Teacher Resources
Kaskaskia
Inquiry Question
When is diplomacy more powerful than military force, and what conditions make that possible?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
George Rogers Clark's Memoir (Clark to Mason, 1791)
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, George Rogers Clark Papers
5 analysis prompts
Virginia State Papers: George Rogers Clark Correspondence, 1778-1779
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
5 analysis prompts
Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial: George Rogers Clark in Illinois
INSTITUTIONAL · Illinois Department of Natural Resources / National Park Service
5 analysis prompts
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park: Interpretive Materials
INSTITUTIONAL · National Park Service
5 analysis prompts
George Rogers Clark: I Glory in War
SECONDARY · University of Oklahoma Press (Lowell Harrison)
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 explain why Kaskaskia was strategically important to both British and American forces in 1778
- 2Students will analyze Clark's diplomatic approach to the French Creole population and evaluate its effectiveness
- 3Students will trace the connection between the capture of Kaskaskia and the eventual Northwest Ordinance of 1787
- 4Students will compare military conquest with diplomatic persuasion as strategies for territorial control
Explore Further
Kaskaskia 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.
Pittsburgh
ROUTE
Pittsburgh (Fort Pitt) was Clark's logistical base and the source of his supplies and recruits; the Kentucky settlements he was defending from British-directed raids lay across the Ohio from Pittsburgh, making Fort Pitt central to the entire western theater.
Marietta
SHARED THEME
Clark's capture of Kaskaskia secured the legal basis for the Northwest Territory; Marietta was the first permanent American settlement in that territory, established in 1788 under the framework the Northwest Ordinance made possible.
Philadelphia
SHARED PERSON
George Rogers Clark coordinated with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia for recognition of his Virginia commission and for territorial policy in the Illinois Country; Philadelphia was the political center that gave legal meaning to Clark's military victories.
Assessment
Kaskaskia 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 Kaskaskia 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 Kaskaskia 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.