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Student Worksheet Packet

Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat

Charleston, SC

Grades 6-8·2-3 class periods

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.

This Packet Includes

  • Learning Objectives & Essential Questions
  • 5 Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
  • 3 Reading & Activity Handouts
  • Assessment Quiz (5 questions)
Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Lesson Overview
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Learning Objectives

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

  1. Students will explain the strategic reasons the British chose Charleston as their primary 1780 target
  2. Students will trace the stages of the siege from British landing through final surrender
  3. Students will analyze the Philipsburg Proclamation and evaluate its significance for enslaved South Carolinians
  4. Students will compare how the same event (the siege) was experienced differently by different groups

Essential Questions

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

  • 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?
Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Primary Source Analysis
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Primary Source 1 of 5
Document Information
DocumentArticles of Capitulation: Charleston, May 12, 1780
SourceNational Archives and Records Administration
TypePRIMARY
Articles of Capitulation: Charleston, May 12, 1780

Articles of Capitulation: Charleston, May 12, 1780

Analysis Questions

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

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

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

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
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Primary Source 2 of 5
Document Information
DocumentGeneral Benjamin Lincoln's Siege Journal, March-May 1780
SourceMassachusetts Historical Society
TypePRIMARY
General Benjamin Lincoln's Siege Journal, March-May 1780

General Benjamin Lincoln's Siege Journal, March-May 1780

Analysis Questions

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

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

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

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 3 of 5
Document Information
DocumentThe American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton's Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775-1782
SourceYale University Press (William B. Willcox, ed.)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

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

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

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

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 4 of 5
Document Information
DocumentBritish Army Headquarters Papers: Charleston Occupation Records, 1780-1782
SourcePublic Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

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

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

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

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 5 of 5
Document Information
DocumentMemoirs of the American Revolution, so far as it Related to the States of North and South Carolina, and Georgia
SourceDavid Longworth (William Moultrie)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

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

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

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

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Charleston Event Timeline
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Charleston Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Charleston Revolutionary Timeline


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


  • [ ] Surrender of Charleston
  • [ ] Battle of Sullivan's Island (Fort Moultrie)
  • [ ] Waxhaws Engagement (Tarleton's Quarter)
  • [ ] Philipsburg Proclamation
  • [ ] British Evacuation of Charleston

---


| Event | Date | Significance |

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

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
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)

1.

2.

3.


## Reflection

What do you wonder? (List 2 questions)

1.

2.


## Analysis

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


_______________________________________________


## Perspective

Whose voice is represented? Whose might be missing?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Key Figures Profile
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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 general who commanded the land force intended to attack Fort Sullivan from Long Island. His troops discovered the crossing channel was impassable at the planned depth and could not support the naval bombardment. Clinton returned in 1780 with a completely different approach and captured Charleston.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.


### Major General Benjamin Lincoln

Massachusetts general commanding the Southern Department who surrendered Charleston and its 5,500-man garrison to Clinton on May 12, 1780 — the largest American military capitulation of the war. Later served as Washington's Secretary of War.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.



## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Charleston 1780: The Worst American Defeat — Assessment
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Charleston in the American Revolution

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

  1. 1.  What makes Charleston significant in Revolutionary history?

  2. 2.  Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.

  3. 3.  Name one event that occurred in Charleston during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.

    Answer:

  4. 4.  Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?

  5. 5.  Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.

    Answer: