Revolutionary America's Impact on Children's Lives

Oftentimes, when thinking about the American Revolution, the first people to come to mind are adult men like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine. Although these figures were extremely important to American Independence, there were a lot more people who influenced Revolutionary America. Additionally, the general public often undermines the extended period in which Revolutionary America occurred. Oftentimes Revolutionary America is interpreted to have ended directly after gaining independence on July 4th, 1776, and to have started not long before then. However, Revolutionary America was enduring tensions occurring long before 1776 and America was picking up the pieces of the revolution long after in an attempt to gain true freedom and create their own republic a great amount of time after gaining independence. Therefore, this caused the lives of all colonists to be impacted greatly a significant amount of time before, during, and after the revolution. 

This research will focus immensely on the roles of children during the American Revolution and the impact that the American Revolution had on their lives, since they are often left out of revolutionary teachings. This is essential information to be studied to enhance the way that children understand the American Revolution on a deeper level through relations with other children. Research will be presented regarding the ways in which the American Revolution impacted children’s lives in a majority of different ways including familial tensions, children’s jobs, and education. I hypothesize that children’s lives were not only affected by the American Revolution but that they too, played a large role in the way the Revolution was carried out. 

This digital collection includes resources from a variety of primary and secondary sources held by University Libraries and National Archives.