Teacher Resources
Carlisle
Inquiry Question
What is the difference between a historical person and a historical legend? When does a legend become historically misleading?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Board of War Papers: Carlisle Arsenal Correspondence, 1776-1781
PRIMARY · National Archives and Records Administration
5 analysis prompts
Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2 and 5: Militia Records and Border Defense
PRIMARY · Pennsylvania State Archives
5 analysis prompts
The Whiskey Rebellion: Frontier Epilogue to the American Revolution
SECONDARY · Oxford University Press (Thomas P. Slaughter)
5 analysis prompts
Journals of the Military Expedition of Major General John Sullivan, 1779
PRIMARY · Knapp, Peck & Thomson (Frederick Cook, ed.)
5 analysis prompts
Cumberland County Historical Society: Revolutionary War Collections
INSTITUTIONAL · Cumberland County Historical Society
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
- 1Distinguish between documented facts about Mary Ludwig Hays and later legendary additions
- 2Describe the actual roles women played in the Continental Army: camp followers, nurses, laundresses, water carriers
- 3Analyze how the "Molly Pitcher" legend developed over time and what needs it served
- 4Evaluate the tension between historical accuracy and inspiring historical narratives
Explore Further
Carlisle 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.
Valley Forge
ROUTE
Carlisle Barracks served as the primary western supply depot feeding the Continental Army during the Valley Forge encampment. Arms, ammunition, and provisions manufactured or warehoused at Carlisle moved east along the Great Wagon Road toward Valley Forge during the critical winter of 1777–78.
York
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
South-central Pennsylvania towns that supported the war effort.
Pittsburgh
ROUTE
Carlisle was on the route to Pittsburgh and the western frontier.
Assessment
Carlisle 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 Carlisle 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 Carlisle 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.