Student Worksheet Packet

Harlem Heights: When an Army Learns to Fight

Harlem Heights, NY

Grades 6-8·2-3 class periods

This lesson asks students to analyze the New York campaign of 1776 as a case study in military leadership under pressure. Using the sequence from Long Island through Kip's Bay to Harlem Heights, students trace how a series of defeats shaped the Continental Army's tactics, morale, and command decisions. Students examine what a "tactical win" means when the strategic situation remains dire, analyze how Washington and his officers communicated under stress, and consider the role of ordinary soldiers — including the rangers, scouts, and light infantry who fought at Harlem Heights — in an army that was still learning how to function. The lesson incorporates contemporary letters, modern military history analysis, and geographic inquiry using historical and current maps of Manhattan to understand how terrain shaped the battle.

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 trace the sequence of military events from the Battle of Long Island through the Battle of Harlem Heights (August–September 1776)
Students will analyze the concept of military morale using primary source evidence from the New York campaign
Students will evaluate how terrain affected the outcome of the Battle of Harlem Heights
Students will assess what Thomas Knowlton's death reveals about the costs of the New York campaign

Essential Questions

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

Can a tactical victory matter even when the strategic situation is a defeat? What does Harlem Heights tell us?
How does terrain shape a battle — and why did Washington choose the high ground of Manhattan?
What does the death of Thomas Knowlton reveal about the difference between individual sacrifice and institutional loss?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 1 of 5

Document Information

DocumentThe Papers of George Washington: Revolutionary War Series, Vol. 6

SourceUniversity of Virginia Press

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 Harlem Heights, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 2 of 5

Document Information

DocumentLife and Correspondence of Joseph Reed

SourceVarious (William B. Reed, ed.)

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 Harlem Heights, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 3 of 5

Document Information

DocumentThe Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution

SourceWalker & Company (Barnet Schecter)

TypeSECONDARY

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 primary sources does this draw from?
What interpretation does the author offer?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Harlem Heights, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 4 of 5

Document Information

Document1776

SourceSimon & Schuster (David McCullough)

TypeSECONDARY

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 primary sources does this draw from?
What interpretation does the author offer?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Harlem Heights, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source 5 of 5

Document Information

DocumentContinental Army Orderly Books, September 1776

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 Harlem Heights, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Name: Date: Period:

Harlem Heights Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Harlem Heights Revolutionary Timeline

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

[ ] Battle of Harlem Heights
[ ] Fall of Fort Washington
[ ] Nathan Hale Executed
[ ] Kip's Bay Disaster
[ ] Washington Begins Retreat to White Plains

---

| 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 Harlem Heights 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

### George Washington

Virginia planter and Continental Army commander-in-chief who owned and managed Mount Vernon's enslaved workforce. Absent from his estate for most of the war, he directed Lund Washington's management by correspondence and returned to find the plantation's human community shaped by eight years of wartime disruption.

My questions about this person:

### Thomas Knowlton

Connecticut officer who organized Knowlton's Rangers, the Continental Army's first formal intelligence unit. Killed leading the flanking movement at Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776 — one of the most capable light infantry officers the army lost in the entire war.

My questions about this person:

## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?

_______________________________________________

Name: Date: Period:

Harlem Heights in the American Revolution

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

1. What makes Harlem Heights 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 Harlem Heights 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: