Teacher Resources
Norfolk
Inquiry Question
Norfolk was burned by British ships, loyalists, AND patriot militia. Does that complicate the story of the Revolution? How do we decide who was responsible?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
HMS Fowey Log: Lord Dunmore's Naval Operations off Norfolk, January 1776
PRIMARY · Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
5 analysis prompts
General Woodford to the Virginia Committee of Safety, January 4, 1776
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
5 analysis prompts
Virginia Committee of Safety Minutes, November 1775 - February 1776
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
5 analysis prompts
Virginia Gazette: Reports on the Burning of Norfolk, January-March 1776
PRIMARY · Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Rockefeller Library
5 analysis prompts
Norfolk Borough Records and Court Order Books, 1750-1780
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
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 events that led to the burning of Norfolk and identify the multiple parties responsible
- 2Explain what loyalism was and why Norfolk had a large loyalist population
- 3Analyze Dunmore's Proclamation and assess its significance for both the loyalist community and enslaved Virginians
- 4Evaluate the human cost of the burning and connect it to broader patterns of civilian suffering in the Revolution
Explore Further
Norfolk 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.
Yorktown
SHARED EVENT
Lord Dunmore's use of the Chesapeake and Norfolk harbor as a British naval base from 1775–76 established the pattern of British naval operation in Virginia waters that culminated in 1781. The same Chesapeake geography Dunmore exploited became the theater of the Battle of the Capes on September 5, 1781, where de Grasse's French fleet defeated the British navy and sealed off Cornwallis at Yorktown. Norfolk's naval history directly connects to Yorktown's decisive naval dimension.
Williamsburg
SHARED EVENT
Norfolk's destruction preceded Virginia's full commitment to independence.
Portland
COMPARISON
Both were burned by British naval forces in 1775, hardening colonial resolve.
Assessment
Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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.