The Firebrands of the American Revolution
Can you guess what a firebrand is? Firebrands were very useful when people didn’t have
matches and the only heat in a house came from the fireplace. You have probably figured it out.
A firebrand is a stick of wood with a spark of fire at one end. Now, if you look in the dictionary
you will see another meaning for firebrand. A firebrand can be a hothead: someone who
sparks a revolution, someone who lights a fire in people’s minds and hearts. Historians say
the American Revolution had many firebrands. That war of independence might have happened
without them, but it certainly would have been different.
For this project you will research one of the many firebrands from the American Revolution.
My Firebrand’s name is: _____________________________________________________
Part One: Wanted Poster
Due Date: _________________
Once the Declaration of Independence was written and signed, many of these firebrands would
have been considered traitors by the British. For the first part of your project, you will be
making a "Wanted" poster for your firebrand. Your poster will be 25% of your final grade.
You need to include the following information on your poster:
1. Name of your firebrand
2. Wanted for (Put the reasons in here; these should be specific to this person. What did they actually
contribute to the Revolution? This is the main part of your poster!)
3. Approximate age during the 1770's
4. Place they were born and where they currently reside
5. Photo of firebrand
6. The reward for their capture
7. Contact information if person is found (this is where you will be putting YOUR name on your poster)
8. Vary your font size type based on titles, and other information
9. Poster needs to be visually appealing and take up an entire sheet of white copy paper
Part Two: Informative Essay
Due Date: _________________
An informative essay is a piece of writing that is intended to educate the reader on a particular
topic. As such, an informative essay excludes all opinion and gives only factual information on
the topic of study or discussion. Who is your firebrand? To answer this question you will be
writing a three paragraph informative essay about your firebrand’s life, impact on the American
Revolution, and lasting legacy in American History. Your final essay will be typed in Google
Docs and submitted through Google Classroom. Your essay will be 75% of your final grade.
Your essay will need to include the following information:
1. Essay Elements:
 Heading (top right hand corner): name, date, block
 Title (centered, bold)
 Typed in Google Docs (Arial, 12 point font, double spaced)
 Submitted in Google Classroom
2. Three Paragraphs:
 First Paragraph: Early Years
1. Date of birth/ location
2. Family background
3. Educational background
4. Where they lived during the Revolution

Second Paragraph: Contributions
1. Why was this person important to the American Revolution?
2. Contributions to the events leading up to the American Revolution. What specific actions did
they do or events did they participate in?

Third Paragraph: Legacy
1. What happened to this person after the American Revolution?
2. Why is this person considered a Firebrand? What is his legacy today?
3. Date of death/ location
3. In-Text Citations: Since you will be doing a lot of research on your Firebrand, you will need to make sure
that you are citing your sources. You are required to use 3-5 different sources from the approved list and
cite these sources in your essay. See the examples below:

Using a website, you will use the author’s name IF AVAILABLE or the name of the website:
According to Shakespeare.com, William Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway. OR
William Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare.com).

Additional quotes used in your essay:
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” (Confucius, BrainyQuote.com).
The Firebrands of the American Revolution
Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism is defined as the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
Any information or sources you use must be sited in your essay using correct in-text citation. DO NOT
PLAGARIZE! Per the student handbook (page 51) “The act of giving or receiving unauthorized help, including
cheating, plagiarism, and copying, will result in a zero being assigned for the work.”
Please read and sign the following Plagiarism Statement below and return to your
teacher:
Plagiarism is against the policies of Oak Grove and Lamar County Schools, and I am aware that
if I plagiarize any part of my Firebrands project; I will receive a zero.
Student Signature _______________________________________
Date __________
Parent Signature ________________________________________
Date __________
The following sources have been approved for this assignment. Any sources outside of this
list must be approved by your teacher, or they will not be accepted.
American History textbook
Any readings that we complete in class
http://www.ushistory.org
http://www.johnhancock.org
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies
http://www.history.com
http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/people.aspx
http://www.redhill.org/biography.html
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/index.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/us-history/
http://www.pbs.org
http://paulreverehouse.org/
http://www.biography.com/
http://millercenter.org/president
http://mountvernon.org
http://www.drjosephwarren.com/
http://www.britannica.com/
http://josephwarren.com/
http://www.samueladams.net
WANTED POSTER
Neatness and overall appeal:
0
1
3
5
Poster is typed or neatly written in ink. The poster takes up an entire sheet of copy
paper and is colorful.
Content:
The poster includes the name of the firebrand, date and place of birth, approximate
age, where they currently reside, and reason why they are wanted.
Accuracy:
The information about the firebrand is accurate.
0
1
3
5
0
1
3
5
0
1
3
5
0
1
3
5
Poster elements:
Picture of firebrand, award amount, WANTED is in large font on the top of poster,
contact information is included (this is your name).
Conventions:
The poster contains NO errors in spelling, punctuation, or sentence structure.
_____/25
TOTAL
INFORMATIVE ESSAY
First paragraph includes:
1. Date of birth/ location
2. Family background
3. Education
4. Where they lived during
5. the Revolution
0
3
5
10
0
3
5
10
0
3
5
10
0
3
5
10
0
3
5
10
0
3
5
10
0
3
5
10
0
1
3
5
Second paragraph includes:
1. Why was this person important?
2. Contributions to the events leading up to the American Revolution. What specific
actions did they do or events did they participate in?
Third paragraph includes:
1. What happened to this person after the American Revolution?
2. Why is this person considered a Firebrand?
3. Date of death/ location
Accuracy:
The information about the firebrand is accurate.
In-Text Citations:
Essay includes 3-5 sources that are correctly cited in the text.
Spelling/ Grammar:
Essay has no more than two errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage.
Paragraph/ Sentence Fluency:
In paragraph form with no fragments or run-ons/ Sentence structure is varied.
Essay elements:
Submitted in Google Classroom (Arial, 12 pt font, double spaced), heading, title
TOTAL
Wanted Poster
Informative Essay
_______
_______
Combined Score
_______/ 100
Comments:
Informative Essay Research
____/75
Name _________________________________________ Class ________________ Date _______________
Use the following sheet to complete your research on your Firebrand for your informative essay. Be sure to note
where your information came from as you research! Remember that you must rewrite everything in your own
words. Your completed research will be a daily grade due prior to your final informative essay.
Name of Firebrand:
_________________________________________________________________________
Research
FIRST Paragraph: Early Years
1. Date of birth/location:
2. Family Background (where are his/her parents from? names?):
3. Education:
4. Where they lived prior to the Revolution:
5. Any other additional information about his/her early years:
SECOND Paragraph: Contributions
1. Why was this person important?
2. Was this person a member of any protest group against the king?
Where did you find this
information? List the
sources that you used.
3. Contributions to the events leading up to the American Revolution.
What specific actions did they do or events did they participate in?
4. Any other additional information about his/her contributions to the
American Revolution:
THIRD Paragraph: Legacy
1. What happened to this person after the American Revolution?
2. Did this person do anything else to make them important to
American History?
3. Why is this person considered a Firebrand?
4. Date of death/location: