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Teacher Resource Packet

Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands

Ticonderoga, NY

Grades 6-8·2 class periods

Students examine why Fort Ticonderoga changed hands multiple times through the lens of geography and strategy. They analyze how terrain determines the value of a military position and why the same ground kept attracting armies.

This Packet Includes

  • Learning Objectives & Essential Questions
  • 5 Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
  • 3 Reading & Activity Handouts
  • Assessment Quiz (5 questions)
  • Answer Key
Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Lesson Overview
History is for Everyone
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Learning Objectives

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

  1. Explain why the Lake Champlain–Lake George corridor was the most strategically important route in the northeastern theater
  2. Trace Ticonderoga's major ownership changes and the reasons for each
  3. Analyze the role of Ethan Allen's capture in providing cannon for the Boston siege
  4. Evaluate why Burgoyne's placement of artillery on Mount Defiance made the fort suddenly indefensible

Essential Questions

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

  • Why do armies keep fighting over the same ground? What makes a location permanently valuable in warfare?
  • How did the cannon from Ticonderoga change the situation in Boston? What does this tell us about how distant events are connected?
Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Primary Source Analysis
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Primary Source 1 of 5
Document Information
DocumentA Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen's Captivity
SourceDraper and Folsom
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 Ticonderoga, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 2 of 5
Document Information
DocumentHenry Knox's Journal of the Ticonderoga Artillery Expedition, 1775-1776
SourceMassachusetts Historical Society Proceedings
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 Ticonderoga, NY? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 3 of 5
Document Information
DocumentFort Ticonderoga: National Historic Landmark Documentation
SourceNational Park Service
TypeINSTITUTIONAL
Fort Ticonderoga: National Historic Landmark Documentation

Fort Ticonderoga: National Historic Landmark Documentation

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 is the institution's mission?

  5. How does that mission shape the presentation?

Reflection

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

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 4 of 5
Document Information
DocumentEmpires in the Mountains: French and Indian War Campaigns and Forts in the Lake Champlain, Lake George, and Hudson River Corridor
SourcePurple Mountain Press (Russell Bellico)
TypeSECONDARY

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 primary sources does this draw from?

  5. What interpretation does the author offer?

Reflection

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

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 5 of 5
Document Information
DocumentContinental Congress Resolutions Regarding Fort Ticonderoga, May 1775
SourceLibrary of Congress, Journals of the Continental Congress
TypePRIMARY
Continental Congress Resolutions Regarding Fort Ticonderoga, May 1775

Continental Congress Resolutions Regarding Fort Ticonderoga, May 1775

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

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Ticonderoga Event Timeline
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Ticonderoga Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Ticonderoga Revolutionary Timeline


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


  • [ ] Ethan Allen Demands Surrender 'In the Name of Jehovah'
  • [ ] Knox's Noble Train of Artillery
  • [ ] Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
  • [ ] Battle of Valcour Island
  • [ ] Burgoyne's Army Retakes Fort Ticonderoga

---


| Event | Date | Significance |

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

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — 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 Ticonderoga during the Revolution?


_______________________________________________


## Perspective

Whose voice is represented? Whose might be missing?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — 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

### Ethan Allen

Leader of the Green Mountain Boys who captured Fort Ticonderoga in a dawn raid on May 10, 1775, reportedly demanding the garrison surrender "in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." The capture provided desperately needed artillery for the siege of Boston.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.


### Henry Knox

Boston bookseller turned artillery officer who hauled 60 tons of cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston during the winter of 1775-1776, an extraordinary feat of logistics that gave Washington the firepower to force the British evacuation.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.



## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Assessment
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Ticonderoga in the American Revolution

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

  1. 1.  What makes Ticonderoga 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 Ticonderoga 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:

ANSWER KEY · TEACHER COPY · DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Ticonderoga in the American Revolution

Fort Ticonderoga: Geography, Strategy, and Changing Hands — Ticonderoga, NY

  1. 1.What makes Ticonderoga significant in Revolutionary history?
    Answer:A

    Ticonderoga played a significant role in the American Revolution as evidenced by the events we studied.

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

    Primary sources provide firsthand evidence about historical events.

  3. 3.Name one event that occurred in Ticonderoga during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
    Answer:[Varies - accept any accurate event with reasonable explanation]

    Students should identify a specific event and connect it to broader Revolutionary themes.

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

    Multiple perspectives help us understand the full complexity of historical events.

  5. 5.Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.
    Answer:[Varies - accept any accurate connection]

    Students should demonstrate understanding of the interconnected nature of Revolutionary events.