Revolutionary War: Native Americans, Women, & Enslaved Peoples

​Revolutionary War: Native Americans, Women, & Enslaved Peoples

By Isiah Jones

Open Ended

Quote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Prompt: What would America in 1776 have looked like if these words had been taken literally?

Revolutionary War: Native Americans, Women, & Enslaved Peoples

Objective:
We will analyze the impact of the Revolutionary War on women, Native Americans, and enslaved peoples by evaluating primary sources to determine to what extent the promise of the Declaration of Independence applied to all people.

KEY VOCABULARY

• Marginalized Groups: People pushed to the "edges" of society, denied full rights and involvement.

• Unalienable Rights: Rights that cannot be taken away or given up (Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness).

• Consent of the Governed: The idea that government gets its power from the permission of the people.

• Petition: A formal written request to the government demanding a change in policy or law.

Multiple Choice

The idea that a government's power comes from the permission of its people is called:

• A) A Petition

• B) Consent of the Governed

• C) Unalienable Rights

• D) Marginalized Groups

Multiple Choice

2. "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are listed in the Declaration of Independence as examples of:

• A) Marginalized Groups

• B) Consent of the Governed

• C) Unalienable Rights

• D) Government Petitions

Multiple Choice

3. A formal, written request from a group of people demanding a change in a law is known as a:

• A) Marginalized Group

• B) Consent of the Governed

• C) Unalienable Right

• D) Petition

Model Analysis - Abigail Adams (1776)

Open Ended

Based on Abigail's letter, what inference can you make about the legal rights of married women in 1776?

Open Ended

How does Abigail Adams use the colonists' own arguments about tyranny to make her point for women's rights?

Become an Expert!

YOUR MISSION: Create 1 Google Slide and present your findings to the class. Your slide must be posted in Google Classroom. Your 1 Slide MUST Answer These Key Questions:

• Row 1 - The Ladies (Abigail Adams)

  • What rights did women lack in 1776?

  • What was Abigail Adams's warning to the founders?

  • Quote: Provide one short piece of evidence from the text.

  Row 2 - The Chickasaw Nation

  • What was happening to Native American land after the Revolution?

  • How would you describe their tone (angry, desperate, etc.)?

  • Quote: Provide one short piece of evidence from the text.

  Row 3 - The Petition for Freedom

  • How did the petitioners use the language of the Declaration to argue for freedom?

  • What was their main demand?

  • Quote: Provide one short piece of evidence from the text.

GROUP PRESENTATION DIRECTIONS

PRESENTER INSTRUCTIONS: Document 1: Abigail Adams to John Adams - March 31 1776

• You have 3 minutes to present your 1 Google Slide

• Everyone in your group must speak

• Speak clearly and explain your evidence

AUDIENCE RESPONSIBILITY:
While other groups present, complete this chart

• • Quote: Provide one short piece of evidence from the text.

GROUP PRESENTATION DIRECTIONS

PRESENTER INSTRUCTIONS: Document 2: The Chickasaws Send a Message to Congress, 1783

• You have 3 minutes to present your 1 Google Slide

• Everyone in your group must speak

• Speak clearly and explain your evidence

AUDIENCE RESPONSIBILITY:
While other groups present, complete this chart

• • Quote: Provide one short piece of evidence from the text.

GROUP PRESENTATION DIRECTIONS

PRESENTER INSTRUCTIONS:  Document 3: Petition from Enslaved Peoples

• You have 3 minutes to present your 1 Google Slide

• Everyone in your group must speak

• Speak clearly and explain your evidence

AUDIENCE RESPONSIBILITY:
While other groups present, complete this chart

• • Quote: Provide one short piece of evidence from the text.

Multiple Choice

The enslaved petitioners argued that "every principle from which America has acted... pleads stronger than a thousand arguments in favor of your Petitioners." This represents which type of argumentative strategy?

• A) Emotional appeal to sympathy for their suffering

  B) Logical appeal using their opponents' own principles against them

  C) Historical comparison to other slave rebellions

• B) Logical appeal using their opponents' own principles against them

• C) Historical comparison to other slave rebellions

• D) Economic argument about the financial cost of slavery

Multiple Choice

If you were to create a "Hierarchy of Rights" in post-Revolutionary America based on today's presentations, which pattern would be MOST accurate?

• A) White men > Enslaved people > Women > Native Americans

• B) White men > Native Americans > Women > Enslaved people

• C) All groups had equal standing under the new government

• D) State governments protected all groups equally

Multiple Choice

The Chickasaw Nation stated they were "in confusion & uncertainty" because they received conflicting messages from different American governments. What does this reveal about the early United States?

• A) The new nation had a strong, unified Indian policy

• B) State and federal governments often worked at cross-purposes

• C) Native Americans preferred British rule to American rule

• D) The Articles of Confederation created effective central leadership

Multiple Choice

Considering all three presentations, which conclusion BEST explains why the Revolution remained "unfinished" for these groups?

• A) These groups didn't understand the concept of natural rights

  B) The founders intentionally excluded them from the Declaration's promises

  C) Economic concerns and existing social hierarchies limited the Revolution's transformative

• B) The founders intentionally excluded them from the Declaration's promises

• C) Economic concerns and existing social hierarchies limited the Revolution's transformative power

• D) The British would have treated these groups better

Exit Ticket: Your Voice in History

Your Task:
Imagine you are living in 1776. Choose the perspective of one of these three groups:

• Women

• Native Americans

• Enslaved Peoples

Write a 2-paragraph letter to the Continental Congress to advocate for a new law protecting your group's rights.

Success Criteria:
✅ Paragraph 1: Clearly state your grievance. What right is being denied?
✅ Paragraph 2: Use a direct idea or quote from the Declaration of Independence to support your argument.
✅ Explain why the principles of the Revolution should apply to you.