Unit 2-The American Revolution: Revolution & Independence (1754-1783)Big IdeasOrganizing Principle |
- Between 1763 and 1783, British attempts to exert control over its North American colonies led to violent, organized, successful resistance and the independence of the colonies.
Essential Questions
Students will consider...
- How revolutionary was the American Revolution?
- Can a government be “instituted among men” to promote both freedom and equality?
- To what extent was violent resistance the primary factor of change during the war for American independence?
- In times that “try men’s souls”, what creates more change - decisions by leaders or the actions of average citizens?
- What does it mean to be an American by 1783?
Understandings
Students will understand how, why, and/or to what extent..
- An individual or group’s perception of themselves, their nation, and their place within a society may be influenced by times of prosperity or crisis
- Government can exist to address the needs and desires of the governed.
- Governments may be changed if perceptions of inequality and injustice exist.
- Individuals can affect societal, economic and political change.
- Historical turning points typically have multiple causes and effects within a chronological narrative.
Knowledge
Students will know...
- That a relationship between the colonists and England based upon “salutary neglect” would not be sustainable after the French and Indian War.
- The actions and legislation of the British monarch and Parliament led to colonial protest.
- Colonists organized, communicated enlightened ideals, and protested against British policies in a variety of ways.
- American colonists had to overcome significant economic disadvantages, military weaknesses, early defeats, and social divisions to achieve independence.
- American colonists utilized leadership, diplomatic relations, and geographic understanding to achieve independence.
Skills
Students will be able to...
- Use Historical Comprehension to evaluate when the American Revolution began.
- Use Historical Comprehension to determine how the historical context of the American Revolution defined for the first time what it meant to be an American.
- Use Historical Analysis and Interpretation to determine how and why colonists organized, declared and gained independence from Great Britain.
- Use Chronological Thinking to identify the historical narrative for the period of Revolution and Independence (1763-1783).