Essential Questions Specialty Area 9

1. Analyze the contributions of Alexander Hamilton to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Hamilton have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Hamilton’s character?
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?
  • c. What role did he play in forming the new nation?
2. Analyze the contributions of Horatio Gates to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Horatio Gates have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Gate’s character?
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?
3. Analyze the contributions of Francis Marion to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Francis Marion have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Marion’s character??
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?​​
4. Analyze the contributions of Nathan Hale to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Nathan Hale have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Nathan’s character?
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?
5. Analyze the contributions of Benedict Arnold to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Benedict Arnold have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Arnold’s character?
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?
  • c. What was his fate following the Revolutionary War?
6. Analyze the contributions of Nathaniel Greene to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Greene have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Greene's character?
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?
7. Analyze the contributions of Daniel Morgan to the Revolutionary War.
  • a. Who was he and where was he from? What experiences did Morgan have prior to the Revolution, including his childhood and marriage, and how did these form Morgans's character?
  • b. What role did he play during the American Revolution? Why was it important and how did it impact the course of the Revolution?

8. What role did “boy soldiers” such as drummer boys and flag bearers play during the Revolutionary

​​​Your Thesis:
SO WHAT?  While completing your research what conclusions did you draw? Why does this topic matter, how do the events you studied change history?  Write a one paragraph thesis that addresses what is important about this subject & what should people remember.

Web links to Research, Project Helps and Online Presentation Assitance

The "Project Assistance" button above will give you access to numerous websites that can assist you in creating web based projects.  Regardless of your chosen project take a few minutes to review the available web sites, you might find something you were not previously aware of that will be of interest to you!
The "Willowcreek Library Texts and Tools" button above will link you to the Alexandria Library.  Within the Alexandria library any books with the call number starting with "REF" or a number are informational texts, conversely any call number starting with "FIC", "PB", or "SC" are fictional texts.  To access books tagged for the Revolutionary war, go to the search page, type in  "ness rev war", and hit search. on the top right hand corner click on the "find more" box. To assist in your search, go to the top drop down menu "unsorted" and sort by "Call Number", this will categorize the fiction and informational texts,posting the informational texts (excluding reference texts) on the top; in addition it will indicate the order of the texts on the stacks.  Identify the call number to find the text on the stacks.

Page Numbers in the Text Specialty Area 9

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Call to Freedom
Pages: 158-159
Page: 170
Pages: 136-137
Page: 140
Page: 152
American History 
Pages: 214-217
Pages: 194-195
On the right is a video podcast created and presented by Ryan, below is a video podcast by Camron evaluating the contributions of Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold, Horatio Gates, Francis Marion, and boy soldiers (drummer boys and flag bearers) in leading the Colonies to the Revolution.  Students can use this information to answer the essential questions on Specialty Area 9.

Student Created Materials 9

Suggested Websites for Specialty Area 9

Suggested Novels for Specialty Area 

Title: Cast Two Shadows  
Author: Ann Rinaldi 
Caroline Whitaker lives on a plantation in South Carolina in 1780. There she is caught between loyalties. Her father is a Patriot. Her brother is a loyalist. The British hang her best friend. 
Title: Jamestown American Portraits: An eye for an eye 
Author: Peter Roop 
Tells the adventure of 14 year old Samantha Bird, when a Tory neighbor burns down the Byrd’s shed, The Sons of Liberty seek revenge. Samantha, her twin brother, and her cousin sneak out to watch the proceedings and are caught in a hurricane. A search party is sent after them and Samantha’s older brother Henry is captured and imprisoned on a British ship. Plagued with guilt, Samantha disguises herself a her twin brother and stows away on an American ship to capture British ships and free American captives. 
Title: My Brother Sam Is Dead  
Author: Collier, James Lincoln and Christopher 
When Sam Meeker joins the rebel forces during the American Revolution, it deepens the factions in his family. They are, for the most part Tories living in a Tory town. The younger brother must take on added responsibilities when the father is put in prison. 
Title: The Fighting Ground 
Author: Avi 
Jonathan is taken by Hessians to a farmhouse where he meets a little boy who is the only survivor of his family. When given the opportunity, Jonathan finds it impossible to kill the Hessians. He escapes with the little boy and finds the remnants of the two men he was with in battle. When he realizes that they must have killed the boy's parents, Jonathan smashes his rifle and heads back to the farm. 
Title: An Enemy Among Them 
Author: Deborah H Deford, 
It’s December 1776 when the paths of Margaret, a Pennsylvania farm girl, and Christian, a soldier hired by the British, cross in a most surprising way. Soon they will be forced to confront questions of fidelity- to country, family, and long held ideals. 
Title: Winter of the Red Snow: the Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, PA 
Author: Kristiana Gregory 
Eleven-year-old Abigail presents a diary account of life in Valley Forge from December 1777 to July 1778 as General Washington prepares his troops to fight the British. 
Title: Finishing Becca: A story about Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold 
Author: Ann Rinaldi 
In 1778 fourteen-year-old Becca takes a position as personal maid to Peggy Shippen, the daughter of wealthy Philadelphia Quakers, and witnesses the events that lead to General Benedict Arnold's betrayal of the revolutionary American forces 
Title: Five 4ths of July
Author: Pat Raccio Hughes 
On July 4th, 1777, Jake, 14, and his friends are celebrating their new nation's independence, but over the next four years Jake finds himself in increasingly adventurous circumstances 
Title: Chains Book 
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson. 
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War 
Title: Forge Book 
Author Laurie Halse Anderson 
Sequel to: Chains. Separated from his friend Isabel after their daring escape from slavery, fifteen-year-old Curzon serves as a free man in the Continental Army at Valley Forge until he and Isabel are thrown together again, as slaves once more. 
Title: Paul Revere and his midnight ride EASY READ  
Author: Gary Jeffrey; illustrated by James Field 
The thrilling story of one of the most famous horse rides in American history awaits readers in this book. Paul Reveres journey to warn colonial leaders of the coming British invasion is told with illuminating detail, blending important facts with an easy-to-follow narrative. Includes index 
Title: Storyteller 
Author: Patricia Reilly Giff 
Forced to spend months at an aunt's house, Elizabeth feel a connection to her ancestor Zee, whose picture hangs on the wall, and who reveals her story of hardships during the Revolutionary War as Elizabeth comes to terms with her own troubles 
Title: The year of the hangman 
Author: Gary Blackwood. 
In 1777, having been kidnapped and taken forcibly from England to the American colonies, fifteen-year-old Creighton becomes part of developments in the political unrest there that may spell defeat for the patriots and change the course of history. 
Title: Spy! 
Author: Anna Myers 
In 1774, 12-year-old Jonah becomes a pupil of Nathan Hale, inspiring him to question his beliefs about the upcoming revolution, leading Jonah to a decision that causes Nathan's execution. 
Title: Time enough for drums
Author: Ann Rinaldi 
Sixteen-year-old Jem and her servant struggle to keep things going at home in Trenton, New Jersey, when the family men join the war for independence from the British king. 
Title: The spy: A tale of the neutral ground (CLASSICAL NOVEL, ADVANCED READERS ONLY) 
Author: James Fenimore Cooper 
Reprint of an 1821 novel that tells the story of a man who risked his life in service to America during the Revolutionary War
Title: Everybody's revolution: a new look at the people who won America's freedom  
Author: Thomas Fleming 
The story of the American Revolution featuring men and women from various cultural backgrounds who made significant contributions to the war effort. 
Title: The notorious Benedict Arnold: A true story of adventure, heroism, & treachery 
Author Steve Sheinkin 
A brilliant strategist for American revolutionaries turns into a traitor 
Title: Attack of the turtle 
Author: Drew Carlson Fourteen-year-old Nathan joins forces with his cousin David Bushnell to secretly build the first submarine used in naval warfare 
Graphic Novel
Title: The Sons of Liberty
Author: Lagos, Alexander, Walker, Steve, Kramek, Oren, Lagos, Joseph 
Two runaway slaves in Colonial America gain super-powers and two mentors
Title: Sons of liberty GRAPHIC NOVEL 
Author: Marshall Poe ; illustrated by Leland Purvis 
As tension heats up between those who are loyal to the British crown, like his father, and those who believe the people of America are being treated unfairly, Nathaniel must decide where his own beliefs lie. 
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See Below For Available Films and Podcasts Related to Specialty Area 

Rebels & Redcoats

A unique British produced documentary that shares the British perspective about the American Revolution
Published on Dec 30, 2014
Rebels & Redcoats - How Britain Lost America Full Documentary, Part I
Documentary 2014, BBC Documentary, National Geographic Documentary , National Geographic, Documentaries, Military History, World War Documentary, Structure, Discovery, Animal, Documentaries Full Length, Nature Documentary, History Documentary, Documentary BBC, Documentary HD, Documentary History, War Documentary, Full Documentary, Documentary Films, Science Documentary, BBC Horizon, Crime Documentary, Universe Documentary, UFOs Documentary
Published on Dec 30, 2014The American Revolution Part 2 History Documentary
Documentary 2014, BBC Documentary, National Geographic Documentary , National Geographic, Documentaries, Military History, World War Documentary, Structure, Discovery, Animal, Documentaries Full Length, Nature Documentary, History Documentary, Documentary BBC, Documentary HD, Documentary History, War Documentary, Full Documentary, Documentary Films, Science Documentary, BBC Horizon, Crime Documentary, Universe Documentary, UFOs Documentary

PBS Liberty: Blows Must Decide

LIBERTY! is a six-part series of one-hour documentaries for PBS. It describes how the American Revolution evolved and how a new nation was born in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, using actors, Revolutionary era scholars, and eyewitness accounts of the time.
Days after the Declaration of Independence is signed, a British force arrives in New York harbor. Washington and his troops are driven to New Jersey. With only a few days of enlistment left for many of his volunteers, a desperate Washington leads his army quietly across the Delaware River on the day after Christmas, 1776, to mount a surprise attack on a sleeping garrison in Trenton

The American Revolution: The Story of Us

A miniseries presenting the history of how the United States was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress -- from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad to triumphing over vertical space through the construction of steel-structured buildings. The series also is a story of conflict, with Native American peoples, slavery, the Revolutionary War that birthed the nation, the Civil War that divided it, and the great world war that shaped its future."

Joseph Plumb Martin: A Narrative of A Revolutionary War Soldier

Joseph Plumb Martin (November 21, 1760 – May 2, 1850) was a soldier who served during the American Revolutionary War. He published an account of his experiences as a soldier in the Continental Army in 1830. What follows is a digital recording of a compilation of his journals. 

Alexander Hamilton

What follows are two films on Alexander Hamilton.  The first is a short documentary that focuses on his role following the Revolution in forming the new nation.  The second is a full history channel biography of Alexander Hamilton.

Benedict Arnold

The Swamp Fox: Francis Marion

You will need to use the password provided to access this film clip.  The film should be watched in class.

Francis Marion