WebQuest Activity Handout: Slavery and the American Revolution Unit

Curator Team Research Guide

Use and print out a copy of the following form to help you in researching the American Revolutionary War and the paradox described in the Introduction of this WebQuest. However, because you will gather much information, you also should copy this form on notebook paper using the headings you see here. You will likely have several pages of research information.

Remember: your goal is to develop an Introduction to the "Living History Museum" that will:

• Lure visitors and invite them to learn more by stepping into the Living History Museum by creating an informational, visually appealing, interesting, and exciting PowerPoint presentation.



• Encourage visitors to visit each individual exhibit through a thoughtful and creative PowerPoint "Introduction to the Living History Museum."



• Introduce visitors to the paradox described in the Introduction of this WebQuest.



• Summarize colonial beliefs and ideas about liberty, inalienable or natural rights, slavery, and the Declaration of Independence.



• Explain the decisions slaves and black non-slaves faced during the Revolutionary War.



• Summarize the roles of slaves and their contributions during the Revolutionary War.



• Summarize the views of modern historians on slaves during the Revolutionary War, their contributions, and the Declaration of Independence.

To accomplish this, you should visit all of the Exhibit Team sites, but you may divide up the work to ensure that your team gathers information from each site. You then can share this information with your team later when you are developing your PowerPoint Presentation. You, and every other person on the Curator Team, should also visit all of the Curator Team sites to gain a full understanding of the paradox.

Take careful notes based on the websites you visit, but remember that you will summarize information in your presentation rather than giving great detail about each individual--the Exhibit Teams are responsible for providing these details. Be careful to spend plenty of time at the sites related to the Declaration of Independence as well as modern historians' views on it and colonists' views on slavery, so you will have a full understanding of the big picture.

Sites and Instructions	Questions To Answer
Exhibit Team Historical Figures: After you visit each historical figure site listed for Exhibit Teams, try to answer as many of the questions to the right of this box. (Note: you may not be able to fully answer these until after you also visit the Curator Team sites. Use information from the "Curator Sites" to help.)	Identify the status of individual historical figures at the time of Revolutionary War (for instance, slave, free black, Caucasian, military or government position). Compare and contrast the historical figure's views on slavery. Summarize the historical figure's role during the Revolutionary War – (If he/she joined the military, tell which side, what his/her contribution to the war effort was, etc. If he/she was a civilian, a non-military person, explain what he/she did during the Revolutionary War period, including his/her notable decisions/actions related to his/her beliefs on slavery, and his/her contribution to the war effort. Summarize: Why slaves and free blacks decided to join the military. The status of slaves after the Revolutionary War (awards, freedom, etc.) and how the Revolutionary War affected them. Attempts to end or continue slavery during this time. The opinions of slave and free blacks about colonial governments and their laws. How the decision(s) made by military leaders affected slaves/free blacks? Describe their views on slavery. Why you think they made the decisions they did? The experiences of slaves who either fought for England and left the United States or created runaway settlements in this country. What do you think slaves, who fought during the Revolutionary War, would most want people in the 21st Century to understand about them? What can you conclude about the historical importance of slaves/freedmen during the Revolutionary War? Compare and contrast the slaves who fought for the United States and those who fought for England. What can you conclude about how fighting in the war affected slaves? List the artifacts (photographs, documents, quotes, etc.) you have found to use in your exhibit and the exact URL (Internet Address). Copy or save to disk those artifacts you believe would be good to use in your PowerPoint introduction.
Curator Team Sites: Summarize what you've discovered about the topics to the right of this box. (Note: Some of the information you find on Exhibit Team sites will also help you with these questions.)	Colonial beliefs about liberty and inalienable rights/natural rights in their complaints against England.Paradox of the belief in liberty vs. slavery. Importance of the Declaration of Independence and how the issue of slavery affected what Jefferson wrote. Modern historians' beliefs about the role of slaves in the Revolutionary War. Modern historians' beliefs about slavery and the Declaration of Independence.

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