Student Resources

• Engage: See, Think, Wonder Handout
• Engage: Primary Source Images Handout
• James Armistead Lafayette and Courage Narrative

Teacher Resources

• Analysis Questions 
• Virtue in Action  
• Journal Activity
• Sources for Further Reading  
• Virtue Across the Curriculum  

• Courage: The ability to take constructive action in the face of fear or danger. To stand firm as a person of character and do what is right, especially when it is unpopular or puts one at risk.
• Seamstresses: A woman who makes clothing.
• Inconspicuously: Not attracting attention.
• Infamous: Having a reputation for bad reasons. 
• Couriers: People who deliver messages.

Procedures

• The following lesson asks students to explore the virtue of courage. Students will engage with the story of James Armistead Lafayette as an example of courage, as they consider the question: How does the maintenance of liberty and equality depend on individuals acting courageously?
• The main activity in this lesson requires students to read and analyze a narrative that explores how James Armistead Laffayette acted courageously throughout his life. Students may work individually, in pairs, or small groups as best fits your classroom. The analysis questions provided can be used to help students comprehend and think critically about the content. As the teacher, you can decide which questions best fit your students’ needs and time restraints.   
• Additionally, students will use historical literacy skills to analyze primary source images. 
• Lastly, the lesson includes sources used in this lesson for further reading and suggestions for cross-curricular connections.

There is no pre-work for this lesson.

 

Engage

• Tell students that today they will learn about a patriot who played an important role in the Revolutionary War.  
• Ask students: What do you picture when I say Revolutionary War soldier? 
• Take a minute and sketch out your picture. Alternatively, ask students to just share a description with a partner or in small groups.  
• Ask for volunteers to explain their pictures to the class.
• Distribute the Engage: See, Think, Wonder Handout and Engage: Primary Source Images Handout. 
• Allow students to choose one of the images to analyze. Allow them one or two minutes to silently make their own observations without any additional input. 
  • Scaffolding Note: If students struggle to look closely, prompt them by asking the following questions: 
    • What does the source line reveal about this image? 
    • Describe the person/people. Can you see their faces? Clothing? What are they holding? 
    • What is happening? In what types of activities are people engaged? 
    • How does this picture connect to our original question of what a soldier in the Revolutionary War soldier looked like?  
    • Ask students to share some of their observations and questions with a shoulder partner, in small groups, or as a class discussion. 

• Notes for the teacher: 
  • Source 1:  
    • Black soldiers fought for the Patriot cause in every major battle of the Revolutionary War, including the military engagement that began on April 19, 1775 — the battles of Lexington and Concord.  
    • This watercolor image was drawn by a young French sublieutenant named Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVergerr. He sketched a watercolor image of four foot soldiers in his notebook, which shows the eclectic composition of the Patriot army and French alliance.   
    • One of the men is dressed in a fringed shirt, a hatchet in his belt and a flintlock in his hand (frontiersmen) Three of the four wear military dress, including the gold-braided uniforms of the French and the blue and buff worn by Patriot officers and a few of the foot soldiers. One of the uniformed soldiers is Black, a light infantryman of the first Rhode Island Regiment.  
    • The first Rhode Island Regiment was created on February 14, 1778 by the Rhode Island Assembly. It a “every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave in this state to enlist into either of the Continental Battalions being raised.” The regiment was present at Yorktown, when DeVergerr created this image.
  • Source 2: 
    • This portrait shows James Armistead Lafayette, a man who served as a double agent in the Revolutionary War. This was painted 41 years after the war ended. 
    • Born enslaved, James Armistead volunteered to join the Patriot army in 1781 with his owner’s consent. Armistead served as a spy for Marquis de Lafayette, and was instrumental in reporting troop movements that helped secure the Patriot victory at the Battle of Yorktown. 

Explore

• Transition to the James Armistead Lafayette and Courage Narrative. Students will learn and analyze the story of James Armistead Lafayette and his life of courage.  
• Scaffolding Note: It may be helpful to instruct students to do a close reading of the text. Close reading asks students to read and reread a text purposefully to ensure students understand and make connections. For more detailed instructions on how to use close reading in your classroom, use these directions. Additional reading strategies are provided for other options that may meet your students’ needs.  
• Essential Vocabulary:   
  • Courage: The ability to take constructive action in the face of fear or danger. To stand firm as a person of character and do what is right, especially when it is unpopular or puts one at risk.
  • Seamstresses: A woman who makes clothing.
  • Inconspicuously: Not attracting attention.
  • Infamous: Having a reputation for bad reasons. 
  • Couriers: People who deliver messages.
• Transition to the analysis questions. Have students work individually, with partners, or as a whole class to answer the analysis questions.  
• Scaffolding Note: If there are questions that are not necessary to your students’ learning or time restraints, then you can remove those questions.  
• Analysis Questions:  
  • What were some ways that Blacks contributed during the Revolutionary War? 
  • Why was James Armistead Lafayette effective as a double agent? 
  • Why did serving as a spy require an especially large amount of courage? 
  • If Armistead had fled from his owner and joined the British, he would have been guaranteed his freedom. Why do you think he risked his life and potentially remaining a slave after the war to serve on the side of the Patriots? 
  • Why was Armistead not given his freedom after the war along with other enslaved individuals who served as soldiers for the Patriots? Why was this an injustice? 
  • Cowardice is the opposite of courage and may be defined as, “Failing to take constructive action in the face of fear or danger.” How can knowing the definition of cowardice help us better understand and exhibit the virtue of courage?

Assess & Reflect

Virtue in Action  

• Have students respond to the following prompt: 
  • Despite his service and courage on behalf of the Patriot cause, James Armistead Lafayette was not granted his freedom until 1786. What is a worthy goal that you have that will likely take time to achieve? How can you remind yourself to have courage and persist in achieving your goal? How can you enlist the help of others to help you achieve your goal?  

AND/OR

Courage Journal Activity  

• Have students self-reflect and answer the following prompt in their journal: 
  • One doesn’t need to be a soldier or a spy to be courageous. Brainstorm ways you can act courageously in your daily life and make a list. Consider the potential negatives you may face by acting courageously and explain why you ultimately think it is worth doing so.

Extend

Sources & Further Reading  

• Explore the following list for additional sources and further reading on James Armistead Lafayette.  
  • Berlin, Ira. The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2015.  
  • Burke Davis, Black Heroes of the American Revolution (New York: Clarion Press, 1992). 
  • Egerton, Douglas. Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.  
  • Kolchin, Peter. American Slavery, 1619-1877. New York: Hill and Wang, 1993.  
  • Nash, Gary B. The Forgotten Fifth: African Americans in the Age of Revolution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006.  
  • Quarles, Benjamin. The Negro in the American Revolution. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996.  
  • Wilentz, Sean. No Property in Man: Slavery and Anti-Slavery at the Nation’s Founding. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2019.  
  • Williams, Heather Andrea. American Slavery: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.  
  • American Battlefield Trust. “James Armistead Lafayette.” https://bit.ly/43MvE96 

Virtue Across the Curriculum  

• Below are corresponding literature suggestions to help you teach about courage across the curriculum. Sample prompts have been provided for the key corresponding works. For the other suggested works, or others that are already part of your curriculum, create your own similar prompts.    
  • Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution by Gretchen Woelfle, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie   
    • This book targeted for ages 9-12 tells the stories of thirteen individuals (including James Armistead Lafayette) during the time of the American Revolution). What paths were open to African Americans during the American Revolution? How did each require courage? Which character’s courage resonated most strongly with you?  
  • Selma (2014) directed by Ava DuVernay 
    • “Selma” tells the story of the nonviolent march from Selma, to Montgomery Alabama in 1965, at the height of the civil rights movement. Which character’s courage resonates the most with you after viewing this film? Note: This film is rated PG-13 for scenes of violence and language.  
  • Hidden Figures (2016) directed by Theodore Melfi. 
    • “Hidden Figures” tells the story of a team of female Black American mathematicians working for NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. What challenges did these women face? Did they have any allies in overcoming their challenges?  How did these women display courage in their work for NASA? 
  • Glory (1989) directed by Edward Zwick
    • “Glory” is a historical war drama that tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. How do the soldiers in this regiment display courage? How does their courage compare with that of James Armistead Lafayette’s? Consider the men’s willingness to fight for a country founded upon ideals of equality, yet one that allowed slavery, Note: This film is rated R for images of war violence.