Student Activities
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
This activity is designed to be reviewed by the teacher, photocopied, and distributed to students. It is intended to be a simple exercise in analyzing and understanding how geography influenced American and British decision making in the Battles of Saratoga. The activity was originally planned for class use while visiting the battlefield, but it could also be used pre-visit in conjunction with Saratoga National Historical Park's virtual tour, or as a stand-alone activity.
Objective(s)
Students will be able to:
- read a small, basic map for understanding;
- identify several map features
- understand how geography influenced decision making and outcomes in the Battles of Saratoga
Procedure
Distribute worksheets to students. Explain how geography can have major influences on human activity, such as building roads along level ground when possible, building bridges over streams, or establishing farms near rivers or other water sources.
Explain that geography also influenced decision making in the American Revolution and the Battles of Saratoga. American forces tried to use geography to their advantage by using a very important geographic feature: the Hudson River. Key to travel, communications, and even military raids since well before European settlement, the Hudson was a crucial pathway. The British army invading New York in 1777 wanted to follow the Hudson River and the road built beside part of it as their route to Albany, a small but important port city in 1777. American forces anticipated this, and their response helped secure their eventual victory.
Materials
Last updated: June 8, 2023