Lexington: Then and Now

(ISBN 9781933122786)

This book is part of a nine-month-long celebration of the 300th anniversary of Lexington, Massachusetts, which was incorporated in 1713. Of course it includes good history about Colonial life in a New England farming community and a detailed telling of the “First Shot” of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. But it also has material for civics and government teachers who need to show an example of how direct democracy work or how citizens can participate in local government.

Comic sample page #1: Where did Captain Parker get revenge?
Comic sample page #2: Can citizens lobby representatives?
Topics covered in this comic book

Where did Captain Parker get revenge?

Can citizens lobby representatives?

CHAPTER 1 EARLY LEXINGTON
Lexington played a pivotal role in the American colonial resistance to British tax policy in the 1770s. Here you will find the detailed depiction of the first shots fired in what would become the American Revolution – but also a look at the others who contributed to the fight for freedom, such as the women who held spinning bees to aid in the boycott of British stuff!

Early Lexington answers the following topics:

Who settled the land of Lexington?
When did the town of Lexington begin?
How was life in early Lexington?
What caused Colonial tensions?
How did Lexington prepare for war?
What happened April 19, 1775?
Where did Captain Parker get revenge?

CHAPTER 2 AN INDEPENDENT TOWN MEETING
After the American Revolution, how do the towering principles of the new nation get to work in everyday government? How does an American community steer itself into the rapidly-changing 19th Century? This chapter tackles those practical questions!

An Independent Town Meeting answers the following topics:

Who led the new local government?
When did Town Meeting get refined?
How civil is discourse at Town Meeting?
What did Town Meeting do in the 1800s?
How did Town Meeting change in 1929?
What did Town Meeting do in the 1900s?

CHAPTER 3 A TOWN WARRANT

Town Meeting is a form of local government found in the six states of the New England region. It is one of the closest examples we have of direct democracy in the United States. It began with the Puritan settlers of the 1600s and continues in a very similar form today. This chapter looks at the mechanics of local democracy!

A Town Warrant answers the following topics:

How does a town warrant begin?
Can citizens lobby representatives?
What happens during Town Meeting?
Who enacts Town Meeting decisions?
How are Lexington schools governed?

CHAPTER 4 LEXCELEBRATE!

The pages in this chapter compare modern life to life in Lexington’s first three centuries because quick, broad comparisons can help students understand that there wasn’t always a fast food drive-thru waiting at every highway exit in America. See how transportation and population grow and change over time with the specific examples from Lexington’s story.

LEXCELEBRATE answers the following topics:

How has life changed in Lexington?
How did Lexington’s population grow?
How did transportation change things?
What are Lexington’s symbols and tributes?
How has America hailed the first shot?