OCTOBER 31, 2008

Primary Source of the Month

"Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, June 1778," engraved by J. C. Armytage after a painting by Alonzo Chappel, ca. 1859. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Contents

• Women's Service with the Revolutionary Army
• Primary Source of the Month
• Teaching Strategy
• Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources
• Teaching News
• Quotation of the Month

The Next Electronic Field Trip is
Yorktown
November 13, 2008

2008–2009 Teaching
Resources Catalog

2008–2009 Electronic Field Trip Scholarships

Games, activities, and resources about life in colonial America.

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3

Top Stories

Women's Service with the Revolutionary Army

The American Revolution has proven to be a fertile ground for study. One can find works as theoretical as the ideological nature of the war and as practical as detailed troop movements in particular battles. The contributions of the men who drafted the documents of the Revolution, commanded the forces, fought in the war, and offered support have been well documented. The Revolution was not a one-gender war, however. Many women contributed to the effort, and it is time their stories are told.

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Primary Source of the Month: Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, June 1778

During the Revolutionary War, women filled essential roles on both the home front and war front. The legend of "Molly Pitcher" is well known. Oral tradition says that she had been carrying water to her husband’s artillery crew. When he fell wounded, she replaced him at the cannon for the remainder of the engagement.

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Teaching Strategy: Women in the Military

Since the Revolutionary War, the U.S. military has gradually included women in more prominent roles in defending the nation. In this lesson, students explore their own thoughts on women serving in the military and gain a historical perspective on women's roles during the American Revolution. They also analyze a time line highlighting women's increasing presence in the military, then write a short essay describing their views on women serving in America's armed forces.

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Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources for Your Classroom

Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of quality instructional materials dealing with 18th-century life, including:

• Hands-On History: Soldier's Haversack (object kit)
• Life in the Continental Army (lesson unit)
• Red Thunder (book)
• Echoes of Revolution (CD)

Learn more

Teaching News

Are you looking for student-friendly Web sites on elections? Give the following a try:

• PBS Kids—The Democracy Project
• BrainPOP-Spotlight: Election '08
• U.S. Government Printing Office-Ben's Guide to U.S. Government

Quotation of the Month

"The patriotism of the women . . . is a subject of conversation with the army. Had I poetical genius, I would sit down and write an ode in praise of it."

-Letter from an officer in the American camp,
reprinted in the Pennsylvania Packet,
July 8, 1780

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