Teacher Resources
Bennington
Inquiry Question
Why would citizen soldiers sometimes fight more effectively than professional soldiers, and under what conditions?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
General John Stark's Report on the Battle of Bennington to General Schuyler, August 22, 1777
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, Papers of the Continental Congress
5 analysis prompts
Lieutenant Colonel Baum's Dispatch to General Burgoyne, August 14-15, 1777
PRIMARY · Public Record Office, Kew (British National Archives) / Transcribed in Burgoyne's State of the Expedition
5 analysis prompts
A State of the Expedition from Canada
PRIMARY · J. Almon (London) (General John Burgoyne)
5 analysis prompts
Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site Interpretive Program
INSTITUTIONAL · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
5 analysis prompts
Saratoga: A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution
SECONDARY · Savas Beatie (John F. Luzader)
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
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Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will compare the strengths and limitations of regular army troops versus citizen militia in 18th-century warfare
- 2Students will explain the tactical decisions Stark made at Bennington and why they succeeded
- 3Students will trace the causal chain from Bennington to Saratoga to the French alliance
- 4Students will evaluate primary source evidence about militia soldiers' motivations
Explore Further
Bennington in the Knowledge Graph
The lesson packet draws from these pages. Use them to extend the lesson or give students primary source context.
Comparative Study
Connected Towns
The corroborate prompts in the student packet point to these towns. Teachers can assign cross-town comparisons.
Saratoga Springs
SHARED EVENT
Bennington weakened Burgoyne before Saratoga.
Brattleboro
SHARED THEME
Both towns were centers of Vermont independence and Green Mountain Boys activity. Brattleboro anchored the Connecticut River valley defense while Bennington anchored the southwestern approach; together they defined the Revolutionary War geography of Vermont.
Ticonderoga
SHARED PERSON
Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys connected both.
Assessment
Bennington in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history. · 5 questions · Answer key in Teacher Guide PDF
What makes Bennington 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 Bennington during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more in the full quiz PDF
Ready to Print?
All three documents below — student packet, teacher guide, and quiz — are formatted for letter-size classroom printing.