Summary
Students analyze primary source documents to understand the motives of colonists who supported, opposed, or remained neutral before the American Revolution. They apply this understanding to open-ended scenarios and write from the perspective of a loyalist, patriot, or neutralist.
Essential Question(s)
Why did some colonists choose to rebel while others remained loyal to England as the American Revolution began? How do the varied viewpoints of colonists enhance our understanding of the American Revolution?
Snapshot
Engage
Students recall prior knowledge of the Boston Tea Party and discuss different colonists’ reactions.
Explore
Students analyze primary source documents to understand the motives of loyalists, patriots, and neutralists prior to the American Revolution.
Explain
Students discuss the motivations of loyalists, patriots, or neutralists and present their findings to the class.
Extend
Students analyze a colonist’s scenario to determine whether the person would be a loyalist, patriot, or neutralist.
Evaluate
Students complete a RAFT writing assignment from the perspective of a chosen viewpoint.
Materials
Lesson slides (attached)
Document Set 1 (attached; 3-4 per class)
Document Set 2 (attached; 3-4 per class)
Document Set 3 (attached; 3-4 per class)
SOAPS note organizer (attached; 1 per student)
Decision Time (attached; 1 per pair of students)
Decision Time Sample Answers (attached; teacher reference)
RAFT Organizer handout (attached; 1 per student)
Poster paper and markers
Engage
20 Minute(s)
Display slide 2 with the lesson title. Introduce slides 3–4 to explain the lesson objectives and the essential question students will explore. Show slide 5 and ask students to share what they know about the Boston Tea Party.
After students have shared the basic facts about the Boston Tea Party, display slide 6 and prompt them to think about what might have happened the day after the event. Give students a moment to think about their answers and have them share this answer with a partner using the Think, Pair, Share strategy. Once partners have discussed their thoughts, ask for volunteer pairs to share their answers with the class.
Display slide 7. While they are still in pairs, ask students to discuss these different reactions and then have them work together to match vocabulary terms to their definitions. Once students finish, call on volunteers to share their answers and reasoning. Display slide 8 to confirm the correct answers.
Explore
25 Minute(s)
Arrange students into groups of three and distribute Document Set 1, 2, or 3 to each group. Provide each student with a SOAPS Note Organizer. Display slide 9 and explain that students will use the Jigsaw strategy with each student in the group reading one document from their set and filling out the SOAPS organizer.
After completing the organizer, students share their document and notes with their group. This discussion will help students collectively understand the varying perspectives represented in their assigned documents.
Explain
40 Minute(s)
Display slide 10. Now that students have reviewed all documents in their group’s set, explain that each document set contains one primary source from a loyalist, a neutralist, and a patriot. Ask students to identify the perspective of the document they read. If students are undecided, allow them to discuss with their group.
Reassign students into new groups based on their document’s stance, creating separate groups for loyalists, neutralists, and patriots. Depending on class size, multiple groups of each perspective may form. Instruct students to share and discuss their SOAPS information within their new group. Allow 10-15 minutes for this discussion.
Display slide 11. Pass out poster paper or chart tablets and markers to each group. Instruct each group to create a poster summarizing their assigned perspective. Groups may be as creative as they wish but should answer all the questions on slide 11. Allow 15-20 minutes for groups to create their posters, then display them around the room, clustering those with the same colonist perspectives together.
Call on each group to present their poster and explain the perspective they represented.
Extend
20 Minute(s)
Pair students with a new partner and pass out one scenario from the Decision Time handout to each pair. Display slide 12. Ask pairs to analyze their assigned scenario and determine if their colonist would be a loyalist, patriot, or neutral, based on the provided information. Remind students to explain their reasoning for each decision.
Invite pairs to share their reasoning for each scenario, starting with the scenario of Colonist A. Each scenario is also displayed on slides 13 through 20. Some pairs may have different answers for the same scenario, so encourage a discussion of different perspectives.
Evaluate
20 Minute(s)
Pass out the RAFT Organizer handout to each student. Introduce the RAFT strategy and ask students to choose one scenario from the RAFT options. Instruct students to write from the perspective of a loyalist, patriot, or neutralist, using the information and insights they have gained in the lesson.
Resources
Anonymous. (1775). Letter published in Dunlap’s Pennsylvania packet or general advertiser. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2006567047/
“Notes of Debates in the Continental Congress, 28 September 1774.” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/01-02-02-0004-0006-0031. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, vol. 2, 1771–1781, ed. L. H. Butterfield. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961, pp. 141–144.]
Inglis, C. (1776). Deceiver unmasked: Or loyalty and interest, united, in answer to a pamphlet entitled common sense. The true interest of America impartially stated [excerpt from section III]. Americainclass.org. http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/rebellion/text7/inglisdeceiverunmasked.pdf
Jones, H. (1724). The present state of Virginia. Centro Nacional de Humanidades. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/american/text5/independence.pdf
K20 Center (n.d.) Jigsaw. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/179
K20 Center (n.d.) RAFT. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/158
K20 Center (n.d.) Think-pair-share. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/139
Pacifists’ appeals in the American revolution (2013). America in class: Mennonites & Brethren. National humanities center. http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/rebellion/text5/religiouspacifists.pdf
Paine, T. (1776). Common Sense. Excerpts from ‘The thoughts on the present state of American affairs’. US history.org. https://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/sense4.htm
Quakers address the problem of Slavery (1776). [excerpt] Digital history.com. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=147
Read, G. (1774). Leading Bostonians war about the British threat to the colonists’ liberties. Digital history. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=124
Thompson, C. (1759). Accusations that the British are plotting to deprive Americans of their liberties. Digital history.com. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=118#:~:text=Here%2C%20Thomson%2C%20writing%20as%20a,plot%20to%20deprive%20Americans%20of