Deborah Samson, Soldier of the Revolution
From Liberty's Kids · 2003
Summary
Deborah Sampson disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Continental Army, serving for over a year — and even tending her own battle wound to avoid discovery. James and Sarah meet a soldier whose courage challenges every assumption about who was allowed to fight for liberty.
Viewer safety
Mentions a battle wound the soldier treats herself. No graphic imagery.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Deborah Sampson later received a military pension for her service. By disguising herself to enlist, she did what the rules of her time said she could never do.
- Why did Deborah Sampson have to hide her identity to serve as a soldier?
- What does her story tell us about the rules and expectations placed on women in the 1700s?
- What evidence shows how much risk and determination her service required?
- How do people today push against limits others try to place on them?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: enlist, disguise, pension, determination, expectation.
Try it: Write three sentences about a rule or expectation from the past that has since changed. Explain what it was, who it limited, and how things are different now.