Unveiling the Past: Analyzing Primary Documents on Harry Washington's Life
![Old document stating Lord Dunmore's Proclamation](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/resource/8974hpr_dfab138fa60b3d9-657x1024.jpg?itok=ca3bab88)
A photo copy of Lord Dunmore's Proclamation.
Source: Encyclopedia Virginia
This lesson plan highlights the story of Harry Washington, a man formerly enslaved by George Washington. Harry took his fate into his own hands and seized his freedom by fighting with the British Royal Artillery during the American Revolutionary War. This opportunity, provided by Dunmore’s 1775 Proclamation, offered a path to freedom to enslaved people willing to fight for the British cause. For students, this lesson offers a reframing of the “Underground Railroad” and expands their understanding of freedom-seeking during the Revolutionary period. In an activity of revealing mystery, students work intimately with a host of primary sources including maps, letters, ship manifests, and settlement records to develop a timeline of Harry’s life from enslavement to liberation.
A companion story map of Harry Washington's life is also available from the National Park Service.
This resource is a product of Claiming Freedom in the Revolutionary Era – a partnership of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Foundation, and the Greening Youth Foundation.
Guiding Questions
How do historical records help individuals doing family research?
What challenges might historians face when piecing together a timeline based on available primary sources?
Why is constructing a timeline an effective method for visualizing and comprehending the sequence of events in an individual's life?
Learning Objectives
Use and analyze primary sources to trace an individual through history.
Construct a timeline of an individual’s life.
Compose a personal letter communicating their findings as a historian.