Many sources, for example, describe creation of the Constitution as a response to weaknesses of the Confederation and the need for a strong federal government. In the collection, students are exposed to the arguments of those against a strong federal government. Students can trace fear of tyranny from the crown in earlier broadsides to fear of tyranny from strong central government in later broadsides. This collection provides a rich source for a research project. Students will probably need secondary source accounts to provide context, but the documents alone can be used to build a detailed understanding of the era.
Students can trace powerful ideas that led people to take part in a war for independence.
They can consider how ideas and ideals can become a cause of war. Students can review the actions and reactions between Great Britain and the colonists that led to war. By studying the broadsides, students can compare points of view on issues such as how to treat Native Americans or how to defray war debts. Students might consider what a collection like this cannot tell about the past. Their prisons have been the slaughter-houses of her soldiers, their ships of her seamen, and the severest injuries have been aggravated by the grossest insult.