Summary
Propaganda plays a significant role in influencing populations, especially in times of crisis. In this lesson, students will build on their knowledge about Paul Revere's role in the American Revolution by learning how he used propaganda to influence colonists' opinions through his engraving of the Boston Massacre. Students will discern how Paul Revere intentionally misrepresented the roles of colonists and British regulars in his engraving and connect this engraving to the idea of propaganda. Students will then extend their learning by creating propaganda posters to represent the viewpoints of both Loyalists and Patriots of the American Revolution era. Students will conclude the lesson by examining their peers' propaganda posters and reflecting on the essential question.
Essential Question(s)
How was propaganda used by Loyalists and Patriots to influence the public opinion of Great Britain within the colonies?
Snapshot
Engage
Students examine two posters and one political cartoon, each from different wars, and discuss what they have in common.
Explore
Students discuss the perspectives of the Patriots, Loyalists, and neutral colonists and consider if they would have been willing to rebel against their own government.
Explain
Students read about the Boston Massacre and analyze a propaganda engraving, created by Paul Revere, of the event.
Extend
Students consider the viewpoints of both the Patriots and Loyalists and create propaganda posters to persuade classmates to join the side of the Loyalists or Patriots.
Evaluate
Students reflect on the lesson by examining their classmates’ propaganda posters and summarizing the meaning of each poster with a single statement.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
The Boston Massacre reading (attached; one per student)
H.I.P.P Graphic Organizer handout (attached; one per pair of students)
Boston Massacre Engraving handout (optional; attached; one per pair of students; print in color)
Notebook paper
Highlighters
Chart paper or poster paper
Markers and colored pencils
Sticky notes
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use slide 2 of the attached Lesson Slides to introduce the lesson. Begin with slide 3 and review the lesson’s essential question:
How was propaganda used by Loyalists and Patriots to influence the public opinion of Great Britain within the colonies?
Advance to slide 4 and read through the lesson objectives with students.
Display slide 5 and introduce the I Think/We Think instructional strategy. Have students take out a sheet of notebook paper and fold it in half lengthwise. Have them label the top of the left column “I Think” and the top of the right column “We Think.”
Ask students to look at the individual pictures and consider the two questions on the slide: “What do these images have in common? What was their importance?” Have students respond to the questions in the “I Think” column of their paper. Allow them a few minutes to do so.
Pair up students and have them compare their “I Think” answers with those of one of their peers. Then, have pairs work together to create a new response related to the images on slide 5 that reflects their comparison and conversation. Have them record this response in the “We Think” column.
Ask groups to share out only their “We Think” responses to the first question along with their reasoning. Then, ask groups to share out their “We Think” responses to the second question along with their reasoning. Allow time for discussion. At the end of the discussion, ask students if their personal ideas or opinions were at all influenced by the responses of their classmates.
Continue to slide 6. Explain that this type of persuasion, which promotes only one point of view, is called propaganda. Read the definition on the slide aloud. Inform students that the political cartoon “Join, or Die” was circulated in newspapers again in 1765 to unite colonists for a second time against the British.
Explore
15 Minute(s)
Introduce students to the three types of colonists that emerged during this decade: Patriots, Loyalists (those still "loyal" to Britain), and colonists who chose to remain neutral at the time. Express to students that there was division among these groups of people, who all lived near each other in many towns and villages. Emphasize that this division led to high levels of tension between these groups in small colonial communities.
Display slide 7 and introduce the Lines of Agreement instructional strategy. Ask students the question on the slide, “If you were a colonist in the 1770s, would you be willing to overthrow your government?” Have students consider how they would respond to the question, then have students who respond “no” move to one side of the room and students who respond “yes” move to the other side of the room.
Have students discuss the reasoning for their response with the others on the same side of the room. Have both sides develop a group rationale for their answer, then invite each side to share out their rationale. After both groups share, allow students to change their answers and move sides, if they wish.
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Tell students that these divisions among colonists were prevalent in Boston during the spring of 1770. Pass out one copy of The Boston Massacre reading and introduce the CUS and Discuss instructional strategy. Display slide 8 to provide students with guidelines for annotating the reading using the CUS and Discuss strategy. Allow time for students to read and annotate The Boston Massacre text.
Once students have finished annotating the text, move to slide 9. Have students find a partner. Have pairs compare their annotations and work together to create a short summary of the text. Allow time for students to complete their summaries.
Lead a whole-class discussion about the Boston Massacre. Begin by asking students to share out which items they starred, either questions or confusing points, in the reading. Discuss these items together and offer clarification as needed. Invite students to share out the main ideas or key points from the reading. As students share, encourage them to explain why they identified those key points or main ideas.
Have students reunite with their partners and transition to slide 10. Pass out one copy of the attached H.I.P.P. Graphic Organizer handout to each pair and introduce the H.I.P.P. instructional strategy, elaborating on the following questions as needed:
H is for historical context. What events were occurring during the document's creation?
I is for intended audience. Whom is the author addressing in the document?
P is for point of view. What is the author's perspective? What role in society did the author have?
P is for purpose. What is the author(s) trying to accomplish with the document?
Move to slide 11 and draw students’ attention to Paul Revere’s engraving Bloody Massacre Perpetuated in Kings Street in Boston. Consider also passing out one copy of the attached Boston Massacre Engraving handout to each pair.
Have pairs examine the engraving and work together to complete the H.I.P.P. Graphic Organizer. Allow approximately ten minutes for students to complete the activity.
Invite student pairs to compare their observations and responses with the article they previously read about the Boston Massacre. Ask students if they notice any similarities or differences between these two information sources. As students share, consider recording their responses in an visible location for future reference.
As the discussion comes to a close, pose the following questions to students: “What impact do you think Paul Revere’s engraving had on the colonists?”
Give students the opportunity to volunteer a response to the question. As they respond, make sure they understand that Paul Revere purposely created this engraving of the Boston Massacre to persuade colonists to side with the Patriots.
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 12 and organize students into groups of three or four. Designate groups as Loyalists or Patriots. Make sure that both perspectives are represented.
Have each group use The Boston Massacre reading to create a propaganda poster that represents their designated side, either the Loyalists or Patriots. Provide students with extra paper, markers, or other art supplies to create their posters. As students complete their posters, provide them with tape and have them hang their posters in a designated space.
Evaluate
20 Minute(s)
Advance to slide 13 and introduce the Caption This instructional strategy to students. Have students find a partner and provide each pair with several sticky notes. Preview the activity by telling students they should examine each group’s poster and work with their partners to create a brief caption for each poster that explains how it represents the goals and beliefs of the Patriots or Loyalists.
Have students circulate the room and caption each poster. Have them post their captions on or near each poster. As students work, review the sticky notes. The captions should address the work students produced on paper and should also address the essential question from the beginning of the lesson.
Resources
Boston Massacre Historical Society. (2008). Paul Revere’s engraving—explained. http://www.bostonmassacre.net/gravure.htm
Brey, L. (1917). Enlist on which side of the window are you? [Color slide film]. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3g09659/
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. (2019). Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre, 1770. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/paul-reveres-engraving-boston-massacre-1770
History.com editors. (2018). Boston Massacre. History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/boston-massacre
Franklin, B. (1754). Join or die [Color slide film]. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3g05315/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Caption this. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/82
K20 Center. (n.d.). CUS and discuss. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/162
K20 Center. (n.d.). H.I.P.P. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1618
K20 Center. (n.d.). I think / we think. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/141
K20 Center. (n.d.). Lines of agreement. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/165
Revere, P. (1770). Bloody massacre perpetrated in Kings Street in Boston [Engraving]. Paul Revere Heritage Project. http://www.paul-revere-heritage.com/boston-massacre-engraving.html#google_vignette
United States Office of War Information. (1943). Do with less, so they'll have enough! Rationing gives you a fair share [Poster]. University of North Texas Digital Library. https://digital.library.unt.edu/about/digital-library/purpose/