Teacher Resources
Ninety Six
The Revolutionary War in South Carolina was simultaneously a war of independence and a civil war between Patriot and Loyalist neighbors. This lesson uses Ninety Six as a case study for understanding what that internal conflict looked like: who chose sides and why, how violence between communities escalated, and what happened to the losers when the war ended. Students analyze why the backcountry civil war was more brutal than the conventional military campaigns and examine the fate of Loyalist civilians displaced from the Ninety Six district.
Grade Range
6-9
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
The Revolutionary War in South Carolina was simultaneously a war of independence and a civil war between Patriot and Loyalist neighbors. This lesson uses Ninety Six as a case study for understanding what that internal conflict looked like: who chose sides and why, how violence between communities escalated, and what happened to the losers when the war ended. Students analyze why the backcountry civil war was more brutal than the conventional military campaigns and examine the fate of Loyalist civilians displaced from the Ninety Six district.
Essential Questions
- When a revolution divides a community, what determines which side people choose?
- Why does civil war — neighbors fighting neighbors — tend to be more brutal than conventional military conflict?
- What do we owe to people who chose the losing side of a political conflict?
Primary Sources
5 Sources for Analysis
PRIMARY · TIER1
General Nathanael Greene's Correspondence: Siege of Ninety Six, May-June 1781
University of North Carolina Press (Papers of Nathanael Greene)
PRIMARY · TIER1
Lord Rawdon to Sir Henry Clinton: Dispatch on the Relief of Ninety Six, June 1781
Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
PRIMARY · TIER1
Pension Applications: Ninety Six Garrison and Siege Participants, 1820s-1840s
National Archives and Records Administration
PRIMARY · TIER1
South Carolina Backcountry District Records: Ninety Six, 1775-1782
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
View SourceLesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will explain the origins of the Patriot-Loyalist conflict in the South Carolina backcountry
- 2Students will analyze why neighbors chose different sides in 1775–1776 and what factors drove those choices
- 3Students will trace the escalation of violence in the backcountry civil war and identify what made it different from conventional military operations
- 4Students will evaluate what happened to Loyalist families after the British abandoned Ninety Six and connect that displacement to broader patterns of the war's aftermath
Assessment
Ninety Six in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.
What makes Ninety Six 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 Ninety Six 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.