Black Americans in the American Revolution DBQ | Primary Source Analysis

A complete document-based question (DBQ) packet on Black Americans in the American Revolution, built around one arguable question: Which side offered Black Americans the better chance at freedom, the Patriots or the British?

Students work from six real primary sources made between 1774 and 1784, from both sides of the war and from Black Americans themselves. Print it, hand it out, teach it.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• One compelling question with a background essay that sets the context without answering it
• Six curated public-domain primary sources, each with author and date: Phillis Wheatley's letter to Samson Occom (1774), Lord Dunmore's Proclamation (1775), Prince Hall's freedom petition (1777), Rhode Island's act enlisting enslaved men (1778), a French officer's watercolor of a Black Rhode Island soldier, and seven entries from the Book of Negroes (1783)
• 18 scaffolded document-analysis questions, labeled by skill: sourcing, context, and close reading
• 5 cross-document corroboration questions that make students read the sources against each other
• An evidence-based writing prompt with a 4-point analytic rubric (16 points total)
• A complete answer key with a target response for every question, plus two model thesis statements - one for each side of the question
• Teacher notes on the period language in the sources, how the texts were checked against their sources, and where to cut if you are short on time
• A standards page listing the CCSS Reading in History standards the packet exercises

WHY THIS ONE

• The Book of Negroes entries were read from the British copy of the ledger itself, and the teacher notes explain where a popular transcription gets Harry Washington's entry wrong - a ready-made lesson in checking the original
• The British governor's proclamation and a Patriot state's law sit side by side, so students compare who could take each offer and what each side got
• The question is genuinely open. The key includes strong model claims on both sides, so the rubric rewards the argument rather than the answer

FORMAT

• 16-page PDF, US Letter: background, standards page, 10 student pages (all six documents on pages 3-6, so they print once as a class set), then a 4-page answer key with teacher notes
• Print-first; prints well in black and white
• Grades 6-12; works for on-level, honors, and AP US History document practice
• No prep, no logins, no devices - just print

GOOD FOR

• Black History Month in a US History classroom
• Document-analysis practice ahead of a DBQ essay or an AP exam
• A sub-day assignment (Part 1) once you have introduced the period language in the sources
• Homeschool, hybrid, and remote settings

PAIRS WITH

• Declarations: Black Americans and the Revolutionary War (PBS) video worksheet - the film carries the story; this packet carries the evidence

LEAVE A RATING

If it works well for your students, a quick rating wherever you downloaded it helps other teachers find it. Questions or a correction? Reach out at contact@responseresources.studio.

TERMS OF USE

• For single-classroom / single-teacher use. Do not redistribute or post publicly.
• (c) Response Resources. All rights reserved.