Towns

NC, USA

New Bern

Lesson plans and classroom materials.

Moore's Creek Bridge: Three Minutes That Ended a Loyalist Army

5-8 · 2 class periods

What you'll get

  • 5 primary sources with analysis prompts
  • Quiz with answer key (5 questions)
  • 3 printable handouts
Print full packet
5-82 class periodsCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sourcesCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6: Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purposeD2.His.5.6-8: Explain how and why perspectives of people have changed over time

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain who the Highland Scots were and why they had particular reasons for loyalty to the Crown
  2. Describe the Moore's Creek battle and how the Patriot forces achieved their tactical advantage
  3. Analyze the battle's strategic consequences for the planned British southern invasion of 1776
  4. Evaluate the Loyalist experience after the Patriot victory — confiscation, exile, community fracture

Essential Questions

  • Who were the Loyalists and what does their story reveal about the Revolution as a civil war?
  • What does it mean to bet on the wrong side of a revolution?
  • How did geography and local knowledge shape military outcomes at Moore's Creek?

Procedure

Primary Sources

North Carolina Provincial Congress: Proceedings and Journal, 1774-1776

North Carolina State Archives · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

View source

Royal Governor Josiah Martin: Correspondence and Proclamations, 1771-1776

Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom) · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, Vols. 9-10: Revolutionary Period

State of North Carolina (Walter Clark, ed.) · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens: Research Collections

Tryon Palace · INSTITUTIONAL · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

View source

Craven County Court Minutes and Committee of Safety Records, 1774-1778

North Carolina State Archives · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Handouts & Materials

New Bern Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

Primary Source Analysis

graphic organizer

Structured analysis of Revolutionary-era documents

Key Figures Profile

worksheet

Research template for Revolutionary figures

New Bern in the American Revolution

Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.

1.

What makes New Bern significant in Revolutionary history?

AIt was the site of important Revolutionary events
BIt had no connection to the Revolution
CIt was founded after the Revolution
DIt was a British stronghold throughout the war
2.

Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.

TTrue
FFalse
3.

Name one event that occurred in New Bern during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.

4.

Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?

ADifferent people experienced events differently
BIt makes history more confusing
COnly one perspective is ever correct
DPerspectives don't matter in history
5.

Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.