Teacher Resources
Harlem Heights
Inquiry Question
Can a tactical victory matter even when the strategic situation is a defeat? What does Harlem Heights tell us?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
The Papers of George Washington: Revolutionary War Series, Vol. 6
PRIMARY · University of Virginia Press
5 analysis prompts
Life and Correspondence of Joseph Reed
PRIMARY · Various (William B. Reed, ed.)
5 analysis prompts
The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution
SECONDARY · Walker & Company (Barnet Schecter)
5 analysis prompts
1776
SECONDARY · Simon & Schuster (David McCullough)
5 analysis prompts
Continental Army Orderly Books, September 1776
PRIMARY · National Archives and Records Administration
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 trace the sequence of military events from the Battle of Long Island through the Battle of Harlem Heights (August–September 1776)
- 2Students will analyze the concept of military morale using primary source evidence from the New York campaign
- 3Students will evaluate how terrain affected the outcome of the Battle of Harlem Heights
- 4Students will assess what Thomas Knowlton's death reveals about the costs of the New York campaign
Explore Further
Harlem Heights 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.
New York City
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Harlem Heights is in northern Manhattan; the British captured lower Manhattan immediately before the Harlem Heights battle. The two locations are part of the same island and the same campaign.
New York City
SHARED EVENT
Fought during the New York campaign.
Morristown
SHARED PERSON
Washington commanded at both locations. The New York retreat of fall 1776 was the prelude to the New Jersey phase of the campaign; the same army and many of the same officers operated in both theaters.
Assessment
Harlem Heights 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 Harlem Heights 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 Harlem Heights 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.