Essential Understandings:  As England expanded control over the American colonies, many colonists became dissatisfied and rebellious. 

Essential Questions:  What steps did England take to increase control over its colonies?

                                Why did many colonists become dissatisfied with England's control over the colonies?

Essential Knowledge:

*  England had reasons to control the colonies:

     1.  England wanted to remain a world power

     2.  England imposed taxes such as the Stamp Act, to raise money to pay the cost of the French and Indian War.

 *  Why England wanted to tax the colonies:

     1.  To help finance the French and Indian War

     2.  To help maintain the English troops in the colonies

*  Sources that made the colonists dissatisfied:

    1.  Colonies had no representation in Parliament

    2.  Some colonists resented the power of the colonial governors.

     3.  England wanted to have strict control over the colonial legislatures

    4.  The colonies opposed the taxes from England

    5.  The Proclamation of 1763 hampered the settlers ability to move west beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

            King George III  "I need money.  Colonies owe England"

                    The Stamp Act              

The act was being imposed to help pay for the French and Indian war.

When the colonies received word of this they were very angry.

   n the fall of 1763, a royal decree was issued that prohibited the North American colonists from establishing or maintaining settlements west of an imaginary line running down the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. The proclamation acknowledged that Native Americans owned the lands on which they were then residing and white settlers in the area were to be removed.

The reaction of colonial land speculators and frontiersmen was immediate and understandably negative. From their perspective, risking their lives in the recent war had been rewarded by the creation of a vast restricted native reserve in the lands they coveted. Most concluded that the proclamation was only a temporary measure and a number ignored it entirely and moved into the prohibited area.

Almost from its inception, the proclamation was modified to suit the needs of influential people with interests in the American West. This included many high British officials as well as colonial leaders.

   In this simulation, students will develop an understanding of taxation during the early stages of the American Revolution.  As they interact with the King of England, the tax collector and Parliament, they begin to feel the frustration that the colonists experienced being taxed on necessary items while they had no say about  the issue in Parliament.

Directions: 

* Prior to the activity, write each of the following words on index cards (one per card).  You can vary the items listed based on your classroom.  If you have several students who wear glasses, include the item.  If you have school uniforms, you may want to direct the list to unique aspects such as shoes, hair clips, etc.  Some suggestions include:  jeans, glasses, jewelry, hair ribbons or clips, pens, shoes with ties, shoes with velcro, white socks, black socks, T-shirt, sweater, red pencil box, blue pencil box, a key, notebook, etc.

*  Give 10 pieces of candy like Skittles or M & Ms to each student.  They are not allowed to eat the candy until after the activity is completed.  Appoint three students to the following roles:  1) the King of England, 2) the tax collector, and 3) Parliament.  Students must pay the tax collector 1 piece of candy for an item that is on the list to be taxed.

*  The tax collector calls the item from each card, one at a time.  If the student has the item, they pay the tax collector one piece of candy.  Continue through the list of cards.  At the end, the tax collector counts the candy collected.  He/She will give 50 percent to the representative for Parliament.  The tax collector keeps 10 percent.  The King receives 40 percent of the taxes. 

*  You will not have to wait until the end of this simulation to see students getting upset and yelling, "no fair."  However, have them reflect in a small group listing their complaints and why they feel this is an unfair situation.  Then, ask them to come up with a solution to this problem.

*  Connect to present system of taxation:  Relate the experience to shopping for back to school items.  When you pay for your items, a tax is added to the sale price of your purchase.  Ask students to explain how this form of taxation is different than the one imposed on the colonists in England.

                                         Parliament, London, England

        Colonial woman who is not happy with the tax collector

      (1763)

     (1764)

     (1765)

      (1765)

        (1767)

(1770)

How Our Nation was Born the American Revolution

Essential Understandings:  

*  New political ideas led to a desire for independence and democratic government in the American colonies.

* The Declaration of Independence proclaimed independence from England.  It stated that people have the natural (inherent)  rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Essential Questions:

*  What ideas/philosophies about government were expressed  in the Declaration of Independence?

Essential Knowledge:

  1.  Ideas of John Locke:

*  People have the natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

* Government is created to protect the rights of people and has only the limited and specific powers the people  consent to give it.

   2.  Key philosophies in the Declaration of Independence:

*  People have "certain unalienable rights" (rights that cannot be taken away), life liberty, the pursuit of happiness.

*  People establish government to protect those rights.

*  Government derives power form the people

*  People have a right and duty to change a government that violates their rights.

   important details to remember

Essential Knowledge:  Many individuals played important roles in shaping the events of the American Revolution.

Essential Questions:

*  Who were some of the key individuals in the Revolutionary War?

*  What role did key individuals play in the Revolutionary War?

*  What were some of the key events that occurred during the Revolutionary War?

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE:

1  Key Individuals

* King George III- British King during the Revolutionary Era

* Lord Cornwallis- British general who surrendered at Yorktown.

*  John Adams - Lawyer, Son of Liberty from Massachusetts; defended the British soldiers and Captain Prescott after the Boston Massacre; championed the cause of independence, attended First and Second Continental Congress; cousin of Sam Adams.

*  George Washington - Virginian, Commander of the Continental Army; attended Second Continental Congress.

*  Thomas Jefferson - Virginian, major author of the Declaration of Independence; attended Second Continental Congress.

*  Patrick Henry - Virginian, outspoken member and orator in the House of Burgesses; inspired colonial patriotism with his speech, "Give me liberty, or give me death." 

*  Benjamin Franklin - Philadelphia, prominent member of the Continental Congress; helped frame the Declaration of Independence; son was a loyalist and royal governor of New Jersey; intercepted Governor Hutchinson's letters while he was in London.  He was a successful writer, inventor, painter, and scientist.  He established a library, hospital, college and fire department in Philadelphia.  He was a representative of the colonies in England (1757-1775) to try to persuade the Parliament from making laws in the colonies that were unfair.  He believed that England would never stop treating the colonists as second class citizens and would impose more unfair laws.  

*  Thomas Paine- Journalist and author of COMMON SENSE, a pamphlet read by numerous colonists; written in simple language that called for independence and a break with England.  People have the right to govern themselves.

*  Phillis Wheatly - a former slave who wrote poems and plays supporting American Independence.

* Paul Revere, Massachusetts, rode with Dawes on the famous night in Boston to warn the people of the British coming.  A silversmith and member of the Sons of Liberty.  

* Mercy Otis Warren - a woman, Patriot writer from Massachusetts.  She wrote poems and plays supporting independence.  She held meetings in her home where Patriots discussed ideas.  She stated that Britain's laws and taxes wereunfair to all, especially families.  Colonists would be better off with their own government.  WOMEN SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO TAKE PART IN POLITICS AHD HAVE MORE RIGHTS IN AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY FROM ENGLAND.  Alexander Hamilton supported her ideas and the belief that women should have an education and are intelligent beings.

KEY EVENTS:

*  Boston Massacre:  Colonists in Boston were shot after teasing the British guard at the Customs House.  A fight began with snowballs being tossed; British soldiers arrived and someone yelled "FIRE".  There were injuries and deaths as a result.  The colonists were upset with the constant harassment of the British troops in Boston and the unfair Acts imposed by Parliament.

* Boston Tea Party - Samuel Adams and Paul Revere led Patriots from the Sons of Liberty in throwing tea into the Boston Harbor to protest the taxes on tea.  Governor Hutchinson refused to have the tea unloaded and the Patriots, dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded the ships and threw the tea into the Harbor.  

* First Continental Congress: Delegates from all of the colonies except George attended a meeting in Philadelphia.  They met to discuss the problems with England and King George III insistence on the unfair laws and Townshend Acts (punishment for the Tea Party).  Many wanted to still have peace with England and created the Suffolk Resolves which the King ignored.

* Battle of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts - The site of the first armed conflict of the Revolutionary War.  Pitcairn, a general for the British, killed.  Paul Revere and William Dawes rode that night before the event, warning that the British were coming.  Militia men from each village were there to surprise the British.  Many were killed on both sides but this event demonstrated the determination of the colonies to stand up for their rights.

* Approval of the Declaration of Independence - colonies declared independence from Britain on July 4, 1776).  The Declaration was signed before that date but approved on the July 4th date.

*  Battle of Saratoga - A victory for Washington and the Continental Army; the turning point in the war; French allies joined in the cause.  The battle showed that the colonists could beat the British.  Spain also joined the cause to help the colonists.  

*  Surrender at Yorktown, Virginia -  1781,The colonial victory over forces of Lord Cornwallis that marked the end of the Revolutionary War.  French ships cut off the British supply ships on the Virginia coast.  The Continentals and French trapped the British for over a week.  The British surrendered.  

*  Peace Treaty of Paris:  England recognized American independence in this treaty.  Although the war was over, British ships still attacked American ships.  The British were still occupying New York, Charleston, and Savannah.  In Sept, 1783, the Treaty gave America a huge amount of land east of the Mississippi River.

         Key Individuals 

        Read more click to read more about some famous people of the Revolution

     Matching Page

       Flash cards set 2