Teacher Resources
Charleston
This lesson uses the 1780 siege and surrender of Charleston to examine what military defeat looks like, why it happens, and what consequences flow from it. Students analyze the siege as a strategic problem — how do you defend a city on a peninsula? — and examine the decisions Lincoln and Clinton made at each stage. The lesson also introduces the social history of the occupation, particularly the Philipsburg Proclamation and the decisions made by enslaved people in response. Students consider how the same event looks different depending on who is experiencing it.
Grade Range
6-8
Duration
2-3 class periods
Included
3 Resources
What's Included
Everything
You Need
- 5 primary sources with analysis prompts
- Quiz with answer key (5 questions)
- 3 printable handouts
Lesson Overview
This lesson uses the 1780 siege and surrender of Charleston to examine what military defeat looks like, why it happens, and what consequences flow from it. Students analyze the siege as a strategic problem — how do you defend a city on a peninsula? — and examine the decisions Lincoln and Clinton made at each stage. The lesson also introduces the social history of the occupation, particularly the Philipsburg Proclamation and the decisions made by enslaved people in response. Students consider how the same event looks different depending on who is experiencing it.
Essential Questions
- What makes a military position impossible to defend, and what should a commander do when facing that situation?
- How did the Philipsburg Proclamation change the nature of the war in South Carolina?
- Whose experience of the Charleston siege is missing from traditional accounts, and why does that matter?
Primary Sources
5 Sources for Analysis
PRIMARY · TIER1
Articles of Capitulation: Charleston, May 12, 1780
National Archives and Records Administration
View SourcePRIMARY · TIER1
General Benjamin Lincoln's Siege Journal, March-May 1780
Massachusetts Historical Society
View SourcePRIMARY · TIER1
The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton's Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775-1782
Yale University Press (William B. Willcox, ed.)
PRIMARY · TIER1
British Army Headquarters Papers: Charleston Occupation Records, 1780-1782
Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
PRIMARY · TIER1
Memoirs of the American Revolution, so far as it Related to the States of North and South Carolina, and Georgia
David Longworth (William Moultrie)
Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will explain the strategic reasons the British chose Charleston as their primary 1780 target
- 2Students will trace the stages of the siege from British landing through final surrender
- 3Students will analyze the Philipsburg Proclamation and evaluate its significance for enslaved South Carolinians
- 4Students will compare how the same event (the siege) was experienced differently by different groups
Assessment
Charleston in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.
What makes Charleston significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in Charleston during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more questions in the full packet
Ready to Print?
The full teacher packet includes cover page, lesson plan, all primary source worksheets, quiz, answer key, and standards alignment — formatted for classroom printing.