The Battle of Trenton: A Turning Point in the American Revolution
Central issue, problem, or question: How and why was the Battle of Trenton a turning point in the American Revolution?
Significance: This lesson examines military, logistic, and political problems facing the Continental Army in the late fall and early winter of 1776, following Washington’s retreat across New Jersey into Pennsylvania. It explores how Washington’s bold military move to re-cross the Delaware River bolstered the morale of his troops and the American populace.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies: Standard 6.4 (United States and New Jersey History). Middle School: E-2 (Discuss the major events of the American Revolution); E-3 (Identify major British and American leaders and describe their roles in key events); E-4 (Explain New Jersey’s critical role in the American Revolution). High School: E-4 (Analyze strategic elements used during the Revolutionary War); E-6 (Analyze New Jersey’s role in the American Revolution).
Objectives: After examining primary source documents, students will be able to: • Describe the plight of American forces prior to the Battle of Trenton. • Explain how Washington was able to use a bold military strategy to defeat the Hessian forces stationed at Trenton. • Explain how Washington capitalized on his victory at Trenton to encourage soldiers to reenlist in the Continental Army. • Analyze how the Battle of Trenton was a turning point in the American Revolution.
Abstract: This lesson teaches students to use primary source documents to analyze how in the case of the Battle of Trenton an individual decision changed the course of history. After analyzing the documents, students will write an essay explaining how the Battle of Trenton was a turning point in the history of the American Revolution.
Duration: One or two 45-minutes class periods.
1 Sources
Secondary Sources
Mark Lender online lecture: "Reversals of Fortune: The Trenton-Princeton Campaign," July 2003; available on the New Jersey History Partnership Project website, http://nj-history.org, in the “War” section.
David Hackett Fischer, Washington’s Crossing (New York, 2004).
“The Republican Rebellion,” program 4, New Jersey Legacy television series, co-produced by the New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Network, 1997, videocassette.
Kemble T. Widmer, The Christmas Campaign: The Ten Days of Trenton and Princeton New Jersey's Revolutionary Experience 22 (Trenton, 1975). http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ secondarySources/Christmas.pdf
Primary Sources:
George Washington to Lund Washington, 10 and 17 December 1776. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc1.pdf
Thomas Paine, The Crisis, 23 December 1776. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc2.pdf
Henry Knox to Lucy Knox, 28 December 1776. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc3.pdf
Thomas Rodney to Caesar Rodney, 30 December 1776. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc4.pdf
Sergeant R. Describes the Aftermath of the Battle of Trenton, 24 March 1832. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc5.pdf
2 Materials: Teachers will require copies of primary source documents listed above.
Background: The fall and early winter of 1776 was a low point for the Continental Army. In the summer of 1776, the British Army arrived in New York harbor with an overwhelming force of ships and troops. General William Howe’s successful attack on Long Island forced the Continental Army to retreat to northern Manhattan Island and West Chester County. To protect the Hudson River from what appeared to be a British attempt to divide the colonies, General George Washington reinforced Forts Washington and Lee on either side of the river. Howe attacked first Fort Washington and then sent General Charles Cornwallis to cross the Hudson, climb the Palisades, and attack American troops occupying Fort Lee. Unable to stand and fight the after this succession of attacks, Washington began a long retreat across New Jersey to the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. With enlistments in the Continental Army about to expire at the end of the year, Washington risked everything in a surprise attack on Trenton on the morning of 26 December 1776. Many historians consider the resulting Battle of Trenton a major turning point of the American Revolution.
Key Words: Turning Point Enlistment Militia Tyranny Providence Hessians
Middle School Procedures
The teacher should begin this lesson with a short lecture (based on Mark Lender’s online lecture) on the battles of Trenton and Princeton. Dr. Lender’s lecture is available on the New Jersey History Partnership Project website, http://nj-history.org, in the “War” section.
The teacher might also show the excerpt from “The Republican Rebellion” that deals with the retreat across New Jersey and the battles of Trenton and Princeton. This video clip is available on the New Jersey History Partnership Project website, http://nj-history.org, in the “War” section.
The teacher will then assign students to cooperative groups of 3-4. In these small groups, students will read: • George Washington to Lund Washington. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc1.pdf
3 • Sergeant R. Describes the Aftermath of the Battle of Trenton. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc5.pdf
The teacher should explain that Lund was George Washington’s cousin who managed Mount Vernon during George’s absence. The students should then answer the following questions (listed on the middle school worksheet, http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/lesson/ theWarWS1.pdf): • Where was Washington when he wrote these letters? • What precautions did he take to prevent the British from following him across the Delaware River? • What, in Washington’s opinion, was his greatest problem? • How did the people of New Jersey react to Washington’s plight? • How serious did Washington consider his situation?
The teacher should explain that the second account was written by a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The students should answer the following questions: • When was this account written? How might time have colored how the sergeant remembered this event? (Hint: Nineteenth century Americans celebrated the heroism of the revolutionary generation.) • Did the soldiers’ living conditions change after the Battle of Trenton? Explain. • How did Washington solve the problem of re-enlistments? • How effective was his appeal to soldiers? • What does this document tell us about Washington’s reputation as a military leader?
Each group will report on their work to the class. The teacher will then ask each student to write an essay on how and why the Battle of Trenton was a turning point in the American Revolution.
High School Procedures
The teacher should begin the lesson by asking students, “What do we mean when we refer to an historical event as a ‘turning point’?” The teacher should then give a short lecture (based on Mark Lender’s online lecture) about how the battles of Trenton and Princeton were turning points in the American Revolution. Dr. Lender’s lecture is available on the New Jersey History Partnership Project website, http://nj-history.org, in the “War” section.
The teacher might also show the video clip from “The Republican Rebellion” dealing with the so-called “Ten Crucial Days.” This video clip is available on the New Jersey History Partnership Project website, http://nj-history.org, in the “War” section.
4 The lesson will then take the form of a classroom discussion of three documents pertaining to the Battle of Trenton: • Thomas Paine, The Crisis. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc2.pdf • Henry Knox to Lucy Knox. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc3.pdf • Thomas Rodney to Caesar Rodney. http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/ documents/theWarDoc4.pdf
The teacher should explain that Thomas Paine, best known for his pamphlet Common Sense, was a British national who participated in Washington’s retreat across New Jersey in the fall of 1776. Students should answer the following questions about The Crisis (listed on the high school worksheet, http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/theWar/lesson/theWarWS2.pdf): • What was Thomas Paine’s purpose in writing this essay? What was the plight that prompted Paine’s famous phrase, “These are the times that try men’s souls”? • What mistake did Paine suggest the revolutionaries made in timing their decision to declare independence from Great Britain? How important does he think this mistake was? • How did the people of New Jersey respond to the British invasion of their territory? How did Paine explain their reaction? • How did Paine explain the American surrender of Fort Lee? How did he defend Washington’s decision to retreat rather than fight? • What in Paine’s opinion was the “great error in generalship” committed by General Howe? • How did Paine characterize General Washington? • To what degree did Paine’s characterization of Washington serve propaganda purposes? • To what degree did later events confirm Paine’s confidence in Washington?
Then the class should read Henry Knox’s letter to his wife. The teacher should explain that Henry Knox was a bookseller from Boston who was only 26 years old at the time of the Battle of Trenton. He was then a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding an artillery regiment. Years later, Knox became Secretary of War in President Washington’s cabinet. Students should answer the following questions: • What obstacles did the Continental Army face in crossing the Delaware River on the morning of December 26, 1776? To what did Knox attribute the success of the crossing? • How did the storm actually work to the advantage of the Continental Army later in the morning?
5 • How sympathetic was Knox to the plight of the Hessians? What adjectives did he use to describe them? • How did Knox describe the American forces? • To what did Knox attribute the American victory? (Hint: The teacher might encourage students to think about how Providence was used to explain historical events and to compare this explanation with current theories of historical causation.)
The class should then read Thomas Rodney’s letter. The teacher should explain that Captain Thomas Rodney was an officer in the Delaware militia who participated in the unsuccessful crossing of the Delaware River from Bristol, Pennsylvania; their mission was to attack the British troops at Mount Holly. Students should answer the following questions: • What conditions prevented Rodney’s troops from accomplishing their mission? • What was the reaction of these troops to the news that Washington had succeeded in taking Trenton? • How did Rodney describe the reaction of the Hessians to their defeat? • How did he describe the people of New Jersey’s response to the victory at Trenton? • To what did Rodney attribute the victory? • What was Rodney’s opinion of the eventual outcome of this conflict? How valid was his optimism?
At the end of this discussion, students will be asked to write a short essay about how and why the Battle of Trenton was a turning point in the American Revolution. They should support their arguments with specific quotations from the primary sources they analyzed.
Comments and Suggestions: High school teachers who wish to reduce the amount of class time devoted to this lesson might focus on one or two of the primary source documents instead of all three. Alternately, the teacher might ask students to read the documents and answer the questions on the worksheet for homework.
Connections: This lesson could be taught (possibly in conjunction with the interactive exercise, “What would you do? Washington, Howe, Cornwallis and the New Jersey Campaign”) as part of a larger unit on military aspects of the Revolutionary War.
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