The Atlantic Revolutions
Driving Question: How was the period from 1750 to 1825 an Age of Revolutions?
Revolutions are major transformations in how people live, think, govern, connect, or produce. Such dramatic changes are often violent and always disruptive, so why would a society want a revolution? The answer depends on the circumstances of the society—the revolutions that took place across the Atlantic world differed in their origins. In one instance, an enslaved population overthrew its colonizers, turning the world upside down.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the causes and consequences of the Atlantic revolutions.
- Use causation to evaluate and analyze the revolutions of this era.
- Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
Did you know: After the Bastille fell in 1789, the Marquis de Lafayette sent the key to the hated prison to his “adoptive father,” George Washington. Lafayette trusted Thomas Paine to deliver the key for him. This is a great illustration of the transoceanic connections that fueled the Age of Revolutions.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about an age of revolutions that swept across the world. This activity will get you thinking about the impacts of this turbulent time.
During the long nineteenth century, political communities transformed on every continent. Use this geography activity to orient yourself to some of the most dramatic changes.
Be sure to look at the Lesson Guide for a sample recipe you can use as a model for students. You can use this with the whole class and edit it together to make it even better.
Take a look at how some OER Project teachers adapted the Recipe for a Revolution activity for their classrooms and how it worked for them.
Beginning in the late eighteenth century, a revolutionary wave swept the Atlantic Ocean, overturning old governments and ushering in new ideas about freedom.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
The Haitian Revolution defeated the French Empire, abolished slavery, and shook the foundations of the Atlantic slave economy. But the struggle didn’t end there.
See the Lesson Guide to download the readings and the Research Cards you’ll need to run this class activity.
Blog post: “Revolutionary Women: Little Tweaks Make a Perfect Fit!” Read an experienced teacher’s take on teaching this activity.
Though revolutionary narratives are often centered on founding fathers, plenty of women played central roles in defining the Age of Revolutions.
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Guiding Questions
In this writing activity, you’ll use evidence from sources to support an argument that responds to the question: What were the most significant causes of political revolutions during the long nineteenth century?
The roots of revolutionary thought extend further back than the Enlightenment. Extend this lesson by exploring the political changes in England that started 600 years before the Age of Revolutions.
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Guiding Questions
Revolutionary movements erupted in many places beyond America and France. Use this article and video to evaluate whether we should expand the narrative of the Atlantic revolutions.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
