Student Resources:

• Glossary
• Background Essay
• Background Slides (PPTX download)
• Primary Sources:
  • Student Graphic Organizer 
  • Suggested required documents:
    • The Boston Massacre engraving by Paul Revere, 1770
    • The Phillipsburg Proclamation, 1779
    • “Soldiers at the siege of Yorktown,” by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger, 1781
    • James Armistead’s Petition to the Virginia General Assembly, November 30, 1786
  • Suggested additional documents:
    • Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, 1775
    • “An act directing the emancipation of certain slaves who have served as soldiers in this state, and for the emancipation of the slave Aberdeen,” Virginia General Assembly, October 20, 1783
    • George Washington’s Last Will and Testament, July 9, 1799
• Assess and Reflect: Paths to Freedom: African Americans and the Revolutionary War

Teacher Resources:

• Answer Key

• Execrations
• Standard
• Forfeiture
• Rebel
• Rebel Standard
• Valet
• Mulatto
• Victuals [food] and clothes he has been accustomed to receive
• Chuses
• Aforesaid
• Emancipated
• Bondage
• Lord Cornwallis
• Marquiss Lafayette
• Inclosures
• Annexed
• Intreats
• Execrations
• Standard
• Forfeiture
• Rebel

Facilitation Notes:

• Glossary terms for this lesson are provided on a separate handout. The terms are also defined on each source prior to the historical context or introduction for each source.
• Some components of this lesson contain terminology that is no longer used because the terms are recognized to be offensive or derogatory. These terms have been retained in their original usage in order to present them accurately in their historical context for student learning, including understanding why these are not acceptable today.

Anticipate

• Optional: Have students read the background essay and highlight main ideas. Have students summarize or “shrink the text” of the essay in 1-2 sentences.
• Optional: Have students read through the background slide presentation (PPTX download). The background slides present the main ideas of the background essay in abbreviated form. Have students summarize or “shrink the text” of the slides in one to two sentences.

Engage

Transition: Today, we will consider the perspective of African Americans at the time of the Revolutionary War. After the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the text of the document was published in newspapers across the colonies and in many places read aloud to large gatherings.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–

Talk of the document’s ideas — natural rights of equality, liberty, applying to all men — would echo throughout the colonies. African Americans would hear these discussions about natural rights: what might they do about it? How could the ideas of natural rights shape individual actions and decisions?

Scaffolding note: Write questions out for students to discuss with a partner or to answer in writing individually. Encourage students to justify their thoughts (“What makes you say that? Why do you think that?”).  Provide students with sentence stems as additional support is needed:

• “I don’t understand why…”
• “I would think ________ because…”
• “I would question______ because…”
• “I would feel______ because…”

Explore

Transition: We will be looking at primary sources to form answers to the guiding questions: How did enslaved and free African Americans participate in the Revolutionary War? How do their actions reflect a desire to enjoy their natural rights?

Distribute the student document organizer.

Scaffolding notes:

• Four documents are recommended for this activity. Students have the option to look at the additional documents of their choosing or chosen by the teacher.
  • Suggested required documents:
    • The Boston Massacre engraving by Paul Revere, 1770
    • Phillipsburg Proclamation, 1779
    • “Soldiers at the siege of Yorktown,” by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger, 1781
    • “James Armistead Petition to the Virginia General Assembly, November 30, 1786
  • Suggested additional documents:
    • Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, 1775
    • “An act directing the emancipation of certain slaves who have served as soldiers in this state, and for the emancipation of the slave Aberdeen,” Virginia General Assembly, October 20, 1783
    • George Washington’s Last Will and Testament, July 9, 1799
• Each document contains an introduction to build context and Comprehension and Analysis Questions for analysis. Vocabulary is defined on each source. Higher-level students may look at the documents without the questions. An optional document organizer is also provided to assist students in pulling out main ideas.
• Worked examples in Google Slides are provided for the Boston Massacre engraving by Paul Revere.
• Teachers with online classes may wish students to view the slides asynchronously; in-person classes may wish to go through the example slides together.
• Each document contains an introduction to build context and Comprehension and Analysis Questions: for analysis. Higher level students may look at the documents without the questions.

Assess and Reflect

Distribute Assess and Reflect handout. Allow students to choose the option they wish to work on or select the option that best fits your students’ needs.

• Write a thesis statement that answers the guiding questions:
  • How did African Americans participate in the Revolutionary War?
  • How did their actions reflect a desire to enjoy their natural rights?
• Write an essay that answers the guiding questions with support from the documents and your knowledge of the time period to support your thesis.
• Create your own depiction of African Americans during the Revolutionary War. Consider a perspective not seen in the documents in this lesson.
• Create a podcast or photo story about the role of African Americans in the Revolutionary War. Share it with someone outside of the classroom. What were they surprised to learn? What questions did this recording raise for the audience?

Extend

• Learn more about the First Rhode Island Regiment and other stories of African Americans in the American Revolution in this episode of Bridge from the Past: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/videos/paths-to-freedom-african-americans-and-the-american-revolution-bridge-from-the-past
  How can the stories of African Americans in the Patriot Army become more familiar to students and the public? Why are these stories important?
• Listen to the following FaBRIc of History podcast to learn more about choosing a side in the American Revolution: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/podcasts/was-the-revolutionary-war-americas-first-civil-war. What were students surprised to learn? What would they like to know more about? Do you agree that the Revolutionary War was the first civil war? Why or why not?
• Learn more about William Lee on the Mount Vernon website: https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/william-billy-lee/ This article asserts that it is impossible to know if “Lee’s devotion to Washington stemmed from genuine affection or the desire to maintain a position of relative privilege within the enslaved community.” Why would Lee have a position of privilege within the enslaved community? How does this complicate the evidence provided by George Washington’s will? Does Lee’s story support the argument that the American Revolution created an opportunity for the enslaved to choose sides for their benefit or the cause they believed in? Explain.