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“The Horse America Throwing His Master” I

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“The Horse America Throwing His Master” I LESSON IV “The Horse America Throwing His Master” I. Background Information British policy following the defeat of the French in North America during the Seven Years’ War aroused the ire of American colonists. The Proclamation of 1763 forbidding settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains, the adjustment of the custom’s duty on sugar (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), and the Townshend Duties (1767) united the colonies in resis- tance. The Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, coupled with pressure within the British Parliament, ultimately led to repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. The Parliament, however, passed the Declaratory Act reasserting its right to pass legislation governing the colonies. Still in need of funds, Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend imposed duties on glass, paint, lead, paper, and tea. Americans responded with non-importation agreements. George Washington became one of the leaders in Virginia’s opposition to the Townshend duties and served as the presiding officer of a Fairfax County committee that drafted a series of resolutions challenging British policy. Similar resolutions were passed throughout the colonies. Massachusetts, however, became the center of more violent protests. In 1768 British troops occupied the city. Despite the repeal of the Townshend duties in 1770, resistance continued. On March 5, 1770, a crowd of Bostonians taunted British regulars who, unable to disperse the crowd, opened fire killing five. Labeling the British action a massacre, Paul Revere circulated an engraving of the event entitled “The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street.” The arrest and trial of Captain Thomas Preston did little to quell the hatred stirred-up by the events of that evening. Hostility was directed at customs agents who collected the tax on tea. Throughout the colonies, and espe- cially in Massachusetts, agents were seized and tarred and feathered by mobs of patriots. Disguised as Mohawks, a band of patriots boarded British merchant ships on December 16, 1773, and destroyed some fifty tons of tea by dumping it into Boston harbor. Parliament retaliated by passing the Intolerable Acts. News of the passage of a series of acts to coerce one colony prompted other colonies to demonstrate their support for the people of Massachusetts. In colonial Virginia, Washington pro- claimed “the cause of Boston [is] the cause of America.” He further argued that appeals to the King or Parliament were futile. King George III told his prime minister, “The dye is now cast, the colonies must either submit or triumph.” In September, 1774, delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to develop a unified response to the Intolerable Acts. This First Continental Congress advised 31 LESSON IV each of the colonies to form its own militia and urged strict enforcement of boycotts of British goods. The delegates disbanded near the end of October having agreed to meet again if their grievances went not resolved. The Second Continental Congress convened on May 10,1775, less than a month after blood was shed at Lexington and Concord. The Congress organized a continen- tal army and on June 15 appointed George Washington as Commander in Chief. Two days later British forces, suffering heavy casualties, dislodged the Patriots from Breed’s Hill overlooking Boston (the Battle of Bunker Hill). What had begun as loyal resistance to Parliamentary acts had now become a revolu- tion. On July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress, having voted for indepen- dence on July 2, approved the Declaration by a vote of 12-0 with New York abstaining. On July 9, New York agreed to endorse the Declaration of Indepen- dence. Fifty-six delegates signed the document on August 2, 1776. Independence, now openly declared, had to be won on the field of battle. II. Materials ★ Paul Revere, The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street ★ The Bostonian’s Paying the Excise-Man, or Tarring & Feathering ★ Instructions from the Continental Congress ★ Martha Washington letter to Elizabeth Ramsey ★ Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Addressed to the Inhabitants of America ★ The Declaration of Independence ★ Triumphal Entry of the Royal Troops at New York and Representation of the Terrible Fire at New York, 19 September 1776 ★ George Washington’s letter to Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, January 30, 1871 ★ George Washington’s letter to Tench Tilghman, January 10, 1783 ★ The Horse America Throwing His Master III. Lesson Activities A. Divide the class into teams of two to four students depending on class size. Each team selects one student to draw from a “document card” that designates the research topic for the team. Each of the cards contains a different document. Duplicate the pages provided in the lesson on card stock or mount and laminate. Place the “document cards” in a box, and have students draw a card at random. B. Tell students that their task is to read sections in their text book that will give them background information on the topic selected by their draw. They are also to research the topic in other sources such as books on the American Revolution, a standard encyclopedia, and/or CD-ROM or web sources on the Internet. Provide students class time to begin their research. Depending on the class you may allot one to three days for research. 32 LESSON IV C. Explain to students that their responsibility is to carefully examine the document and read as much as possible to help them explain their selected document to the class. Have students formulate questions to help focus their research. You may wish to give students a few general questions as a guide, such as: 1. When did the event occur? 2. What information about the Revolution can you gather from the document? 3. Who were the people involved in this event? 4. How did people at that time respond to this event? 5. Why was the event important? D. After completing their research, the teams will place their “document card” on a large timeline (constructed on butcher paper) spanning a period of twenty years, 1763-1783, from the end of the Seven Years’ War to the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War. Once the document cards are appropriately placed on the time line, each team will explain their document to the class. You may wish to have students, as part of their class presentations, assume the role of one or more of the individuals associated with their document. Have students speak to the class from the perspective of that person or persons telling their reactions to the event as a way of explaining the significance of the document. The activity could be extended to include costumes and props students may deem appropriate and could take the form of skits, tableaus, or “found poems” culled from the document, etc. (For teams with illustrations, students could place themselves in the picture as one of the participants in the event and describe what is occurring.) E. If this lesson is used after a prior study of the Revolutionary era, ask students to brainstorm the major events or battles of the Revolution as a review. However, if it is used to support the state curriculum as a teaching unit on the Revolution- ary War, develop the time line by adding other major events such as Parlia- mentary acts that prohibited settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains (Proclamation of 1763), Stamp Act, Townshend Duties, Tea Act, Intolerable or Coercive Acts, and battles such as Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Trenton, Winter quarters at Valley Forge, or Yorktown. Discuss with the class how these events are connected and help them understand cause and effect relationships. IV. While Touring the Exhibit While touring the exhibit look for General Washington’s letters to the Continental Congress regarding the progress of the war as well as his letters to individuals pertaining to the need for supplies and concerns about the war effort. In addition examine the illustrations and maps that highlight aspects of the Revolutionary War. 33 LESSON IV V. Extended Lesson Ideas ★ During a break in the meetings of the Federal Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, George Washington and a colleague decided to go trout fishing in the vicinity. While on the excursion, Washington decided to return to Valley Forge where he had established winter quarters during the Winter of 1777-78. He recorded in his diary his return to Valley Forge but wrote nothing to indicate what he thought about while there. Have students, assuming the persona of George Washington, complete a diary entry during this visit to Valley Forge describing what Washington may have recorded if he had written a detailed entry. It would be appropriate to believe that Washington not only reflected on the winter at Valley Forge but also on the events of the war before and after Valley Forge. Looking back on Valley Forge after the war, how would Washington have appraised the hardships that his forces encountered during that winter? Would he have considered the terrible sacrifices of eight years of war worthwhile considering the developments since the end of the war? How might he reflect on the attempts to strengthen the government at this crucial period during the Federal Convention? Have students refer to the documents in the exhibit that examine Washington’s attitudes toward the government under the Articles of Confederation. ★ Examine the Benjamin Huntington manuscript documenting the enlistment of an African American soldier. Research Lord Dunmore’s proclamation promising freedom for slaves who served in the military and explain how effective it was in recruiting persons to fight for the British. Examine the contributions of African Americans in the Continental Army and investigate the efforts of John Laurens to recruit a regiment of African Americans in South Carolina and Georgia.
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