Teacher Resources
Newport
Inquiry Question
What choices do ordinary people face when their town is occupied by an enemy army?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Journal de la Campagne en Amérique (Rochambeau's Campaign Journal)
PRIMARY · Bibliothèque nationale de France / Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
Memoirs of His Own Time (Mathieu Dumas)
PRIMARY · Lea & Blanchard (Philadelphia ed.)
5 analysis prompts
My Campaigns in America (Guillaume de Deux-Ponts)
PRIMARY · J.K. Wiggin and W.P. Lunt (Boston)
5 analysis prompts
Rochambeau National Historic Trail: Newport Segment
INSTITUTIONAL · National Park Service
5 analysis prompts
The Revolutionary Journal of Baron Ludwig von Closen, 1780-1783
PRIMARY · University of North Carolina Press (ed. Evelyn Acomb)
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 conditions of British occupation in Newport from 1776 to 1779
- 2Analyze the choices facing Newport residents: flee, stay, or collaborate
- 3Evaluate the economic and social costs of occupation on the town's civilian population
- 4Connect Newport's experience to broader patterns of civilian experience in the Revolutionary War
Explore Further
Newport 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.
Providence
SHARED THEME
Newport and Providence were the two poles of Rhode Island's Revolutionary War experience. Newport was occupied and diminished; Providence was the state's Patriot capital and economic engine. Nathanael Greene, born in the Providence area, was the Continental Army's most capable strategist. The French army that based itself in Newport marched through Providence on its way to Yorktown. Rhode Island's war cannot be understood without both towns.
Yorktown
SHARED PERSON
Rochambeau's army marched from Newport to Yorktown.
Providence
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Rhode Island's two major towns, one occupied, one free.
Assessment
Newport 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 Newport 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 Newport 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.