Summary
The Revolution reaches the western frontier, where George Rogers Clark campaigns against British forts and Native nations are pulled into a war not of their making. James and Henri discover that the fight for independence looked very different — and the choices much harder — far from the eastern cities.
Viewer safety
References to frontier warfare and the difficult choices Native nations faced. Handled thoughtfully, no graphic content.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
The Revolution wasn't only fought in Boston and Philadelphia. On the frontier, Native nations had to weigh which side — if any — might protect their land and people.
- How was the war on the western frontier different from the war in the eastern cities?
- Native nations had to decide whether to support the British, the Americans, or neither. What might make that choice so hard?
- Why is it important to include many different groups' experiences when we tell the story of the Revolution?
- How can the same event look completely different depending on where you stand?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: frontier, fort, Native nation, alliance, territory.
Try it: On a map, find the Appalachian Mountains and the lands to their west. Write two sentences about why people living on the frontier might see the Revolution differently from people in Boston.