Teacher Resources
Newburgh
Inquiry Question
What does a republic owe to the soldiers who fight for it? What happens when it fails that obligation?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
General Orders from Newburgh Headquarters, 1782-1783
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, George Washington Papers
5 analysis prompts
Washington's Address to the Officers of the Army (Newburgh Address), March 15, 1783
PRIMARY · Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
Eagle and Sword: The Federalists and the Creation of the Military Establishment in America, 1783-1802
SECONDARY · Free Press (Richard H. Kohn)
5 analysis prompts
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
INSTITUTIONAL · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
5 analysis prompts
Continental Army Disbandment Orders and Furlough Documents, 1783
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
- 1Explain why Continental Army officers had legitimate grievances against Congress in early 1783
- 2Analyze what the Newburgh addresses proposed and why it threatened republican government
- 3Evaluate Washington's argument at the March 15 meeting and explain why it was effective
- 4Assess what the conspiracy reveals about the relationship between military service and civic obligation
Explore Further
Newburgh 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.
Kingston
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Newburgh and Kingston are both central Hudson Valley communities whose Revolutionary War significance is defined by the same river. They are 30 miles apart and share the strategic waterway that made the Hudson Valley the most contested terrain in the war.
Morristown
SHARED PERSON
Washington commanded at both Morristown (winter headquarters, 1779-1780) and Newburgh (final headquarters, 1782-1783). The same command structure, many of the same officers, and the same army occupied both sites at different points in the war.
Annapolis
SHARED PERSON
Washington at Newburgh awaited peace; at Annapolis he resigned his commission.
Assessment
Newburgh 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 Newburgh 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 Newburgh 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.