Teacher Resources
Charlottesville
Inquiry Question
Jefferson barely escaped capture at Monticello. How did this episode affect how Americans remembered him? Is escape a failure or survival?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Thomas Jefferson to William Gordon, July 16, 1788 (Account of Tarleton's Raid)
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Papers
5 analysis prompts
A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America
PRIMARY · T. Cadell (Banastre Tarleton)
5 analysis prompts
Journal of the Virginia General Assembly, May-June 1781
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
5 analysis prompts
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello: Research and Collections
INSTITUTIONAL · Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello
5 analysis prompts
Jack Jouett's Account of His Ride to Warn Jefferson, June 3-4, 1781
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
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
- 1Describe Tarleton's raid on Charlottesville (June 4, 1781) and identify its military objectives
- 2Explain Jack Jouett's ride and compare it to Paul Revere's ride as an act of Revolutionary service
- 3Analyze the political consequences of Jefferson's flight from Monticello for his reputation and career
- 4Evaluate the raid as evidence of British strategic priorities in Virginia in 1781
Explore Further
Charlottesville 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.
Richmond
SHARED EVENT
The British campaigns of 1781 that burned Richmond (Arnold, January 5) and raided Charlottesville (Tarleton, June 4) were sequential phases of the same strategic campaign to decapitate Virginia's revolutionary government. Jefferson fled both cities — Richmond after Arnold's raid, then Monticello when Tarleton arrived — making his wartime governorship inseparable from the two connected episodes of British raids into the Virginia interior.
Richmond
SHARED PERSON
Jefferson governed Virginia from both Richmond and near Charlottesville.
Yorktown
SHARED EVENT
Tarleton's raid on Charlottesville preceded Cornwallis's march to Yorktown.
Assessment
Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville 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.