Please click here or the image below to leave your response.
Massacre in Boston by Jacob Lawrence, 1955
Tightening the Screws (part II)
Based on this interpretation (parts I & II), was the American Revolution justified?
BONUS (optional) material: Interview with historian Woody Holton regarding the Founding Fathers and why the creation of America still matters to Americans.
Favorite quote: "We’ve got to let go of the heroes and replace them with heroics. That is, to see that the same person can do something heroic on Monday and be an enslaver or a town destroyer....And is that so hard? Does anybody have any perfect friends? Most of us are some of this and some of that. And I think we are more likely to unify around the founding if we admit the feet of clay, as well as the virtuous aspects. And I think one way to do that is to focus on people’s heroics rather than insisting on heroes."
Tightening the Screws (part I)
For HW, please take notes on the presentation below and be prepared to answer the following question:
How does the School House Rock interpretation of colonial resistance differ from that of bUSH? Compare and contrast the relative biases of each.
HINT: add up the amount of money raised by the taxes on the colonists and compare that to the amount of money the "Peace Force" cost the British, for example.
Feel free to watch this at 1.25x speed!
A few questions to think about, courtesy of bETH tHE silc:
- How significant was the amount of land gained by the British after the war?
- Why was defense a concern for the British post-war?
- How was living in the colonies a financial advantage compared to living in Britain (consider taxes and deficit spending)?
- What did the British government do to attempt to compensate for the debt after the war?
- What was the main difference between the Navigation Acts and the Parliamentary taxes?
"No More Kings": Was the American Revolution justified?
Note: the worksheet below is homework (if you did not complete it in class). Try your best to complete it and do not worry if your answers are incorrect.
While watching the School House Rock video, consider jotting down a few answers to the following critical analysis questions in your notebook:
- Who is missing from this video?
- How is King George portrayed?
- How are the colonists portrayed?
- What is the apparent purpose of the taxes?
- How is the characterization of the U.S. President contrasted with the King of England?
What questions do you have?
WORKSHEET: