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Student Worksheet Packet

Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk

Trenton, NJ

Grades 8-12·2-3 class periods

Students analyze the logistics, risks, and decision-making behind Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, using primary sources and maps to understand how the operation was planned and executed under extreme conditions.

This Packet Includes

  • Learning Objectives & Essential Questions
  • 5 Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
  • 3 Reading & Activity Handouts
  • Assessment Quiz (5 questions)
Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Lesson Overview
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Learning Objectives

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

  1. Analyze the strategic context that led Washington to plan the attack on Trenton
  2. Evaluate the logistical challenges of the Delaware River crossing
  3. Assess the role of leadership and decision-making in military operations
  4. Use primary source maps and accounts to reconstruct the crossing

Essential Questions

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

  • Why did Washington decide to attack Trenton when his army was in such poor condition?
  • What skills and resources made the river crossing possible?
  • How did the failure of two of the three crossing columns affect the outcome?
  • What does the crossing reveal about the relationship between leadership and luck in warfare?
Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
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Primary Source 1 of 5
Document Information
DocumentWashington's Orders for the Crossing of the Delaware and Attack on Trenton
SourceLibrary of Congress, George Washington Papers
TypePRIMARY
Washington's Orders for the Crossing of the Delaware and Attack on Trenton

Washington's Orders for the Crossing of the Delaware and Attack on Trenton

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 Trenton, NJ? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 2 of 5
Document Information
DocumentHessian Colonel Rall's Papers and Battle of Trenton German Accounts
SourceStaatsarchiv Marburg (German State Archives)
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 Trenton, NJ? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 3 of 5
Document Information
Document1776
SourceSimon & Schuster (David McCullough)
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 Trenton, NJ? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 4 of 5
Document Information
DocumentWashington's Crossing
SourceOxford University Press (David Hackett Fischer)
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 Trenton, NJ? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 5 of 5
Document Information
DocumentWashington Crossing Historic Park: Official Site
SourcePennsylvania/New Jersey State Parks
TypeINSTITUTIONAL
Washington Crossing Historic Park: Official Site

Washington Crossing Historic Park: Official Site

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 Trenton, NJ? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Trenton Event Timeline
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Trenton Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Trenton Revolutionary Timeline


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


  • [ ] Battle of Trenton
  • [ ] Washington Crosses the Delaware
  • [ ] Battle of Princeton
  • [ ] Night March from Trenton to Princeton
  • [ ] Hessian Surrender at Trenton

---


| Event | Date | Significance |

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

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — 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 Trenton during the Revolution?


_______________________________________________


## Perspective

Whose voice is represented? Whose might be missing?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Key Figures Profile
History is for Everyone
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

Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (1732-1799) who planned and led the crossing of the Delaware and the attack on Trenton.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.


### Johann Rall

Hessian colonel commanding the Trenton garrison when Washington attacked on December 26, 1776. Rall was mortally wounded in the battle and died the following day. His failure to fortify the town contributed to the Hessian defeat.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.



## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Washington's Crossing: Logistics, Leadership, and Risk — Assessment
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Trenton in the American Revolution

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

  1. 1.  What makes Trenton 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 Trenton 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: