To Declare Independence Or Not to Declare, That Is the Question

TOWN MEETING To Declare Independence or Not To Declare, That is the Question

You will be assigned the role of a Colonist during the Pre-Revolutionary period. You will need to develop arguments supporting your Colonists’ position on declaring independence from England.

You are a PATRIOT

PART ONE: CREATE YOUR ARGUMENTS

 How are you going to survive without the protection and support of the “Mother Country”?  Why would you risk being hung for treason by declaring independence?

PART TWO: YOUR NAMETAG FOR THE DEBATE

You need to create a colorful nametag with a slogan and a picture that expresses your PATRIOT position

Thomas Paine

DOWN WITH THE CROWN!!

PART THREE: CREATE OPPOSING SIDES’ ARGUMENTS

 You also have to identify a LOYALIST’S position in order to debate  Why do you they feel that they should not declare independence from England even though they have not been given the full rights of Englishmen?  How can you debate against their points?

GRADING: 50 points due ______

Poster – 10 points Preparation – 10 points Participation – 20 points -Must speak at least two times Debriefing – 10 points Patriot Argument

 The British government is corrupt from top to bottom and is incapable of governing with justice. (America is morally superior.) o George III is incompetent o There is utter disregard for the plight of the English masses o Bribery and corruption is common place in the British government  British politicians are concerned only with protecting British interests and they totally ignore the colonies  The British government has perpetrated countless humiliations, injustices, and degradations on the colonists: o Taxed us inequitably. o Taxed us without our representation in Parliament. o Closed off the western frontier to future settlements. o Failed to solve the Indian problem. o Forced us to quarter lecherous troops in our homes. o Closing the port of Boston o Regulated our trade and disrupted our economy.  The British government has denied God-given rights to the colonies. It has: o Issued writs of assistance. o Made arbitrary arrests. o Limited the rights of freedom of speech, press, and assembly. o Denied the colonists their inalienable property rights by quartering troops.  The Divine Right of Kings is a corruption. Monarchy is no longer a practical form of government.  No man should be taxed unless he chooses the representative who helps determine the law.  Since Parliament does not have the right to tax the colonies, it also does not have the right to legislate for the colonies. Loyalist Argument

 We are all Englishmen (many were first generation or had close relatives in England). We can't fight our brothers. We have the same: o Traditions o Educational systems o Principles of justice o Language o Religion o Games o Literature o Dress o Commercial practices  Strong sense of duty to the crown.  We need the military power of Great Britain. British soldiers: o Protect us from the Indians on the frontier as they did during the French and Indian Wars (1756- 1763). o Protect us from foreign aggression.  We lack the power to fight Great Britain.  We must control the mob. The Landless and debtors need to be controlled. The revolutionary leaders: o Have contempt for law and order. o Have destroyed property and injure people.  The British government has generally been fair in running the empire. The trade acts benefit the colonies more than they harm them.  The rebels are hypocrites. They: o Object to taxes only as an attempt to evade them. o Don't really want equality and freedom because they didn't establish universal suffrage or proportional representations. o Keep one foot on the lower classes while kicking the British with the other.  George III is not a tyrant. He is a king trying to do his best in a difficult job.  The colonies Are separate elements, incapable of unifying or governing themselves.  We are better off than other European including Englishmen. We should pay our fair share to the Empire. We have: o Wealth. o Religious freedom. o Equal opportunity for all.  Total separation would create terrible problems such as: o There would be social anarchy. o Property rights would go down. o There would be constant conflict between the large and small colonies. o We could only win the war by turning to France and Spain for help, and we would then be totally at their mercy.  We Benefit from the trans-Atlantic trade o Farms and Farm products could be greatly reduced in value  Actions taken by revolutionary committees were “illegal”, and a symptom internal tyranny