Teacher Resources
Kingston
Inquiry Question
Can a government survive even if the buildings where it meets are destroyed? What does Kingston suggest?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Constitution of the State of New-York, 1777
PRIMARY · New York State Archives
5 analysis prompts
Brigadier General John Vaughan's Dispatch on the Burning of Kingston, October 1777
PRIMARY · UK National Archives, War Office Papers
5 analysis prompts
Kingston, New York: National Historic Landmark District Documentation
INSTITUTIONAL · National Park Service
5 analysis prompts
Ulster County Court of General Sessions Records, 1775-1783
PRIMARY · New York State Archives
5 analysis prompts
Senate House State Historic Site
INSTITUTIONAL · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
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
- 1Explain why the British targeted Kingston in October 1777 and connect the raid to the broader Saratoga campaign
- 2Analyze the New York State Constitution of 1777 as a document designed for a state at war
- 3Evaluate the relationship between physical destruction and institutional survival using Kingston evidence
- 4Use geographic evidence to understand why Kingston's location made it vulnerable to the British Hudson River expedition
Explore Further
Kingston 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.
Newburgh
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Both towns are central Hudson Valley communities whose Revolutionary War significance is defined by the same waterway. Kingston was burned because the British could sail to it; Newburgh was Washington's headquarters because it commanded the river. They are 30 miles apart.
Albany
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Hudson Valley towns connected by the river and shared political interests.
New York City
SHARED EVENT
British forces from New York burned Kingston in 1777 retaliation.
Assessment
Kingston 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 Kingston 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 Kingston 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.