Many students will have difficulty understanding how a victory in upstate New York or on the coast of Virginia could have had such dramatic impact on America's fortunes in its struggle against Great Britain. An explanation of the nature of eighteenth-century warfare and of the strategy and objectives of the antagonists will be very valuable. Your lecture can be enlivened by descriptive material relating to one or two major battles. See Colin Bonwick, The American Revolution (1991), Don Higginbotham, The War of American Independence: Military Attitudes, Policies, and Practice, 1763-1789 (1971), and Edward Countryman, The American Revolution (1985). See also John R. Elting, The Battles of Saratoga (1977), Max M. Mintz, The Generals of Saratoga: John Burgoyne and Horatio Gates (1990), and Burke Davis, The Campaign That Won America: The Story of Yorktown (1979).

The United States was alone in the world, in conflict with one of the great powers. The United States had to make vigorous efforts to attract the attention and support of other nations. Its diplomatic efforts reveal both skill and ineptitude, weakness and realism. Students will benefit from a close examination of the diplomatic history of the Revolution. See Jonathan R. Dull, A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution (1985), Richard W. Van Alstyne, Empire and Independence: The International History of the American Revolution (1965), and Richard B. Morris, The Peacemakers: The Great Powers and American Independence (1965).

The United States was a weak country with a weak government facing a world power. It needed to finance the revolutionary effort it had undertaken. How did it do it? A lecture on the economic struggles of the new nation at war reveals selfishness and generosity, brilliance and chicanery. See William G. Anderson, The Price of Liberty: The Public Debt of the American Revolution (1983), and Clarence L. Ver Steeg, Robert Morris: Revolutionary Financier (1954).

Economic troubles did not just disappear when the war ended. Shays's Rebellion of 1786 is a wonderful subject for a lecture. It is revealing both of the seriousness of the nation's economic plight and of its inability to deal adequately with it. See David P. Szatmary, Shays's Rebellion: The Making of an Agrarian Insurrection (1980) and Richard D. Brown, "Shays's Rebellion and Its Aftermath; A View from Springfield, Massachusetts, 1787," William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd series, 40 (October 1983): 598-615.

Part of the American concept of government is a belief in the federal Constitution as a "Good Thing." Why, then, was the process of ratification so difficult? Consider devoting part of a lecture to vigorous Antifederalist arguments. You may want to answer them from the Federalist side--or assign several students to do so. See J. R. Pole, editor, The American Constitution, For and Against: The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers (1987).

The federal structure created at Philadelphia in 1787 is exceedingly complex. Well-informed foreign observers still frequently fail to grasp the autonomous character of certain functions performed by the states. The ability of students to understand the complexity of subsequent historical developments depends, in part, on their understanding of the federal system. A lecture on this subject is highly desirable. It will be useful to begin with the weaknesses of the Confederation and proceed to an examination of the federal structure, division of powers, separation of powers, the elastic clause, the nature of strict and loose construction, enumerated and reserved powers, prohibited powers, the system of checks and balances, and concurrent powers. You will wish to add to or subtract from this list according to your own judgment. A good textbook like J. W. Peltason, Corwin and Peltason's Understanding the Constitution (1997) will be useful. For consideration of ideology consult Forrest McDonald, Novus Ordum Seculorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution (1985).