Communication Aboard USS Constitution
Students view and discuss four objects that were used for communicating on USS Constitution.
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These informal activities offer accessible ways to engage students in War of 1812 content.
Students view and discuss four objects that were used for communicating on USS Constitution.
Make an 1812 officer’s hat out of paper and view an original hat that belonged to a USS Constitution midshipmen.
A ship’s bell played a crucial role for timekeeping on board a ship and was rung every half hour to mark the passage of time in each four-hour watch (shift). Students view two actual bells associated with the USS Constitution.
Compare a ration for a United States Navy sailor during the War of 1812 to a modern combat ration. Compare the number of calories required to sustain their health.
Students discuss the symbols on a silver urn given to Captain Issac Hull from the citizens of Philadelphia in 1812.
USS Constitution emerged from the War of 1812 as a national symbol, much as we think of the Statue of Liberty or the Liberty Bell today. Artists have long depicted the ship with that legacy in mind. Share these paintings of Constitution and discuss with your students the artist’s point of view. How have they represented the ship? Would the British have the same point of view?
View an 1812 poem/song set to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” that celebrates USS Constitution’s victory over HMS Guerriere. Students then write their own lyrics to the same tune.
A sample list of early 19th century rules from the United States Navy.
Make hot chocolate as a sailor would have made it in the early 1800s, using a primary source recipe.
Use this crossword puzzle to learn vocabulary related to naval medicine in the 19th century.
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