Student Worksheet Packet

The Sea Islands and Freedom: Enslaved Agency in the Revolutionary War

Beaufort, SC

Grades 7-10·2-3 class periods

The Revolutionary War created a moment of crisis in the Sea Island plantation economy of South Carolina — and within that crisis, thousands of enslaved people made decisions about their own freedom. This lesson uses the Beaufort district Sea Islands as a case study for examining the Philipsburg Proclamation, the decisions enslaved people made in response to it, and what happened to those people when the war ended. Students analyze the gap between legal proclamation and actual freedom, consider how historians recover the history of people whose names were often not preserved, and evaluate what enslaved agency during the Revolution means for how we understand the war.

This Packet Includes

Learning Objectives & Essential Questions
5 Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
3 Reading & Activity Handouts
Assessment Quiz (5 questions)

Name: Date: Period:

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

Students will explain the Philipsburg Proclamation and analyze who it applied to, what it promised, and what its limitations were
Students will trace the decisions made by enslaved people in the Beaufort Sea Islands in response to the British presence
Students will identify the range of outcomes for people who sought British lines and evaluate why outcomes varied
Students will assess what enslaved agency during the Revolution reveals about the war's social dimensions and the limits of the "freedom" narrative

Essential Questions

Keep these questions in mind as you work through this packet:

What does freedom mean when it is offered as a military incentive rather than a moral principle?
How do historians tell the stories of people who left no documents of their own?
What happened to the people who chose the "wrong" side — the British side — of the Revolution?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 1 of 5

Document Information

DocumentLieutenant Governor William Bull II Papers: Beaufort District Correspondence, 1774-1776

SourceSouth Carolina Department of Archives and History

TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

Who created this source and why?
When was this source created?
What perspective does this source represent?
What was happening when this was written?
How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Beaufort, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 2 of 5

Document Information

DocumentBeaufort District Committee of Safety Records, 1775-1776

SourceSouth Carolina Historical Society

TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

Who created this source and why?
When was this source created?
What perspective does this source represent?
What was happening when this was written?
How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Beaufort, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 3 of 5

Document Information

DocumentRoyal Navy Logs: Port Royal Station, 1779-1782

SourcePublic Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)

TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

Who created this source and why?
When was this source created?
What perspective does this source represent?
What was happening when this was written?
How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Beaufort, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 4 of 5

Document Information

DocumentGullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor: Revolutionary Era Resources

SourceNational Park Service / Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission

TypeINSTITUTIONAL

Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor: Revolutionary Era Resources

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

Who created this source and why?
When was this source created?
What perspective does this source represent?
What is the institution's mission?
How does that mission shape the presentation?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Beaufort, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 5 of 5

Document Information

DocumentPension Applications: Beaufort District Militia, 1820s-1840s

SourceNational Archives and Records Administration

TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

Who created this source and why?
When was this source created?
What perspective does this source represent?
What was happening when this was written?
How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Beaufort, SC? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Beaufort Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Beaufort Revolutionary Timeline

Instructions: Place the following events in order and add one detail about each.

[ ] Thousands of Enslaved People Seek British Lines
[ ] Philipsburg Proclamation Reaches the Sea Islands
[ ] Sea Island Plantation Economy Disrupted
[ ] British Expedition to Charleston Stages at Port Royal
[ ] British Occupy Port Royal Island

---

| Event | Date | Significance |

|-------|------|-------------|

| | | |

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source Analysis

graphic organizer

Structured analysis of Revolutionary-era documents

# Primary Source Analysis Worksheet

## Source Information

Title: _________________
Author: _________________
Date: _________________
Type: _________________

## Observation

What do you notice? (List 3 things)

## Reflection

What do you wonder? (List 2 questions)

## Analysis

What does this source tell us about Beaufort during the Revolution?

_______________________________________________

## Perspective

Whose voice is represented? Whose might be missing?

_______________________________________________

Name: Date: Period:

Key Figures Profile

worksheet

Research template for Revolutionary figures

# Revolutionary Figure Profile

## Basic Information

Name: _________________
Birth/Death Years: _________________
Occupation(s): _________________

## Role in the Revolution

### General Henry Clinton

British commander who used Port Royal as a staging base for the 1780 Charleston expedition. His Philipsburg Proclamation, issued in 1779, directly shaped the decisions of thousands of enslaved people on the Sea Island plantations around Beaufort when British forces occupied the area.

My questions about this person:

## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?

_______________________________________________

Name: Date: Period:

Beaufort in the American Revolution

Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.

1. What makes Beaufort significant in Revolutionary history?
AIt was the site of important Revolutionary eventsBIt had no connection to the RevolutionCIt was founded after the RevolutionDIt was a British stronghold throughout the war
2. Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
True False
3. Name one event that occurred in Beaufort during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
Answer:
4. Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?
ADifferent people experienced events differentlyBIt makes history more confusingCOnly one perspective is ever correctDPerspectives don't matter in history
5. Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.
Answer: