Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence (Teaching with Historic Places)

Gen. Nathanael Greene Monument. (Guilford Courthouse National Military Park)

This backwoods county seat of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, was the site of a pivotal battle in the Revolutionary War’s decisive Southern Campaign. The engagement set the stage for the region’s liberation from enemy occupation and impelled British general Lord Charles Cornwallis to take the ill-fated road that led him to final defeat at Yorktown, Virginia, seven months later. Use this lesson plan to learn more about the battle. (Click on the image for the full lesson plan.)

Essential Question

Why do we preserve battle sites?

Objective

1. To analyze conflicting written evidence and make reasoned judgments of the essential facts about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse;
2. To analyze statistical data to draw conclusions about the outcome of the battle;
3. To assess the aftermath of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and explain its effect on the outcome of the Revolutionary War;
4. To examine their own community for monuments erected to commemorate wars.

Grade level

Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

Subject

iteracy and Language Arts,Social Studies

Lesson Duration

90 Minutes

Common Core Standards

6-8.RH.1, 6-8.RH.2, 6-8.RH.3, 6-8.RH.4, 6-8.RH.5, 6-8.RH.6, 6-8.RH.7, 6-8.RH.8, 6-8.RH.9, 6-8.RH.10, 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 9-10.RH.3, 9-10.RH.4, 9-10.RH.5, 9-10.RH.6, 9-10.RH.7, 9-10.RH.8, 9-10.RH.9, 9-10.RH.10, 11-12.RH.1, 11-12.RH.2, 11-12.RH.3, 11-12.RH.4, 11-12.RH.5, 11-12.RH.6, 11-12.RH.7, 11-12.RH.8, 11-12.RH.9, 11-12.RH.10