People of the Revolution, and Patriot and Loyalist views
Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet
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Patriots, Loyalists and the enslaved, 1775 to 1782 (cards A to E). Card A, Lord Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, proclamation of November 7, 1775, issued from a ship off Norfolk (spelling as in two transcriptions; cuts marked): "I do require every Person capable of bearing Arms, to resort to His Majesty's STANDARD, or be looked upon as Traitors to His Majesty's Crown and Government"; and "… (appertaining to Rebels,) free that are able and willing to bear Arms, they joining His Majesty's Troops as soon as may be". Card B, a summary in our words from the National Park Service timeline of the Revolution: after Dunmore's proclamation, tens of thousands of African Americans sought freedom by supporting the British during the war, and a smaller number fought on the Patriot side despite policies that discouraged their enlistment. Card C, from the Mount Vernon Washington Library's encyclopedia article on Loyalists: "Approximately one-fifth of Americans supported Britain during the American Revolution." The article says the exact numbers are uncertain because it is hard to decide who counted as a Loyalist. It also says: "Seventeen people enslaved by Washington fled from Mount Vernon to the H.M.S. Savage for their freedom." Card D, from the same National Park Service timeline: on October 7, 1780, Patriot militia defeated a force of Loyalists under Major Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain, South Carolina. Ferguson, a Scot, was the only British soldier in the battle; everyone else who fought there was American. The timeline says: "Kings Mountain is truly a battle among Americans about their future." Card E, a summary in our words from the same timeline: in January 1782 the evacuation of Loyalists began, and about 100,000 left for Britain, Canada and the West Indies, among them about 15,000 African Americans.
Card A is a proclamation by Lord Dunmore, Virginia's royal governor. What is it best evidence for, Ari asks?
- What enslaved Virginians themselves hoped for when they heard of it in 1775
- A law passed by the Continental Congress in 1775
- A promise from the Patriots to free enslaved people
- What the British governor offered and demanded to weaken the rebels
Why does Dunmore offer freedom only to those "appertaining to Rebels" who are "able and willing to bear Arms," Bo asks?
- To end slavery everywhere in Virginia at once
- To reward enslaved men who were already serving the Patriot army
- To punish enslavers who stayed loyal to the king
- To add soldiers and weaken Patriot enslavers, not to end slavery
A student writes: "Britain freed enslaved people in the Revolution." How strong is that claim, given cards A and B, Esme asks?
- Strong: card A frees all enslaved people throughout the colonies who ask for it
- Partly: card A frees only people held by rebels who can fight; card B counts thousands
- Weak: card A makes no offer of freedom to anyone
- Strong: card B says Britain freed tens of thousands of enslaved people
Card E: about 100,000 Loyalists left, among them about 15,000 African Americans. What share of those who left was African American, Jun asks?
- About 18 percent, since 15,000 divided by the other 85,000
- About 15 percent, since 15,000 out of 100,000 is 0.15
- About 85 percent, since that is the share who were not African American
- About 1.5 percent, since 15,000 is a small part of 100,000
Card C says seventeen people fled Mount Vernon, and card B says tens of thousands sought British freedom. How do they fit, Kira asks?
- Seventeen contradicts card B, because card B says far more
- The seventeen settle the exact number given in card B for the colonies as a whole
- The seventeen show that Washington freed them himself
- The seventeen are one documented case of the larger movement, not a count
Which chain do cards A to C best support, Milo asks?
- Tens of thousands sought freedom first, which is why Dunmore wrote his offer in November 1775
- The offer ended the war in 1775 because the Patriots gave in
- Dunmore's offer in 1775 led enslaved people to flee to British lines; tens of thousands followed
- Washington freed seventeen people, so Dunmore copied the offer
A student writes: "The Revolution was fought only between Americans and Britain." How strong is that claim, given card D, Noah asks?
- Weak: card D says the battle took place after the Treaty of Paris was signed
- Strong: card A shows a British governor leading the British side of the war
- Weak: Kings Mountain was fought among Americans, with Ferguson the only British soldier
- Strong: card D says Patriots defeated a force of Loyalists under Major Ferguson
Comparing card A (1775) and card E (1782), what changed, Pia asks?
- From Patriots offering freedom, to Loyalists winning the war
- Nothing changed, since the same people stayed where they were
- Nothing can be compared, since the two cards are seven years apart in time
- From a governor's call to arms to the departure of about 100,000 Loyalists
A student writes: "All the Loyalists who left in 1782 were white." How strong is that claim, given card E, Tala asks?
- Weak: card E puts about 15,000 African Americans among the 100,000 who left
- Strong: card C says Loyalists were one-fifth of Americans, so most were white
- Strong: card E says Loyalists left for Britain, Canada and the West Indies
- Weak: card E says no one left America in 1782
What new evidence would best test the "one-fifth" figure for Loyalists, Zee asks?
- A list of the battles fought in the South between 1775 and 1783
- Surviving loyalty oaths and loss claims, counted colony by colony
- Another article that repeats the one-fifth figure from an older book
- A Patriot newspaper's guess at the number of Loyalists in its own colony
