DBQs for the Visual Learner

Partisans & Redcoats: The American Revolution in the Southern Backcountry

July/August 2009

Converse College, Spartanburg, SC

Lesson Plan by Steve Jobe, Spartanburg High School

Introduction:

Until recently, American history textbooks made little effort to discuss the significance of

the Carolina Backcountry during the American Revolution. Usually regarding the

Southern campaign as a footnote, the texts heavily focus on Northeastern battles,

Saratoga, and then Yorktown. In fact, the Carolina Backcountry was instrumental in

winning the Revolutionary War, a fact needed to understand the bigger picture.

Guiding Question:

To what extent did the Carolina Backcountry play in winning the American Revolution,

1775-1783.

Learning Objective:

To understand the importance of the Carolina Backcountry during the American

Revolution as well as consider other factors leading to victory. Students will use visual

documents to write a DBQ formatted for the Advanced Placement exam.

Preparing the Lesson

Visual Documents:

The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga by John Trumbull

www.britannica.com/.../The-surrender-of-Gen

Students could use this document to refute the guiding question. With the British loss at Saratoga, France formally allied with the American cause, later followed by Spain and Holland. The French alliance proved pivotal by widening the war, forcing the British to divert resources from America and providing financial assistance. With France on the American side, they offset many of the British

advantages at the onset of the War. Students could also note Benjamin Franklin was instrumental in persuading the French to join the American cause. The Battle of Kings Mountain Map www.britishbattles.com/kings-mountain.htm

Students could use this document to validate the guiding question. With the American rout of primarily Loyalists forces at Kings Mountain on the NC/SC border, an alarmed Cornwallis moved back south to take up winter quarters in Winnsboro, SC. This battle postponed his initial goal of a rapid sweep of the Carolinas to link up with British forces in the North, thus it became a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown by John Trumbull www.aoc.gov/cc/photo-gallery/ptgs_rotunda.cfm

Students could use this document to refute the guiding question. With George Washington’s appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, his leadership skills kept his forces intact through difficult times, especially during the turbulent years of 1777-1778. Even though he lost more battles than he won, Washington’s persistence to the cause allowed for US victory in the American Revolution following the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. Statue of Daniel Morgan Located on Morgan Square in Spartanburg, SC flickr.com/photos/29542441@N00/187052712

Students could use this document to validate the guiding question. Daniel Morgan’s battlefield tactics at the Battle of Cowpens led to a major triumph over British forces and Bloody Tarleton. This positive outcome helped morale of the Southern Patriots, providing hope for eventual victory. Also, this battle caused Loyalist to desert the British cause, thus becoming one of the turning points in the American Revolution. General Francis Marion with SC Militia by Robert Wilson www.nps.gov/.../general-francis-marion.htm

Students could use this document to validate the guiding question. With Francis Marion’s (The Swamp Fox) mobile guerrilla war tactics, both inside and outside the defensive perimeter, including Georgetown, Camden, Ninety-Six, and Augusta, he frustrated British troops blogging them down in the Carolina Backcountry. Along with The Fighting Gamecock, Thomas Sumter, the British were never secure in which areas they actually controlled within South Carolina. Battle of Martinique by Auguste Cercy hesitating.org/2008/02/17/martinique-pourquoi/

Student could use this document to refute the guiding question. With the French formally assisting the American cause following Saratoga, the British were forced to divert military resources to the Caribbean. They desperately wanted to maintain control of their island possessions due to the importance of the sugar trade. The American Revolution Battle Map, 1775-1781 wps.ablongman.com/.../127/32719.cw/index.html

Students could use this document to either validate or refute the guiding question. Students might use this map to focus on the important victories in the Northeast or the Middle colonies to refute the guiding questions. Or they could point to important triumphs in the Carolina Backcountry to validate the guiding question. Sir Henry Clinton, Commander in Chief of British forces during the Revolutionary War by Andrea Soldi www.americanmuseum.org/default.cfm/loadindex.47

Students could use this document to validate the guiding question. With Henry Clinton’

order of reversing the policy of paroles for surrendering militia and amnesty for civilians,

he forced Backcountry Carolinians to help the occupiers or be treated as an enemy, thus

passive neutrality was no longer an option in the Backcountry. Many colonists who had

been neutral chose to fight and militiamen on parole took up arms again like Andrew

Pickens. Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton by Sir Joshua Reynolds www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/5.7

Students could use this document to validate the guiding question. With Bloody

Tarleton’s massacre at The Waxhaws introducing Tarleton’s quarter as well as other

unjustified cruelties , he pushed passive neutrals in the Carolina Backcountry to support

the American cause. Fort 96 www.nationalparklover.com/nintysix01.htm

Students could use this document to validate the guiding question. As one of the British

fortified encampments on its defensive perimeter in the Carolina Backcountry, Greene

laid siege to this important post. Following loses in the Carolina Backcountry, British

forces abandoned this position later in the war, thus ending hopes of victory in the South. Crispus Attucks, the first martyr of the American Revolution by William Cooper Nell docsouth.unc.edu/neh/nell/frontis.html

Brave Colored Artillerists and Peter Salem at Bunker Hill docsouth.unc.edu/neh/nell/ill1.html

Students could use both of the above documents to refute the guiding question, Even though the British first offered slaves freedom for fighting for the King’s army, Washington quickly followed suit. African American troops, mostly fighting in mixed units, took part in most of the military actions of the Revolutionary War, thus providing additional manpower for the Patriot cause and assisting in its eventual victory. Some African Americans, such as Peter Salem, were awarded for bravery. Molly Pitcher by C.Y. Turner explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=654

The Flagmaker by Pamela Patrick White www.ppatrickwhite.com/Pages/FlagMakerCanvas.htm

Students could use both of the above documents to refute the guiding question. Serving

as spies, cooks, and nurses, women were instrumental in helping the American cause

during the Revolutionary War. Some women fought in the War when their husbands fell

in battle while others passed themselves off as men. But their main contribution stemmed

from maintaining the colonial economy. While husbands and sons were away fighting,

they ran farms and businesses. Also, the Daughters of Liberty provided food , clothing,

and flag for the American cause.

Nathanael Greene by Charles Wilson Peale

http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/indeimg/web_exhibit/gre

ene_exb.jpg

Students could also use this document to validate the guiding question. With Washington’s appointment of Nathanael Greene as the southern commander, Washington chose a capable leader. He was instrumental in providing successful tactics to keep the British in South Carolina, thus keeping them from linking up with their Northern counterparts and helping to win the Revolutionary War.

DBQ WRITING TIPS

8-Step Strategy:

1. Read the question three times. Do not move on until you fully understand it.

2. Identify the task by circling the main words. (For example: assess the validity,

compare and contrast, evaluate relative importance, analyze the

significance, etc.)

3. Ask yourself “what do I have to prove?” (e.g. Foreign policy is more important

than domestic policy).

4. Pay special attention to economic, political, social issues that need to be

included.

5. Make a list (outline) of outside information (as if you were writing a standard

essay).

6. Examine the documents, underlining any key words or phrases that you may use

later in the essay. Reread the question again after reading the first three

documents.

7. Construct a thesis that is well-developed and clear. If the thesis is a mystery to

the writer, it will be a mystery to the reader!

8. Write your essay.

Some Key Points to Remember:

• Start with outside information first & write it down; then read the documents; then

construct a thesis.

• Make your life easier by constructing a thesis that can reasonably include most/ all

of the documents (even if you don’t really believe your thesis). It is better to be

“practical” than “right.”

• Use as many documents as you can as long as they fit your thesis.

• Don’t explain documents -- that is not your task.! AP readers have a list and a

summary for each document. Use documents to reinforce your main points and

outside information.

• Don’t rewrite large portions of documents. Try to limit quotations to 1 sentence or

less.

• Reference author’s you are citing (e.g. …“In the letter by Abraham Lincoln”)

• Cite every document used, e.g., (Doc. A), (Doc. F)

• All fundamental AP writing principles you have learned regarding standard essays

apply to DBQ essays.

DBQ Exercise

Rewrite the Question:

What is the time frame?

List all outside information that you would include within this time frame to answer the

question:

How would you organize/group the body paragraphs of your paper?

For each Document, do the following:

What information is provided in the document?

How does the document support your thesis statement?

How did the “source” help you understand the document?

Would you use this document?

DBQ Rubric:

Thesis Statement

-Well-developed thesis that analyzes and addresses the question 3

-Contains a valid thesis that addresses the question 2

-Thesis present but may be limited, undeveloped, or too simplistic 1

-Contains no thesis or thesis does not address the question 0

Evidence

-Effectively uses a substantial number of documents and relevant outside info that

supports the thesis and shows analyzes 3

-Effectively uses some documents with some relevant outside info that supports

the thesis and shows some analyzes 2

-Merely paraphrases, quotes, or briefly cites document with little outside info

and little analyzes 1

-Has little or no understanding of the documents or ignores them completely with

no analyzes 0

Style

-Clearly organized and well-written 2

-Show acceptable organization and writing style, may have errors that do not

seriously distract from the essay quality 1

-Lacks organization with numerous errors 0

Evidence

-Standard organization (introduction, body, closing) 1

-Missing one element 0

Background: During the American Revolution unit, students will explore the causes, events, and the outcomes of this pivot event in our nation’s history through reading and discussion. A special emphasis will be placed on the significance of the Carolina Background during this period. Also, students will receive formal DBQ training and viewing sample student responses. Suggested Activity: Students will write a DBQ based on the Guiding Question and visual documents. The essay will include an opening paragraph with a thesis statement. The body paragraphs will discuss the role of the Carolina Backcountry during the American Revolution, using the documents and their prior knowledge of history, to answer the question. Students will be encouraged to show limits to the question as there are other significant factors for the US in gaining its independence. Finally, a concluding paragraph will summarize their ideas and project the role of the Carolina Backcountry in future American history courses. Extending the Lesson: Students will develop their own DBQ by using written documents to answer the guiding question.