THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE!

Mrs. Janice Rupe

Bishop’s Academy at Most Holy Rosary

jrupe@twcny.rr.com

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

INTRODUCTION: Let’s begin our story in 1763… The French and Indian War, the war between Britain and France, officially ended. Many American colonists willingly fought with the British in this war. Although the British won the war and gained the territory they wanted, the victory came at a huge cost. The British government was in severe debt and believed the American colonists owed them for their protection and should help to pay off the debt.

Beginning in 1765 with the Stamp Act, the British began to impose taxes and exercise more authority over the other American colonists to pay off this debt. The colonists, believing these taxes to be unjust, banded together and protested the taxes. These taxes and other actions on the part of the British set into motion a series of events that led to the Declaration of Independence. The colonists have finally reached the point where they feel it is necessary to overthrow British rule and govern themselves. The actions of the American colonists will ultimately change the course of history forever!

TASK: You are a journalist living in Boston in the year 1776. No matter where you go, the city is buzzing with talk of Great Britain’s unjust treatment of the colonists. As a journalist for the Boston Gazette, your job is to report on the actions of the British that have caused the American colonists to take the bold and courageous step of declaring their independence from Great Britain. Identify three of the main causes of the colonists’ discontent with British rule. Write a newspaper article describing these events, why you believe that they are unjust, and how they led to the Declaration of Independence. Create a headline for your article that will grab the reader’s attention. Your article will be a minimum of 5 paragraphs and must include an introduction and a conclusion.

Patrick Henry’s famous speech, protesting the Stamp Act of 1765.

Stamp Act Stamp

PROCESS: You will begin by researching the actions of the British and their impact on the American colonists. You will follow the American History Public Policy Analyst (AHPPA) process to help you complete this task. Use the resources listed below to complete the AHPPA worksheets included in each step of the process. When all four of the worksheets are completed, you will write your own newspaper article.

Step 1: Identify the Problem: First, you will identify the problem that the American colonists had with Great Britain. Complete worksheet #1.

Step 2: Gather the Evidence: Your next step is to choose a minimum of at least three sources that provide evidence of the problem between the British and the American colonies. These can be actions on the part of the British and/or the American colonists. Complete worksheet #2.

Step 3: Determining the Causes: What did the British do that caused the problem that you have identified? List a minimum of three actions of the British that ultimately led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Complete worksheet #3.

Step 4: Evaluate the Policy: Your last step is to evaluate the Declaration of Independence, the policy adopted by the colonists to deal with their problems with Great Britain. You will identify the advantages and the disadvantages of the Declaration of Independence. Could they have taken a better course of action? Why or why not? Complete worksheet #4.

RESOURCES: Use the following resources to define the problem, gather the evidence, determine the causes, and evaluate the policy adopted by the colonists. Your newspaper article will be based on the following texts and internet documents.

Textbooks:

Scott Foreman Social Studies: The United States – Chapter 8- The Road to War

United States: Adventures in Time and Place – Chapter 11- Breaking Ties with Great Britain

Internet Sources:

The Resolution of the Stamp Act Congress The Stamp Act William Pitt’s Speech on the Stamp Act The History Place: Prelude to Revolution: 1763-1775 The Townshend Acts The Boston Massacre Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre Tea Act The Boston Tea Party: Eyewitness Account by a Participant The Boston Tea Party The Intolerable Acts Intolerable Acts and the First Continental Congress Declaration of Colonial Rights: Resolutions of the First Continental Congress The Battle of Lexington and Concord The Battle of Lexington and Concord Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence: Part 1

The Boston Tea Party - 1773

EVALUATION: Newspaper Article Rubric

Score		3	2	1
Content Quality and Idea Development	Article accurately and thoroughly reflects events in American history with thought, effort, and creativity. Well- focused on topic Details and evidence are abundant Contains at least 3 actions of the British	Article generally reflects events in American history with thought and effort. Contains one or two errors. Fairly focused on topic Details and evidence provided. Contains 2-3 actions of the British	Article somewhat reflects events in American history. Somewhat related to topic. Contains some errors. Some details and evidence. Contains only 2 actions of the British.	Article does not reflect events in American history. Contains many errors. Minimally focused on topic. of support. Details and evidence lacking. Contains 1 or no actions of the British.
Organization	Logical organization with ideas presented in clear order Easy to follow Clear beginning, middle, and end.	Organizational pattern evident Fairly easy to follow. Some lapses may occur in organization.	Little evidence of organizational pattern Somewhat difficult to follow	No organizational pattern evident Difficult to follow
Voice	Clear and fitting for topic Engaging Well-suited for audience and purpose	Fairly clear and seems to fit topic Fairly engaging. Suited for audience and purpose	Rarely comes through Basic attempt to engage reader Ill-suited for audience and topic	Weak voice. Basic attempt to engage reader Not suited for audience and purpose
Word Choice and Sentence Fluency	Precise, interesting word choice Varies sentence structure and length	Adequate word choice Some varied sentence structure	Word choice limited or vague Limited to sentence structure	Incorrect word choice Difficult to understand
Mechanics	Article contains few, if any, grammar and spelling errors. Errors do not prevent understanding.	Article contains some errors in grammar and spelling. Errors do not prevent understanding.	Article contains many grammar and spelling errors. Errors may prevent understanding	Article contains numerous grammar and spelling errors. Errors prevent understanding.

CONCLUSION: You have just completed your first Web Quest. I hope that you have enjoyed using the AHPPA process and have learned a great deal about the course of events that led to the founding of this great nation. Americans today still hold a solid belief in the inherent rights and freedoms of all people. Never forget the great price that men and women just like you and I, paid over 200 years ago to ensure the right given by God to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

NYS STANDARDS

The following standards have been addressed in this Web Quest:

Social Studies Standards

Standard 1 - History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 2 - World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 5 - Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English Language Arts Standards

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply and transmit information.

Standard 2 - Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Battle of Lexington, April 1775