Unit 3: Colonial Government, Trade & War

Unit Description

In this unit, students explore the political, economic, and social development and evolution of the thirteen colonies during the 18th century. As the colonies evolve and develop, they created their own governments which laid the foundation for our government today.

The colonies’ relationship with the mother country – Britain – also evolved. In the 18th century, the population of the colonies rises as they experience economic success and begin to guarantee more and more social and political freedoms. The demand to expand westward grows, which intensifies hostilities between France and England – who both believe they should have a claim to the Ohio River Valley. At the same time, Native people of America still felt strongly that they should be able to live harmoniously in land they had cultivated for hundreds of years.

These conflicts eventually lead to the French and Indian War – which has been referred to by historians as the War that Made America due the series of events that took place as a result of the war. Students will understand how the French and Indian War set the wheels in motion for a revolution, and also investigate the concept of oppression along the way

Essential Question

Why do civilizations enter into war?

Themes

    • Historians must challenge the dominant historical narrative because it is often told from the perspective of the oppressor
    • Economic greed and limited resources may result in the urge to explore and colonize foreign land and conquer indigenous people.
    • Societies enter conflicts to increase their power and defend their way of life.

Standards Addressed

    • 5.3.7 – Describe the impact of key people, ideas, and events that led to the French and Indian War
    • 5.6.1 – Compare and contrast the different types of government in colonial America that influenced the development of the United States
    • 5.6.2 – Summarize the key ideas that influenced the development of colonial governments and their influence on the growth of American democracy
    • 5.10.1 – Explain the reasons for the French and Indian War and the economic effects of British policy on colonial America

Unit Outcomes

Students will know:

    • The similarities and differences between colonial governments
    • The similarities between colonial governments and the modern US government
    • Political, economic, and social development of the colonies in the 18th century
    • The impact of the Great Awakening and Enlightenment Period
    • Factors that led to the desire for the Ohio River Valley by colonists, French, and Natives
    • The role England, colonists, France, and Natives each played in the French and Indian War
    • The direct causes of the French and Indian War
    • The direct consequences of the French and Indian War
    • How the Great Awakening and Enlightenment influenced the thinking of the colonists

Students will be able to:

Historical Thinking:

    • Annotate documents
      • Use the different steps for different types of documents when analyzing their contents
    • Source documents
      • Identify author’s point of view/position on a historical event
      • Identify author’s purpose in producing the document
      • Consider the source’s audience
    • Contextualize sources
      • Understand how context influences content of the document
      • Recognize documents are products of particular points in time
    • Close read sources
      • Identify author’s claims about an event
      • Evaluate evidence and reasoning the author uses to support claims
      • Evaluate author’s word choice

Writing

    • Strong body paragraphs
      • TOSEEC
      • Topic Sentences
      • 2 types of evidence
    • Strengthening evidence
      • Context
      • Extended Response
      • Introducing Text Evidence
    • Strengthening Elaborations
      • Elaboration
      • Concluding Sentence
      • Context part 2

Unit Vocabulary

  1. government –an organized institution that creates rules in order to establish order in societies
  2. democracy - a type of government where citizens participate through voting
  3. The Mayflower Compact - government established by the Pilgrims in Plymouth colony; the earliest example of democracy and self-governance in America.
  4. self-governance - citizens govern themselves
  5. The English Bill of Rights - a law passed in Britain in 1689 that gave rights to the people in England, limited the king’s power, and allowed citizens to choose government representatives.
  6. The House of Burgesses - one part of the government of the Virginia colony and was the first elected legislature in the New World; citizens elected representatives ( legislators) to make laws.
  7. legislature - an assembly of representatives (Ex: today’s Congress)
  8. legislator - a person who serves as a representative of the people in government
  9. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut - the government of the Connecticut colony; an elected legislature that made laws, collected taxes, allocated land, and admitted free people into the colony; one of the first attempts at a representative democracy in the New World.
  10. representative government - a form of democracy where citizens vote to elect people to represent their interests and concerns in the government
  11. The Delaware Charter- government of the colony of Delaware; guaranteed freedom of religion
  12. The Government of Rhode Island - colonial government that guaranteed freedom of religion
  13. Congress-meeting of representatives who have the authority to make decisions
  14. First Amendment - part of the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution; guarantees freedom of speech and religion for US citizens
  15. United States Constitution - America’s written plan for government
  16. The Great Awakening- a social movement in the 18th century that increased excitement about religion and unified the colonies
  17. nationalism- pride in one’s own nation
  18. Mercantilism- an economic theory during the time of the 13 colonies that believed Great Britain should only trade with its colonies and vice versa in order to help Great Britain keep its wealth to itself.
  19. raw materials- resources that comes from the earth and is used to make other products (ex: cotton)
  20. manufactured goods- products that are made by machine (ex: tshirts)
  21. Navigation Acts - series of British laws controlling colonial trade, to ensure mercantilist practices
  22. Salutary Neglect- British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws
  23. Ohio River Valley – fought over by French, English, and Native Americans
  24. French & Indian War – the war fought between Britain and France over control of the Ohio River Valley
  25. alliance - a relationship that benefits both sides; an agreement to work together
  26. Treaty of Paris - formally ended the French & Indian War; the French agreed to give up all their land in North America
  27. Proclamation Line of 1763 - law passed by Britain after the French & Indian War that said that colonists could not move into the land west of the Appalachian Mountains
  28. debt- owing money
  29. Stamp Act - A law passed by the British Parliament in 1765 requiring colonists to pay a tax on newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, and even playing cards.
  30. Sugar Act – a law passed by the British Parliament on foreign imports
  31. Townshend Acts - a law passed by the British Parliament that required colonists to pay taxes on British goods (glass, paint, tea, etc)
  32. Parliament- part of the British government in which members make laws for the British people as well as for its colonies
  33. Patriots- colonists who wanted to declare their independence from England and the King
  34. Loyalists - colonists who were loyal to England and King George.
  35. Neutralists- colonists who did not take sides
  36. “taxation without representation” - the reason why colonists were angry with the British; the colonists were not allowed to choose representatives to parliament in London, which passed the laws under which they were taxed.
  37. Tax - extra money that is paid by people to the government
  38. tyranny- cruel and oppressive government
  39. boycott- refuse to use a product or service in order to hurt the seller financially and make a statement
  40. protest- a go against something by writing, marching, organizing, etc
  41. The Stamp Act Congress - a meeting of delegates from different states to discuss what colonists should do in response to British taxation
  42. The Quartering Act- law passed by the British Parliament that required colonists to house and feed British soldiers without being paid
  43. Boston Massacre- a riot in Boston between British troops and American citizens, resulting in the death of 5 colonists
  44. repealed- do away with; get rid of
  45. Sons of Liberty- groups of Patriots who organized themselves to protest against the British government
  46. liberty - freedom
  47. Boston Tea Party - a protest against British taxes in which the Sons of Liberty disguised as Native Americans dumped valuable British tea into the Boston Harbor.
  48. Declaration of Independence - formal statement written by the colonists declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain
  49. American Revolution- a war between the 13 colonies and Great Britain for independence; won by the 13 American colonies; the beginning of America as an independent country