| VUS.4 |
The student will demonstrate knowledge of events and issues of the Revolutionary Period by |
| |
|
a) |
analyzing how the political ideas of John Locke and those expressed in Common Sense helped shape the Declaration of Independence; |
| |
|
b) |
describing the political differences among the colonists concerning separation from Britain; |
| |
|
c) |
analyzing reasons for colonial victory in the Revolutionary War. |
Explain how new political ideas about the relationship between people and their government helped to justify the Declaration of Independence.
Summarize the following ideas of John Locke, and explain their influence on Thomas Jefferson’s writings in the Declaration of Independence. The period known as the “Enlightenment” in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the development of new ideas about the rights of people and their relationship to their rulers. John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas, more than any others, influenced the American belief in self-government. Locke wrote that:
• All people are free, equal, and have “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property that rulers cannot take away.
• All original power resides in the people, and they consent to enter into a “social contract” among themselves to form a government to protect their rights. In return, the people promise to obey the laws and rules established by their government, establishing a system of “ordered liberty.”
• Government’s powers are limited to those the people have consented to give to it. Whenever government becomes a threat to the people’s natural rights, it breaks the social contract and the people have the right to alter or overthrow it.
Locke’s ideas about the sovereignty and rights of the people were radical and challenged the centuries-old practice throughout the world of dictatorial rule by kings, emperors, and tribal chieftains.
Summarize the following ideas of Thomas Paine, and explain their influence on Thomas Jefferson’s writings in the Declaration of Independence:
• Thomas Paine was an English immigrant to America who produced a pamphlet known as Common Sense that challenged the rule of the American colonies by the King of England. Common Sense was read and acclaimed by many American colonists during the mid-1700s and contributed to a growing sentiment for independence from England.
Compare the following excerpts from the Declaration of Independence to illustrate how the eventual draft, authored by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, reflected the ideas of Locke and Paine:
• “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
• “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed….”
• “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government….”
Explain that in the draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson detailed many of the grievances against the King of England that Paine had earlier described in Common Sense.
Describe how the revolutionary generation formulated the political philosophy and laid the institutional foundations for the system of government under which we live.
Describe how the American Revolution was inspired by ideas concerning natural rights and political authority, and how its successful completion affected people and governments throughout the world for many generations.
Explain how the ideas of the Enlightenment and the perceived unfairness of British policies provoked debate and resistance by the American colonists.
Summarize the following aspects of the Anglo-French rivalry that lead to conflict with the colonies:
• The rivalry in North America between England and France led to the French and Indian War, in which the French were driven out of Canada and their territories west of the Appalachian Mountains.
• As a result of the war, England took several actions that angered the American colonies and led to the American Revolution. These included The Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, a region that was costly for the British to protect.
• New taxes on legal documents (the “Stamp Act”), tea, and sugar to pay costs incurred during the French and Indian War and for British troops to protect colonists.
Summarize the following events at the beginning of the American Revolution:
• Resistance to British rule in the colonies mounted, leading to war. The Boston Tea Party was staged.
• The First Continental Congress was called, to which all of the colonies except Georgia sent representatives. This was the first time most of the colonies had acted together. The Boston Massacre took place when British troops fired on anti-British demonstrators.
• War began when the “Minutemen” in Massachusetts fought a brief skirmish with British troops at Lexington and Concord.
Summarize the following differences among the three main divisions of colonists concerning separation from Great Britain:
Patriots
• Believed in complete independence from England
• Were inspired by the ideas of Locke and Paine and the words of Virginian Patrick Henry (“Give me liberty, or give me death!”)
• Provided the troops for the American Army, led by George Washington, also of Virginia
Loyalists (Tories)
• Remained loyal to Britain, based on cultural and economic ties
• Believed that taxation of the colonies was justified to pay for British troops to protect American settlers from Indian attacks
Neutrals
• The many colonists who tried to stay as uninvolved in the war as possible.
Explain that the American rebels won their independence because the British government grew tired of the struggle soon after the French agreed to help the Americans. Explain how the following factors lead to this victory:
Diplomatic
• Benjamin Franklin negotiated a Treaty of Alliance with France.
Military
• George Washington, general of the American army, avoided any situation that threatened the destruction of his army, and his leadership kept the army together when defeat seemed inevitable.
• Americans benefited from the presence of the French army and navy at the Battle of Yorktown, which ended the war with an American victory.
Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.
“Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America.” THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet. Library of Congress. <http://memory.loc.gov/const/declar.html>. This site contains a copy of the Declaration of Independence that can be printed and cut up for use in session 7.
Best of History Web Sites. <http://www.besthistorysites.net>. This site offers searchable access to information related to this organizing topic.
Colonial Williamsburg. <http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/bios/biohen.cfm>. The CW site contains information about Patrick Henry and other prominent Virginians of the Colonial Period.
C-SPAN.org: Public Affairs on the Web — Classroom. <http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/> This site offers numerous classroom activities concerning topical and historical events.
<http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/american_revolution_images/revolution_images.html> This site offers a summary of the conflict and access to related pictures and documents.
THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet. Library of Congress. <http://thomas.loc.gov/>. This site focuses on federal legislation, the Congressional Record, and the status of current bills in Congress.
Thomas Paine National Historical Association. <http://www.thomaspaine.org/>. This site provides information about the life, times, and works of Thomas Paine.
Virginia Historical Society. <http://www.vahistorical.org/>. This site contains multiple resources pertaining to Virginia history for use by teachers.
VirginiaMuseum of Fine Arts. <http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/>. This site contains samples of American art.
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Other Clearinghouses. U.S. Department of Education. <http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/gen/othersites/eric.html>. Select “Search any or all ERIC web sites.” Type in a topic (e.g., Columbus), and then click “Search.”
“Give me liberty or give me death.” LibertyOnline. <http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henry-liberty.html> This site gives the full text of Patrick Henry’s famous speech.
GovSpot. <http://www.govspot.com>. This site contains a wealth of information about the federal government today and yesterday. The pages devoted to historical documents are especially valuable for History and Social Science teachers.
“John Locke.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/>. This site offers a biography of John Locke.
NationalGeographic.com. <http://nationalgeographic.com/>. The Web site of the National Geographic Society provides searchable information and copies of maps.
NCHE: National Council for History Education. <http://www.nche.net/?lcategory=4>. This site provides history teachers with helpful information and links to valuable sites.
Outline Maps — Education Place. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. <http://www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/>. This site permits visitors to print a variety of maps related to this organizing topic.
“The Paris Peace Treaty of 1783.” Avalon Project: YaleLawSchool <http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/paris763.htm>. This site provides of copy of the Treaty of Paris of 1783.
Smithsonian Institution. <http://www.si.edu/>. This site provides Web access to the various museums within the Smithsonian Institution.
socialstudies.org. National Council for the Social Studies. <http://www.socialstudies.org>. This site allows visitors to search for information on a multitude of social studies subjects.
The World Factbook 2002. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. <https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html> This site contains searchable information on all countries.
Teaching with Documents Lesson Plan: Images of the American Revolution — Digital Classroom. U.S. National Archives & Records Administration. Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning: History and Social Science Released Items for Virginia and United States History.Virginia Department of Education 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/Release2003/History/VA-RIBs_g11vush-1.pdf>.
Documents of American History. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/AmericanDoc99.pdf>. This site offers an 88-page Virginia Department of Education publication containing important American history documents and tips for classroom teaching of their contents.
Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Virginia and United States History. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint10VUS.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in Virginia and United States History.
|
