Revolutionary Expectations vs. Realities
Week 4 Study Unit
Read, Think, and, Write, and Discuss
· American Yawp, Chapter 5.
Primary Sources
· Petition for FreedomLinks to an external site. 1777
· Rebel’s Statement from Gabriel’s ConspiracyLinks to an external site.
· Excerpts from “The Gabriel Insurrection” Download “The Gabriel Insurrection” in Calendar of Virginia State Papers and Other Manuscripts from January 1, 1799, to December 31, 1807; Preserved in the Capital, at Richmond, ed. H. W. Flournoy (Richmond, 1890)
· Lucy Knox to Henry Knox Download Lucy Knox to Henry Knox 23 August 1777
· Sarah Osborn Recalls Her Experiences in the Revolutionary WarLinks to an external site. ,Links to an external site. 1837
Once you have read this week’s chapter in American Yawp and the primary sources listed in the links above, consider again the question from your first writing assignment on expectations and outcomes. How do this week’s readings shape your understanding of early Americans’ expectations versus their lived experiences? Do this week’s readings support your earlier argument? Do they make you rethink it? Revise your argument as necessary (again, underline your thesis statement) and add to your essay in Writing Assignment 1 using at least 3 of the primary sources from this week as support.
Revolutionary Expectations vs. Realities
As you analyze this week’s sources and textbook chapter, consider the following:
· How did African Americans understand and use ideas and strategies from the American Revolution to challenge their enslaved status?
· Lucy Knox and Sarah Osborn were two women who lived through the American Revolution. How did their experiences compare?
Revolutionary Expectations vs. Realities
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How do this week’s readings affect your view of early Americans’ expectations vs. lived experiences?,
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Do the new sources support or challenge your original argument?,
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How did African Americans use Revolutionary ideals to resist enslavement?,
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How do Lucy Knox’s and Sarah Osborn’s wartime experiences compare?,
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What revisions can you make to your original thesis using new evidence?