Teacher Resources
Richmond
Inquiry Question
We don't have a transcript of Henry's actual words. How do historians work with speeches that were never recorded? What can we trust, and what can't we?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Thomas Jefferson to Steuben, January 12, 1781 (Arnold's Raid Correspondence)
PRIMARY · Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Papers
5 analysis prompts
Benedict Arnold's Dispatch to Sir Henry Clinton: Report on the Richmond Raid, January 1781
PRIMARY · Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
5 analysis prompts
Virginia Executive Papers and Council Journals, 1779-1781
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
5 analysis prompts
Virginia Convention at St. John's Church, Richmond: Proceedings, March 1775
PRIMARY · Library of Virginia
5 analysis prompts
Richmond National Battlefield Park: Revolutionary War Resources
INSTITUTIONAL · National Park Service
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 political context of the Second Virginia Convention (March 1775) and explain why it met in Richmond
- 2Analyze Patrick Henry's speech as reconstructed by William Wirt and assess the challenges of historical memory
- 3Evaluate the Convention's decision to prepare Virginia for war and identify arguments on both sides
- 4Connect Richmond's role in 1775 to its emergence as Virginia's state capital in 1780
Explore Further
Richmond 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.
Charlottesville
SHARED EVENT
Benedict Arnold's January 1781 raid on Richmond and Tarleton's June 1781 raid on Charlottesville were sequential chapters in the same British campaign to decapitate Virginia's revolutionary government. Jefferson fled Richmond after Arnold's raid and then nearly was captured at Monticello when Tarleton struck Charlottesville five months later. The two raids together define Jefferson's embattled tenure as wartime governor.
Williamsburg
SHARED THEME
Virginia's capital moved from Williamsburg to Richmond during the war.
Charlottesville
SHARED PERSON
Arnold raided Richmond; Tarleton raided Charlottesville, both targeting Jefferson.
Assessment
Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Richmond 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.