For Every Action There Is a Reaction!

Jen DePaul

JFK Middle School

Utica, NY

jdepaul@uticaschools.org

British Taxes~~~~> Colonists Reactions

Introduction

Soon after the French and Indian War, the British government started to tighten their control over their American colonies. Fighting the war cost England money. Now England is telling Americans they must help pay for the war. New taxes are flooding America. Even tea and paper are being taxed. “Unfair!” American patriots cry. “We are English citizens. English citizens vote on their taxes. So why can’t we vote? This is Taxation without Representation!” England does not believe Americans should vote. England sees the Americans as their children. England is the mother country, a country that owns another country and/or colony. The American colonists are angry about being kept as children. As years went on British added more and more taxes. The colonists were completely governed and taxed by the British, making the Americans increasingly dissatisfied with Parliaments laws and actions. Now colonists are taking to the streets proclaiming “No Taxation Without Repres entation.”

Task:

Select one of the Parliamentary Acts that were put into place by England and make a poster that illustrates the Act and the Colonists reaction to that Act (Cause/Effect). Use words and pictures on your poster. One side of the poster will identify and describe the act (Cause) and the other side will show the colonists reaction to the act (effect).

Process

You are to research both the British and Colonial viewpoint by looking at the various resources available. During this process you are to define your task by following the steps below.

Step 1: Identify the problem

Why did the British government force the colonies to pay taxes? Why did most colonists refuse to pay the taxes. Complete the worksheet at this link. This will help you define your problem more clearly.

Step 2: Gather the Evidence

In this step you are to research and gather your data. What evidence supports the Colonial perspective? What evidence supports the British perspective? Make sure you use several primary sources that support your specific problem. Complete the worksheet attached to this link to help you organize your ideas.

Step 3: Determine the Causes

What were the causes for Colonists to grow angry at their British government? Why did the British try to enforce taxes and acts on the 13 colonies? Did the British government use taxation as a tool to control citizens? Did certain colonial groups benefit economically by not paying the taxes? What social groups would lose money if the taxes were not paid? This step will help you create a detailed account of the causes of this anger. Make sure you complete the worksheet and include specific examples.

Step 4: Evaluating the Policy

What was the outcome of both the British and Colonial actions in the 13 colonies? What were both the positive and negative outcomes? Who benefited and did not benefit as a result of the British taxes? This link will help organize your ideas and answer these questions, make sure you complete the worksheet attached to this link.

REMEMBER: To complete all the steps by answering the worksheets for each step.

Finally you are to use what you have gathered and create your Cause/Effect Parliamentary Act Poster.

Resources:

• www. Infoplease.com/dictionary/taxation-without-representation
• www.pearsonsuccessnet.com Chapter 4
• www.ushistory.com
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.brainpop.com
• www.google.com\images ~(search your specific parliamentary act or colonial reaction)

Evaluation:

POSTER RUBRIC

	Exceeds Expectations	Meets Expectations	Does Not Meet Expectations	Score
Points Earned	3	2	1 or 0
Layout	Creatively enhances information	Balanced, uncluttered, adequate white space	Not balanced, cluttered, insufficient white space
Titles and Subtitles	All titles and subtitles are clear, enhance readability	Most titles and subtitles are clear, enhance readability	Few or no titles or subtitles to clarify text
Text Size and Color	All text is clear and readable; a few changes in size and color enhance understanding	Text is clear and readable; changes in size and color enhance understanding	Some text is clear and readable; frequent changes in size and color do not enhance understanding
Writing	Well written and organized, clear, easy to follow	Adequately written and organized, clear, reasonably easy to follow	Poorly written and organized, unclear, hard to follow
Quality of Information	Product description is clear, complete, concise	Product description is mostly clear, could be a little more concise	Product description is not clear, incomplete, not concise

Conclusion:

Despite all these British taxes and actions that the colonists disagreed with, they still continued to think of themselves as being loyal to Great Britain. Eventually they could no longer accept these actions of the British Parliament and colonial protests grew stronger and stronger. The rally cry of the American colonist ~ “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!” was heard around the world!

New York State Social Studies Learning Standards Met:

Standard 1: History of the United State and New York

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.

• Key Idea 1: Explore the meaning of American culture by identifying the key ideas, beliefs, and patterns of behavior, and traditions that help define it and unite all Americans.

· Key Idea 2: Investigate key turning points in New York State and United States history and explain why these events or developments are significant.

· Key Idea 3: Gather and organize information about the important achievements and contributions of individuals and groups living in New York State and the United States. Describe how ordinary people and famous historic figures in the local community, State, and the United States have advanced the fundamental democratic values, beliefs, and traditions.

· Key Idea 4: Consider the sources of historic documents, narratives, or artifacts and evaluate their reliability. Compare and contrast different interpretations of key events and issues in New York State and United States history and explain reasons for these different accounts. Describe historic events through the eyes and experiences of those who were there.

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

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.

· Key Idea 1: consider the nature and evolution of constitutional democracies.