Teacher Resources
New Brunswick
Inquiry Question
How do civilian communities survive military occupation? What strategies did New Brunswick residents use?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Washington's Dispatches from New Brunswick and the New Jersey Retreat, November-December 1776
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
5 analysis prompts
Lord Cornwallis's Reports on the Pursuit Across New Jersey, 1776
PRIMARY · UK National Archives, War Office Papers
5 analysis prompts
Washington's Crossing
SECONDARY · Oxford University Press (David Hackett Fischer)
5 analysis prompts
Rutgers University Special Collections: New Jersey Revolutionary War Records
INSTITUTIONAL · Rutgers University Libraries
5 analysis prompts
New Jersey Gazette, 1777-1783
PRIMARY · New Jersey State Library, Newspaper Collections
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 the sequence of Continental retreat, British occupation, and Continental return through New Brunswick in 1776–1777
- 2Analyze how British foraging and property seizure affected civilian allegiances in New Jersey
- 3Evaluate primary sources from both Continental soldiers and New Brunswick civilians describing the occupation
- 4Explain the psychological significance of Washington's army returning through New Brunswick after Trenton and Princeton
Explore Further
New Brunswick 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.
Morristown
ROUTE
New Brunswick was a key British-controlled town during the 1776-1777 New Jersey campaign; Washington's army retreated through the town while Morristown served as the winter refuge — the two towns anchored opposite ends of the critical New Jersey theater.
Princeton
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Both towns changed hands during the New Jersey campaigns.
New York City
ROUTE
New Brunswick was on the route between New York and Philadelphia.
Assessment
New Brunswick 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 New Brunswick 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 New Brunswick 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.