South Carolina’s Military Contribution in the American Revolution

GUIDING QUESTIONS

• How did South Carolina help spark the American Revolution?
• Who were some of South Carolina’s major heroes in the American Revolution?
• What were the motivations and experiences of Loyalists in South Carolina?
• What is meant by the idea of a “civil war” during the American Revolution in South Carolina?

1. Students should review battles of the American Revolution and be familiar with the Battles of Saratoga, and Yorktown, and the contributions of generals George Washington and Francis Marion. 

2. Students should be familiar with the following terms prior to beginning the lesson:

• Loyalist/Tory
• guerilla warfare
• Boston Tea Party 

3. The teacher will distribute student copies of the “Introduction” reading section with the expectation that each group will read it. The teacher will ask students to summarize ways South Carolinians contributed to the Revolution (i.e. soldiers, money).  After reading the Introduction, the students should share their summaries using an application like Padlet or Post-it Plus.

4. Students will be provided with a copy of the George Bancroft quote. Students will discuss what Bancroft means in this quote. Students should be given time to brainstorm the answers to the three guiding questions that follow (it may be necessary to tell students there is no wrong answer; it is simply a brainstorm activity). Students will then be told to attempt to prove Bancroft right or wrong through examining both primary and secondary historic writings.

5. Students should be divided into groups of two to four, depending on total class size, skill level, and teacher comfort with group work. Students will then be given a rotating document set. The teacher will check for comprehension after the completion of each document set. The check can be ascertained through teacher-student group discussion. 

6. After assessment of all documents, students should design a visual aid to demonstrate their familiarity with the material. Students may choose one of the following methods to demonstrate their own unique skills.

•  Visual Aide/Infographic - Students may design an infographic poster, political cartoon, or comic strip that demonstrates the contributions made by South Carolinians in the Revolution. The Visual Aide/Infographic should convey information from the documents to the viewer, must be in full-color, and must be an original creation. It is permissible for students to use internet applications that aid in the creation of infographic materials or cartoons. Students can also create their visual aids by hand, using no computer technology. For this display, at least four of seven documents should be represented. The essential question must be answered with the visual aid.
•  PowerPoint/Google Slides - Students may create a digital medium that displays the key points in the assignment. The presentation should include the main idea from each document and how it relates back to the Bancroft quote. For this selection, six of seven documents should be represented. One slide should connect the completed project with the essential question.
•  Podcast - Students can write and record a four to seven minute podcast that features ALL group members and describes the main ideas from each document. Students MAY use their cell phones to record, and it is suggested they write and submit a script with the digital version. For this selection, six of seven documents should be represented. Students must answer the essential question in their podcast.

NOTE – The teacher will use discretion on how much time to allot for student work with documents. When doing any lesson of this type in my classroom, I set a digital timer on my display board, and have an alarm sound when it is time to switch documents. This strategy encourages students to pace themselves, work diligently, and gauge time effectively. (Acknowledgement of student abilities will guide teacher’s time allotment.) 

Rubric for completion of analysis sheets, presentation, and submission.