Help Wanted 1776
The year is 1776...
The air is thick with the scent of woodsmoke and revolution. Tacked to the tavern door in the center of town are three broadsides, urgent calls for individuals with rare courage, steady hands, and unshakeable integrity.
But these aren't just names from a dusty textbook. These are the archetypes of the students currently sitting in your classroom. Your Task: Review the three 'Help Wanted' postings. Select the recruit you would 'hire' based on the strengths you see in your own students. Choose wisely, the future of the colonies depends on it.
Before you begin,
- Consider: What roles do we assume children usually occupy (or do not occupy) in history?
- Consider: How do young people today become politically or civically active? How might they have before the Revolution?
Seeking a Sapper & Scribe
Seeking a Powder Boy
Seeking a Night Rider
Your Task: Review the three 'Help Wanted' postings. Select the recruit you would 'hire' based on the strengths you see in your own students. Choose wisely, the future of the colonies depends on it.
WANTED: A MARINER OF SMALL STATURE & LARGE COURAGE Seeking a Powder Boy: One agile person of slight build to serve aboard a Privateer. Must possess the speed of a gale to ferry gunpowder from the hold to the gun deck amidst the smoke and thunder of naval combat. Ability to remain calm while the very wood splinters around you is essential. A share of the prize gold awaits the brave.
IDENTITY: JAMES FORTEN (AGE 14)
A free Black teenager from Philadelphia, Forten served as a "powder boy" on the Royal Louis. When captured, he refused an offer to go to England in comfort, declaring he would not be a traitor to his country. He spent months on a brutal prison ship rather than abandon his principles.
K-12 Connection
Which of your students possesses this level of unshakeable integrity?
Meet Young James Forten
Learn more about James Forten
WANTED: AN EXPERT RIDER FOR AN URGENT EXPRESS Seeking a Night Rider: A rider of singular endurance for a journey of 40 miles through the dark of night and torrential rains. You must navigate the winding paths of Putnam County to rouse the militia before the King’s men reduce Danbury to ash. Silence and speed are your only allies. The safety of the colony rests in your saddlebags.
IDENTITY: SYBIL LUDINGTON (AGE 16)
Known as the "Female Paul Revere," Sybil rode twice the distance Paul did, navigating a storm to alert 400 militiamen. She finished her ride at dawn, successful in her mission, yet her name remained largely absent from the poems of history.
K-12 Connection
Who are your quiet leaders, those who do the heavy lifting without needing the spotlight?
Meet Young Sybil Ludington
Learn more about Sybil Ludington
WANTED: A STEADY HAND FOR DANGEROUS EARTHWORKS Seeking a Sapper & Scribe: A disciplined youth of iron nerves to join the Corps of Sappers & Miners. You must be willing to work in the dead of night, digging trenches and building fortifications under the very nose of the enemy's cannons. You will be the first into the breach and the last to leave the field. A sharp eye for detail and a back made for toil are essential.
JOSEPH PLUMB MARTIN (AGE 15)
While Martin served a grueling seven years as a Sapper building the very trenches at Yorktown that won the war his greatest contribution came decades later. In 1830, he published his Revolutionary War memoirs, providing the most vivid, "boots-on-the-ground" account of the conflict ever written. He didn't write about generals and maps; he wrote about the hunger, the cold, and the grit of the common soldier
K-12 Connection
Who are the students who build the foundation? The ones whonotice the small, vital details that everyone else misses?
Meet Young Joseph Plumb Martin
Learn more about Joseph Plumb Martin
Help Wanted 1776
DFI
Created on April 21, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Essential Business Proposal
View
Project Roadmap Timeline
View
Step-by-Step Timeline: How to Develop an Idea
View
Artificial Intelligence History Timeline
View
Mobile Phone Call
View
Momentum: Tools Tutorial
View
Momentum: Onboarding Video
Explore all templates
Transcript
Help Wanted 1776
The year is 1776...
The air is thick with the scent of woodsmoke and revolution. Tacked to the tavern door in the center of town are three broadsides, urgent calls for individuals with rare courage, steady hands, and unshakeable integrity. But these aren't just names from a dusty textbook. These are the archetypes of the students currently sitting in your classroom. Your Task: Review the three 'Help Wanted' postings. Select the recruit you would 'hire' based on the strengths you see in your own students. Choose wisely, the future of the colonies depends on it.
Before you begin,
Seeking a Sapper & Scribe
Seeking a Powder Boy
Seeking a Night Rider
Your Task: Review the three 'Help Wanted' postings. Select the recruit you would 'hire' based on the strengths you see in your own students. Choose wisely, the future of the colonies depends on it.
WANTED: A MARINER OF SMALL STATURE & LARGE COURAGE Seeking a Powder Boy: One agile person of slight build to serve aboard a Privateer. Must possess the speed of a gale to ferry gunpowder from the hold to the gun deck amidst the smoke and thunder of naval combat. Ability to remain calm while the very wood splinters around you is essential. A share of the prize gold awaits the brave.
IDENTITY: JAMES FORTEN (AGE 14)
A free Black teenager from Philadelphia, Forten served as a "powder boy" on the Royal Louis. When captured, he refused an offer to go to England in comfort, declaring he would not be a traitor to his country. He spent months on a brutal prison ship rather than abandon his principles.
K-12 Connection
Which of your students possesses this level of unshakeable integrity?
Meet Young James Forten
Learn more about James Forten
WANTED: AN EXPERT RIDER FOR AN URGENT EXPRESS Seeking a Night Rider: A rider of singular endurance for a journey of 40 miles through the dark of night and torrential rains. You must navigate the winding paths of Putnam County to rouse the militia before the King’s men reduce Danbury to ash. Silence and speed are your only allies. The safety of the colony rests in your saddlebags.
IDENTITY: SYBIL LUDINGTON (AGE 16)
Known as the "Female Paul Revere," Sybil rode twice the distance Paul did, navigating a storm to alert 400 militiamen. She finished her ride at dawn, successful in her mission, yet her name remained largely absent from the poems of history.
K-12 Connection
Who are your quiet leaders, those who do the heavy lifting without needing the spotlight?
Meet Young Sybil Ludington
Learn more about Sybil Ludington
WANTED: A STEADY HAND FOR DANGEROUS EARTHWORKS Seeking a Sapper & Scribe: A disciplined youth of iron nerves to join the Corps of Sappers & Miners. You must be willing to work in the dead of night, digging trenches and building fortifications under the very nose of the enemy's cannons. You will be the first into the breach and the last to leave the field. A sharp eye for detail and a back made for toil are essential.
JOSEPH PLUMB MARTIN (AGE 15)
While Martin served a grueling seven years as a Sapper building the very trenches at Yorktown that won the war his greatest contribution came decades later. In 1830, he published his Revolutionary War memoirs, providing the most vivid, "boots-on-the-ground" account of the conflict ever written. He didn't write about generals and maps; he wrote about the hunger, the cold, and the grit of the common soldier
K-12 Connection
Who are the students who build the foundation? The ones whonotice the small, vital details that everyone else misses?
Meet Young Joseph Plumb Martin
Learn more about Joseph Plumb Martin