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Discipline & Flogging in the Navy
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With older students, debate and discuss the history of corporal punishment. Define corporal punishment, that which is physical in nature, and discuss examples that students may have heard about regarding corporal punishment. |
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Fill-in-the-Blank Sailor Stories
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Use these fun fill-in-the-blank stories to have students include their own nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. Take it further and have students create their own fill-in-the-blank tall tale, and exchange with a classmate to fill them out. |
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Creative Writing: Sending the Message Home
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First: Ask students to discuss how people back home would know if a loved one had died at sea. Letters from across the sea were sent to family and friends on a fairly regular basis, and newspaper reports often detailed losses at sea. Next: Read the primary source and encourage students to write either 1) a letter telling someone that a family member has died or, 2) a newspaper obituary that details the life of a sailor who died. A selection of sailor biographies to choose from can be found by selecting Sailor’s Stories in the Search feature. |
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Cooking Activity: Sailor Snack Time
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Enjoy a sailor’s treat with your students. Try a recent adaptation of duff, a sailor’s pudding originally made with suet and flour. You can also try an 1812-period recipe for hot chocolate. |
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Political Posteriors: Analyzing Primary Sources
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View these primary source cartoons from the Library of Congress (“Columbia Teaching John Bull his New Lesson” and “A Boxing Match, or Another Bloody Nose for John Bull”) with students. What is the purpose behind a political cartoon? What is the purpose of these particular cartoons during the War of 1812? Are there any political cartoons that are published today? Scour local or national newspapers with your students for something similar, and learn about current events through the vehicle of political cartoons. |
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Artwork depicting the battle between USS Constitution and HMS Java
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This series of four prints depicts dramatic moments in the battle between USS Constitution and HMS Java on December 29, 1812. The hand-colored restrike prints were made in the 20th century from a set of plates originally drawn and etched by artist Nicholas Pocock (1740 – 1821) in 1814, and engraved by Robert and Daniel Havell. |
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Original letter from Royal Navy Captain John Marshall to William Phillips describing HMS
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This original letter and transcription, from Captain John Marshall of the British Royal Navy to William Phillips in London, describes USS Constitution‘s battle with the HMS Java from the British point of view. |
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Original letter from Commodore William Bainbridge to George Harrison regarding his medal, dated October 28, 1817, with transcription
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This original letter and transcription, from Commodore William Bainbridge to Navy Agent George Harrison, discusses a medal Bainbridge received in honor of his victory over HMS Java. Bainbridge was dissatisfied with the design on the reverse, and wrote to Harrison asking that changes be made to the image showing HMS Java‘s flag flying. He asked that the flag instead be shown lowered to indicate the British ship has surrendered. What does the flying of Java‘s flag symbolize to Bainbridge and why would he want to change it? |
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Constitution & Guerriere, by George Ropes, Jr.
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In 1813, artist George Ropes, Jr. created a series of four oil paintings depicting USS Constitution‘s battle with HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. |
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Feeding 480 Mouths: Math Aboard Ship
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USS Constitution‘s cook had to do a lot of math to feed 480 hungry men. Ask students to use their math skills to scale the serving sizes found in the recipes for Ship’s Biscuit, Sailors Duff, and Hot Chocolate to serve meals for 480 people! One serving size equals enough for one sailor. Encourage students to use multiplication, conversions, and fractions to make enough food for everyone aboard Constitution in 1812. How much of each ingredient will you need? Find out more about Constitution‘s cook on the Ranks + Rates page. |
