U. S. History – The Americans

Fall, 2002

Unit Subtopics:

Ø                Chronology of events from 1607 through the early 1770’s.

Ø                Colonial and regional diversity.

Ø                Family, community and society in the colonies.

Ø                The economic and demographic development in the colonies.

Ø                The Stamp Act Crisis.

Ø                Colonial resistance and the Boston Massacre.

Ø                The Tea Act, the Intolerable Acts, and the attempts at compromise.

Essential Concepts:

Ø                Colonization

Ø                Thirteen Colonies

Ø                Imperialism

Ø                Parliamentary Taxation

Ø                Representation

Ø                Direct Taxation

Ø                The Stamp Act

Ø                Indirect Taxation

Ø                The Quartering Act

Ø                British Empire

Ø                House of Commons

Ø                House of Lords

Ø                Revenue

Ø                The Townshend Revenue Act

Ø                Vice-Admiralty System

Ø                Imperial Regulation

Ø                The Intolerable Acts

Ø                Standing Army

Ø                Sons of Liberty

Ø                Constitutionality

Essential Questions:

1.  What was life like in the American colonies in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century in regards to economics, politics, and social structure?

2.      What roles did the British Empire play during this time period?

3.      How did the British Empire justify the taxation of the American colonies?

4.     What led to the escalation of hostility between the British Empire and the colonies?

5.      What were some of the major grievances that the colonies had against the British Empire?

6.      Did the British Empire have a right to tax the colonies?

7.      Were the colonies right in retaliating against the British Empire?

Students’ Prior Knowledge:

Ø    Since this unit will focus on how Americans lived during the colonial period, students will need to draw from their experiences of this time period in freshman world studies.

Ø     Students will need to know how Europeans had lived during this period, and examine the reasons why colonists had moved to the Americas.

Ø     This unit will also discuss the constitutionality of taxation, so students will be able to reflect on their own experiences with taxes, whether its sales taxes or employment taxes.  Students will then need to differentiate between taxation without representation, taxation through virtual representation, and taxation through actual/elected representation.

Sample Lesson Plans:

Lesson I          The Stamp Act Crisis

Goal:   

To understand the content of the Stamp Act and the effect it had on the American colonies.

Objectives:

1.     Students will list the arguments for and against British taxation of the American colonies.

2.     Students will differentiate between taxation with virtual representation and with actual representation.

Class Days:      2

                        Materials:

The Sugar Act, The Stamp Act and The Quartering Act, “Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies” by Daniel Dulany, “The Regulations Lately Made” by Thomas Whately, NARA document analysis worksheets

Activities:

a)      Lecture on the British financial and economic situation prior to the Sugar, Stamp and Quartering Acts, and the relationship to mercantilism (social science concepts).

b)      Students will examine The Sugar Act, The Stamp Act or The Quartering Act in small groups and complete a NARA document analysis sheet.  Afterwards, these small groups will share their analysis of the documents and demonstrate their understanding to the rest of the class (primary source document & inquiry activity).

c)      Students will read “Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies” or “The Regulations Lately Made” in prearranged small groups.  These groups will then argue for or against British taxation on the colonies, based on which document was assigned (primary source document & inquiry activity).

d)      Brief lecture on British legislation before the American Revolution and the reaction of the American colonies.

Evaluation:

            Students will demonstrate their understanding of the Stamp Act Crisis by creating a list of arguments stating why the British Empire should and should not tax the American colonies.  Students must address both sides of the situation whether they were in the group that read “Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies” or “The Regulations Lately Made.”  In their debate and discussion, the teacher will check for understanding in the students of the differences between actual and virtual representation.

Lesson II        Colonial resistance and the Boston Massacre

Goal:

            To understand the causes of colonial resistance and the consequent British reaction.

Objectives:

1.  Students will explore what it was like to live in the American colonies immediately before the Revolution.

2.      Students will determine cause and effect of the Boston Massacre.

Class Days:       2

Materials:

            The Speeches of Our Founding Fathers & The American Revolution (MPI Video, 1997), copies of “The Bloody Massacre” by Paul Revere.

Activities:

a)     Class will begin with students watching the first twenty minutes of the video The Speeches of Our Founding Fathers & The American Revolution.  Meanwhile, students will take notes on what were some of the main complaints of the colonists, what important ideas and concepts were included in the speeches, and what were some of the students’ initial reactions (audio-visual).

b)      After watching the video, the students will be asked to write a page about what it would be like to live during colonial times during the 1760’s and early 1770’s, based on what they saw in the video and their notes.  They could write it in the first person as if they were members of the colonial resistance or in the third person as social anthropologists (writing activity & social science concepts).

c)   Lecture given on colonial resistance and American intransigence, ultimately leading to the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.

d)    Students will each get a copy of “The Bloody Massacre” and analyze the content of the painting.  Possible questions to ask students:

1.       Do you think the painting was by an American colonist or a British soldier?

2.       Does the painting show any bias?

3.       Why do you think the painting was made?

4.     Who was Paul Revere?  What was his occupation?  What were some of his contributions to the revolution?

5.  What do you think would be some of the consequences of the Boston Massacre?  Colonial uprising?  British dominance?

Evaluation:

            Students will elaborate on their earlier video writing activity, this time as a colonist or an anthropologist after the Boston Massacre.  They could write a letter to a family member or friend and describe what happened and why, or they could describe it from the point of view of the British.  They can be as creative as they want, so long as they stay focused on colonial resistance and the cause and effect of the Boston Massacre.  (They could even plan a revolt with fellow revolutionaries, if they think it was possible at the time).

Lesson III       The Tea Act, the Intolerable Acts, and the attempts at compromise

Goal:

            To understand the direct causes that catapulted the colonies into revolution by using computers and the Internet.

Objectives:

1.     Students will research and analyze the two major British legislation issued prior to the American Revolution.

2.      Students will demonstrate their ability to use basic functions of computers and the Internet.

Class Days:      2

Materials:

            Copies of The Tea Act and The Intolerable Acts

Activities:

a)      Students will be trained how to use computers and the Internet in the computer lab, and they will bring to class the next day a printed copy of The Tea Act and The Intolerable Acts that they will need to find and download from the Internet.  They should also have read it before coming to class (Technology-based homework assignment).

b)      Students will discuss their experience on the computer and the Internet, as well as other historical documents that they found on the Internet that will help them in future projects.

c)      The class will discuss as a whole what they found to be disturbing or interesting in these two pieces of legislation.

d)      Lecture on the specifics of these two laws, what it means to be under British rule, and how legislation is made in Britain and in the United States (political science concepts).

Evaluation:

            Students will use Microsoft Word ’98 or XP and write about their experiences in this assignment in using computers and the Internet, what they learned in this activity about the technology, the Tea Act, and the Intolerable Acts.  Then they will have to send their papers to me as an attachment of an email.

Unit Assessment:

Culminating Assignment:                  

            Students will analyze and list the similarities and differences between the American colonies and the British Empire using a diagram, chart, or table structure of their choice.  The project is to be written/drawn/printed on a white, 8 ½” X 11”, medium card stock (approximately 65 lb.) sheet of paper.  Students must come up with at least 7 similarities or differences.  Creativity is encouraged.

Test 1:                                                   

            Seven key terms from the essential concepts list will be given, and students will need to define and give the significance of four of their choice.  The seven key terms will be as follows:  (5 points each)

1.        Virtual Representation

2.        The Townshend Revenue Act

3.        House of Commons

4.        The Intolerable Acts

5.        Standing Army

6.        Vice-Admiralty System

7.        Sons of Liberty

Students will also need to write a short in-class essay addressing the following question:  (30 points)

Based on what you have studied about the relationship between the colonies and the British Empire, was the American Revolution inevitable or avoidable?  Defend your answer based on one of the following areas:  economy, geography, politics, or social system.

To help you answer this, think about:

·            How was the American system of economics linked to that of Great Britain?

·            Were the political systems of the colonies and Great Britain that different before the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution?

·            What kinds of advantages did the British have?  The Americans?

·            Were there tremendous social differences between the Americans and the British?

Standards: Illinois State Goals, Chicago Academic Standards and Chicago Framework Statements:

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