 11
August 3 - 7, 2009
8:30 – 3:00

This five-day teacher institute is designed to provide participants with a close-up look at the people, the communities, and the events of April 19, 1775 that set America upon the path to nationhood, and helped shape the course of the future. During the course of the institute, we will examine the writings that survive from the period, the places where these people lived, the land where they worked, and the hallowed fields where they fought and died, and explore the complexity and human drama of the American Revolution.

You can sign up for all five days ($40.00), or any two that you choose ($25.00). Registration must be recieved by May 30, 2009. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Jim Hollister at (978) 318 - 7832 or email

Download a registration form

Monday, August 3rd ~ 1774: The Gathering Storm
In the 1774, the people of the Province of Massachusetts Bay rose up in defiance of the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts and set their colony, and all of British North America, on a course that would result in independence from Great Britain. Day one of “Inside Lexington and Concord” explores how these communities responded to the crisis, and answered the call to action.

Morning Sessions
Historian and author, Robert Gross (The Minutemen and Their World), will discuss the people of Concord, and how they came to take up the cause of the Revolution.

Historian Jayne Gordon, Massachusetts Historical Society, will share the primary resource material available from Massachusetts Historical Society’s online exhibit, “The Coming of the American Revolution: 1764 – 1776.”

Afternoon Session
NationalHeritageMuseum: The group will visit the National Heritage Museum and explore their permanent exhibit “Sowing the Seeds of Liberty.” Museum staff will introduce to the group, the materials and curriculum they have created for use in the classroom.

Tuesday, August 4th ~ Life, Liberty and Property: Land use, Farming and Material Culture in colonial New England
In telling the story of the American Revolution, the daily lives of the people who took part are often overlooked, and yet no less important in understanding these tumultuous times. Day two of “Inside Lexington and Concord” will explore such areas of common interest as land use, agricultural practices, animal husbandry, material culture and architecture.

Morning Session
Shaping the Landscape: Agricultural Practices in colonial New England ~ Dr. Brian Donahue, Brandeis University, will lead a walk through the historic Battle Road Trail, discussing settlement patterns, land distribution and use during the colonial period.

Ox Power!~ Farmer, Peter Merrill, and special guest, Jim the Ox, demonstrate the vital role animal husbandry played in colonial life.

Afternoon Session
Inside the colonial home ~ The group will tour the collections of the Concord Museum with Curator, David Wood, and discover what sort of furniture and other trappings found their way into colonial homes, and what these objects can tell us about daily life in colonial New England.

Site Visit - Hartwell Tavern and the Capt. William Smith House ~ The group will visit these two sites within Minute Man National Historical Park to discuss the ins and outs of colonial architecture, how homes were organized during the period, and what historical records we use to inform our knowledge of 18th century households. - Minute Man NHP staff

Wednesday, August 5th ~ Living in the past: Using living history with students
Living history/reenactment is used almost everyday by the staff and volunteers at Minute Man NHP as a powerful and effective educational tool. Day three’s sessions are designed to showcase how we use living history to bring the primary resource documents to life, and add meaning and imagination to the study of American History.

Morning Sessions
Colonial clothing: What historical garments can tell us about the people who wore them ~ Historian and 18th century tailor, Henry Cooke, and Dr. Emily Murphy, Historian, Salem Maritime NHS will provide insight into what people wore during the 18th century and how fashion reflected the people and the culture.

Food Ways: Exploring the colonial kitchen ~ Minute Man NHP staff

Essential Skills: Spinning workshop ~ Minute Man NHP staff

Afternoon Sessions
"I Am…” ~ Techniques for Creating a 1st person character – Minute Man NHP staff

Rebels, Redcoats and Homespun Heroes ~ This program, ideal for grades 5-8, is a living history program about the differences between colonial militia and British regular soldiers, and the role of women in the Revolutionary cause. The program will include hands-on activities such as basic military drill and handling period reproductions, and also includes a musket firing demonstration  – Minute Man NHP staff

Thursday, August 6th ~ The First Battle: Exploring April 19, 1775
“With regard to the state of America in general, affairs there are now come to a crisis, in which the Government of this country must act with firmness and decision.” Lord Dartmouth to General Thomas Gage, February 1775. On day four of “Inside Lexington and Concord,” we will explore the events of April 19, 1775 and their historical legacy. We will visit key places and battle sites associated with that “famous day and year.”

Morning Sessions
"The Road to Revolution” ~ The day will start with a viewing of Minute Man NHP’s award-winning multimedia presentation, which provides an overview of the day’s events.

Site Visit: Lexington Green, and Historic Lexington ~ Following Road to Revolution, the group will visit Lexington Green, where fighting first erupted between British regulars and colonial militiamen on April 19, 1775. Following this, we will visit the three historic houses operated by the Lexington Historical Society: Buckman Tavern, headquarters of the Lexington militia, The Hancock-Clarke House, home of patriot minister Rev. Jonas Clarke, where John Hancock and Samuel Adams were staying the night the British marched, and Monroe Tavern, which served as a temporary headquarters and field hospital for British Brigadier General Earl Percy and his 1,000 reinforcements on the afternoon of April 19, 1775. - Capt. Alex Cain, Lexington Train Band, and Jane Morse, Lexington Historical Society

Afternoon Sessions
Who Shot First? ~ Following our visit to Lexington, the group will take part in a new curriculum-based program at the North Bridge designed to introduce students to primary resource documents, and the skills of the historian in reading and interpreting them. In this case, we will read excerpts of first-hand accounts of the fighting at North Bridge and try to answer one very important question: “Who shot first?” – Jim Hollister, Park Ranger

The Battle Road ~ The heaviest fighting on April 19, 1775 did not occur in Lexington or Concord, but along the bloody Battle Road, as the British Regulars fought their way back to Boston through swarms of colonial militiamen. The group will tour some of the key battle sites along Battle Road and learn about what happened at these locations using primary resource evidence. – Minute Man NHP staff

Friday, August 7th ~ The Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Lexington and Concord, in many ways, marked the end of the colonial period of Massachusetts history. It was, however, just the beginning of a new era; but before that new day would dawn, a war needed to be fought and won. This final day of our institute will feature a field trip to Boston, where the group will visit sites in Revolutionary Boston and Charlestown, including Bunker Hill. - Boston NHP staff