Teacher Resources
Portsmouth
Inquiry Question
What is the difference between a crime and a revolutionary act? Who decides?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Ship's Log, USS Raleigh, 1776-1778
PRIMARY · National Archives, Record Group 45 (Naval Records Collection)
5 analysis prompts
John Langdon Papers, 1775-1819
PRIMARY · New Hampshire Historical Society
5 analysis prompts
Journals of the Continental Congress: Naval Committee Records, 1775-1776
PRIMARY · Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
Strawbery Banke Museum: Revolution in Portsmouth
INSTITUTIONAL · Strawbery Banke Museum
5 analysis prompts
John Langdon of New Hampshire
SECONDARY · Rumford Press (Lawrence Shaw Mayo)
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
Opens in a new tab. Use your browser's Print dialog (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) and choose “Save as PDF.”
Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will describe the Fort William and Mary raids as the first organized seizure of British military property by American colonists
- 2Students will analyze the intelligence network and decision-making that made the raids possible
- 3Students will compare the categorization of the raids as crime versus revolution and identify who controlled that categorization
Explore Further
Portsmouth 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.
Exeter
SHARED EVENT
Portsmouth was the colonial capital until Wentworth's 1775 flight made Exeter the effective seat of revolutionary government. Langdon, Sullivan, and other Portsmouth figures coordinated with the Exeter-based Committee of Safety throughout the war.
Boston
SHARED EVENT
Paul Revere's December 1774 ride from Boston to Portsmouth connected the two towns' Patriot networks. The Boston Committee of Correspondence's intelligence about Fort William and Mary made the Portsmouth raids possible.
Lexington
COMPARISON
The Fort William and Mary raids of December 1774 preceded Lexington and Concord by four months and were the first organized seizure of British military property. The comparison illuminates how the "first shot" of the Revolution is defined and why some events become iconic while others remain obscure.
Assessment
Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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.