A Stand Against Tyranny (The Intolerable Acts)

Introduction:

September 9^th, 1774

Faneuil Hall 11:35pm

You look tensely at the flyer in your hand and begin to doubt yourself. At the top of the flyer you see a serpent with 9 sections above the name “Sons of Liberty.” Underneath is a simple statement, cryptic to all but the dissidents of Boston:

Cradle of Liberty

Ninth Day of the Ninth Moon

The Witching Hour

You’ve decoded the message, and are waiting patiently outside Faneuil Hall looking for a sign. You are early, and wait cautiously across the building looking for some way to enter. You notice others walk by and stop in front of the building, analyzing its structure for a few moments before walking off. At midnight you look again at the main entrance for the doors to open but see nothing of the sort. You look around impatiently for some other way to enter when a light catches your attention. You notice in one of the windows a lantern has been lit. After 10 seconds the light is put out, and is replaced by another lit lantern two windows down. You follow the pattern of lanterns towards the northwest corner of the building where you see two subterranean doors, an entry way into the lower depths of the building.

You open the door and notice a lantern on the wall on top of a table. On top of the table are candles and matches. You take a candle, light it and continue down the dark corridor. After a few moments you reach a door. You reach forward to knock when a voice startles you; “What do we colonist demand? “. You wrack your brain nervously trying to think of an answer. There are so many things the colonist desire, many of which involve opposition to the British occupation. You look again at the flyer, and remember that you are attempting to enter a meeting of the Sons of Liberty. If there is one thing you know it is their abhorrence of recent tax policies. The phrase comes to you in a heartbeat, “No taxation without representation.” After the longest five seconds of your life, the door unlocks and you are greeted by a young man who directs you to the next room.

There you find a group of Boston citizens sitting patiently in front of a podium. From another room a man walks towards the podium, a man known by many, Benedict Arnold.

Benedict Arnold:

“Greetings Bostonians and welcome to this meeting of the sons of liberty. You are here today because like many others you are infuriated at the recent acts imposed on us by the British. It is no secret that these acts are intended to penalize our actions against the Stamp Act. They are trying to break our rebellious defiance against their injustice with more injustice. They say that these acts are a legitimate way for the colonies to pay their fare share of the cost of maintaining the British Empire. These taxes they try to impose on us are intended to pay off their war debt. To pay for their Red Coat occupation in our towns. They impose these Acts unilaterally, without consent or consultation of colonial citizens. Though these acts have names we view them as Intolerable and thus refer to them as the Intolerable Acts:”

The Intolerable Acts

The Boston Port Act

Massachusetts Government Act

Administration of Justice Act

Quartering Act

Quebec Act

Task:

Your task is to study these acts. Read and understand these acts so that you may use their words to point out their intolerable nature on our rights. You will be paired with another dissident to create a pamphlet exposing these acts as a direct violation of our rights. You must argue that they are unjust and need to be repealed. This pamphlet will then be distributed among the colonies to educate our citizens and encourage them to voice their opposition against the implementation of these acts.

- Analyze one intolerable act in depth

- Create a persuasive argument (in the form of a pamphlet) on its unjust “intolerable” nature on the rights of colonial citizens.

- Share and read the pamphlets with other citizens so you can have an understanding of all the intolerable acts.

Process/Resource

Dissident, you must not create a pamphlet filled with fear mongering or obscene ignorance. You must be educated in your approach so as to enlighten our people to the injustice within the British Empire. You will be given a tablet of each intolerable act. A tablet you must study in depth with a partner. You will then create a pamphlet in what we call the AHPPA format:

AHPPA Format

· Step 1 – Identify the Problem

· Step 2 – Gather the Evidence

· Step 3 – Determine the Causes

· Step 4 – Evaluate the Policy

Use the following Tablets to gather information on the Intolerable Acts.

Tablets on “The Boston Port Act”

· Tablet 1: Official Document

· Tablet 2: Explanation

· Tablet 3: Video Explanation

Tablets on the “Massachusetts Government Act”

· Tablet 1: Official Document

· Tablet 2: Explanation

· Tablet 3: Video

Tablets on the “Administration of Justice Act”

· Tablet 1: Official Document

· Tablet 2: Explanation

· Tablet 3: Video

Tablets on the “Quartering Act”

· Tablet 1: Official Document

· Tablet 2: Explanation

· Tablet 3: Video

Tablets on the “Quebec Act”

· Table 1: Official Document

· Tablet 2: Explanation

· Tablet 3: Video

Additional Resources:

Creating a Pamphlet in MSWord

Intolerable Acts Video Extension

Evaluation:

I.S. 52 Argument Writing Rubric

Dimensions	Exceptional (4)	Capable ( 3)	Developing (2)	Emerging (1)
Ideas: Shows understanding of unit specific task and text X1	-Includes an appealing hook: quote, anecdote, question or statistic -Thoughtfully acknowledges the opposing argument -Claim is clear, convincing, original and focused, and makes connections beyond the task -Fulfills all of the requirements of the task	-Includes a hook: quote, anecdote, question or statistic -Acknowledges the opposing argument -Claim is clear, convincing, original and focused -Fulfills most of the requirements of the task	-Includes a weak hook: quote, anecdote, question or statistic -Attempts to acknowledge the opposing argument -Claim is reasonably clear, convincing, original and focused -Fulfills some of the requirements of the task and/or shows some misunderstanding of the text or task	-Hook is missing or unrelated to claim -Does not acknowledge the opposing argument -Claim is unclear or incomplete -Fulfills few or no requirements of the task and/or lacks understanding of the text or task
Development: Shows relationship between ideas and evidence x2	- Supports ideas with elaboration and thorough analysis -Provides relevant and well chosen cited evidence that goes beyond the obvious -Cited evidence is introduced and thoroughly explained using specific details - Explains examples through paraphrase and /or summary, leaving the reader with no lingering questions	- Supports ideas clearly and fully with facts and reasons -Provides relevant and well chosen cited evidence -Cited evidence is introduced and explained using specific details - Explains examples through paraphrase and /or summary	- Develops ideas briefly -Provides some cited evidence and/or examples that may be unrelated to topic or claim -Cited evidence is not introduced and/or explained using specific details - Examples lack explanation and may include inaccurate details	- Fails to develop ideas -Provides no cited evidence and/or includes invented evidence as though cited -Provides no examples and details and/or includes inaccurate or irrelevant information
Organization: Shows how the structure builds direction and coherence x1	- Introduces the claim clearly and originally, previewing what is to follow - Original topic sentences clearly establish and maintain a thoughtful focus for each body paragraph - Connects the claim, reasons and evidence using sophisticated and varied transitional words, phrases and clauses - Title is creative and captures meaning - Writing shows careful planning and revision - Concluding statement strongly reinforces your claim, supports your position and includes an inspiring call to action	- Introduces the claim clearly previewing what is to follow - Topic sentences clearly establish and maintain a focus for each body paragraph - Connects the claim, reasons and evidence using appropriate transitional words, phrases and clauses - Title is interesting and makes sense - Writing shows planning - Concluding statement reinforces your claim, supports your position and includes a call to action	- Attempts to introduce the claim while suggesting what is to follow - Topic sentences attempt to establish a focus for each body paragraph - Attempts to connect the claim, reasons and evidence using appropriate transitional words, phrases and clauses - Title is simple and hints at meaning - Writing shows some planning - Concluding statement shows little connection to claim and/or call to action may be missing	- Fails to introduce the claim and/or preview what is to follow - Topic sentences are not present and/or relevant - Fails to establish a logical sequence -Transition words are not present or are used incorrectly - Title is missing - Writing shows no planning - Concluding statement is missing or unrelated to content
Language use: Shows awareness of audience and purpose X1	- Is fluent and easy to read with a strong sense of engagement or voice - Consistently uses precise and above grade level vocabulary - Varies structure and length of sentences to enhance meaning and hold reader interest - Is sophisticated in style and tone -Writing consistently shows attention to audience and purpose	- Is fluent and easy to read with some sense of engagement or voice - Uses precise and some above grade level vocabulary - Varies structure and length of sentences to enhance meaning - Maintains consistency in style and tone -Writing shows attention to audience and purpose	- Is readable with little sense of engagement or voice - Uses basic vocabulary - Exhibits some attempt to vary structure and length of sentences but with uneven success - Establishes but fails to maintain consistency in style and tone -Writing shows little attention to audience and purpose	- Is difficult to read with little or no sense of engagement or voice - Uses limited or repetitive vocabulary - Sentences lack variety in structure or length - Fails to establish style or tone -Writing shows no attention to audience and purpose
Mechanics: Shows command of the conventions of Standard English X1	Shows control with essentially no errors in: - Spelling - Capitalization - Grammar - Paragraphing - Punctuation even when using above grade level language	Shows control with occasional errors that do not hinder comprehension when using: - Spelling - Capitalization - Grammar - Paragraphing - Punctuation	Shows some control with occasional errors that hinder comprehension when using: - Spelling - Capitalization - Grammar - Paragraphing - Punctuation	Shows little control with errors that make comprehension difficult when using: - Spelling - Capitalization - Grammar - Paragraphing - Punctuation

Name: ___________________________________ Class: ___________ Date: _____________________

Scoring Key:

Exceptional	Capable	Developing	Emerging
24/24 = 100 23/24 = 98 22/24 = 96 21/24 = 94 20/24 = 92 19/24 = 90	18/24 = 88 17/24 = 86 16/24 = 84 15/24 = 82 14/24 = 81 13/24 = 80	12/24 = 79 11/24 = 78 10/24 = 76 9/24 = 74 8/24 = 72 7/24 = 70 6/24 = 68	5/24 = 65 4/24= 63 3/24 = 62 2/24 = 61 1/24 = 60

Conclusion:

Congratulations fellow dissident. You have studied the injustices of the Intolerable Acts and created a pamphlet which we will use to encourage the colonists to voice their opposition against the implementation of these acts. In the process you have learned the format of the PPA and used it to create a persuasive argument for our cause. You are now an honorary Son of Liberty!

Standards

Reading Standards for Informational Text 7^th Grade

1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

2. Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

3. Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

a. Use their experience and their knowledge of language and logic, as well as culture, to think analytically, address problems creatively, and advocate persuasively.

Common Core Writing Standards

1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Social Studies State Standards

Key Idea 4-4

Describe historic events through the eyes and experiences of those who were there.