Victory (1781)

Essential Question

• What contributions and sacrifices did everyday people, such as Joseph Plumb Martin, make during the American Revolution?

Supporting Questions

1. What kinds of hardships did soldiers like Joseph Plumb Martin face during the Revolutionary war?
2. How did Martin describe the ways in which soldiers were treated by officers and the government?
3. What were Martin’s motivations for fighting in the war?

About this Interactive

This student-directed learning experience helps students in grades 6-12 learn about the experiences of a common soldier—Joseph Plumb Martin—during the American Revolution. Students explore the hardships and daily life of common soldiers through the eyes of Martin. They also discover what motivated soldiers, like Martin, to continue their service in spite of those hardships. By examining this interactive, students consider the following essential question: What contributions and sacrifices did everyday people, such as Joseph Plumb Martin, make during the American Revolution?

Historical Thinking Skills

• Analyzing Multiple Perspectives
• Interpreting Cause and Effect

Use the following before, while, and after using the interactive suggestions for engaging students with this resource and with activities related to this topic.

Before Launching this Interactive

Students should know the major causes of the American Revolution, and understand the ideological motivations for revolution that were circulating at the time. (For more on this topic, see the resource titled, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense: A Call to Revolution). They should also have some familiarity with key battles of the American Revolution. Additional resources that focus on causes leading up to the American Revolution as well as key battles of the war can be found under the topic areas “Causes of the American Revolution” and “Key Events of the Revolutionary Era” in The American Revolution Collection.

While Using this Interactive

1. Once students have launched the Joseph Plumb Martin Interactive, have them note these important features before they start viewing:
   • The pins show specific locations for where Martin was.
   • Clicking on a pin will open up information about Martin and his experience of the war, which will be described through summary text and video clips from The American Revolution series.
2. Inform students they should first proceed through the interactive sequentially.
3. They should watch each video in its entirety before moving to the next slide or they should pause the video before moving to the next slide.

Distribute the Experiences of Joseph Plumb Martin graphic organizer and have students complete the organizer as they explore.

After Using this Interactive

Review students’ responses to the graphic organizer. Then follow up with the questions below and discuss as a class.

1. What surprised you about Joseph Plumb Martin’s experience as a soldier during the American Revolution?
2. How do Martin’s experiences show us how those who sacrificed most did not always benefit most from the promises of war?
3. How do Martin’s experiences reflect both the promises and the hardships of the war?

Taking it Further

1. You may assign students the Discussion Questions located under Support Materials for Use with Students.
2. For culminating activities focused on the experiences of common soldiers during the American Revolution, see additional activities listed below.

Voices of the Revolution Interview/Podcast

1. Have students create an interview or a podcast segment titled “Voices of the Revolution.”
2. In pairs, one student will take on the role of interviewer and the other as Joseph Plumb Martin or another common soldier from the Revolutionary War.
   1. Note: If students are interested, they can read Joseph Plumb Martin’s memoir, A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier. Multiple digital copies can be found online.
3. In their pairs, have students:
   1. Develop an interview protocol which includes a series of open ended questions that the interviewer will ask.
   2. Research answers to the questions. They can use information from the interactive or from other research they’ve done on experiences of soldiers during the war.
4. Have students record their interview or podcast and present it to the class.

A Timeline Of Joseph Plumb Martin

1. Have students create a visual or digital timeline of Joseph Plumb Martin’s experiences during the war (between 5-7 events).  Students should use evidence from the interactive or outside research.
2. For each point in time students should provide:
   1. the date or an approximate date (e.g. Winter 1777),
   2. a summary of the event,
   3. a quotation or specific detail from Martin’s account, and
   4. a brief description of whether the experience reveals hope, hardship, betrayal, pride, or sacrifice. The description should include evidence to support the classification.