Embedded Files
Throughout this inquiry, you will develop a fictionalized historical narrative that will consider the complex interconnected roles of individuals and groups in the economic, social, cultural, and geographical forces that led to the American Revolution.
Essentially, the character you will be developing is YOU, written into the historical context of revolutionary pre-independence Colonial America.
In writing your narrative, you may confront issues concerning historical determinism as you consider how your character would have responded to ( 1 ) the events that led to the outbreak of hostilities between Great Britain and its American Colonies, ( 2 ) as well as what it means to be “Loyal” or a “Patriot” in the context of a brewing Civil War.
As you explore the sources provided below, you will be informing your opinion as to . . .
. . . whether or not the American Revolution made the War for Independence inevitable . .?
. . . how did the French & Indian War change the relationship between Great Britain and its North American colonies..?
. . . how British policies were received differently among its American Colonies..?
. . . the ways the British colonist of North America reacted to Great Britain’s reassertion of its authority..?
What efforts were made to avoid war..?
. . . why some individuals on both sides of the conflict sought to inflame tensions while others worked to reconcile their differences . . ?
Initial Research ( 10 points )
Initial Research ( 10 points )
As this unit progresses, we will analyze several primary and secondary sources describing the revolutionary environment from which the American war for Independence will ignite. It will be from this research, our classroom discussions, and your prior knowledge that will inform the narrative you will be writing. This initial brainstorming and ongoing source analysis will be essential to your success. Throughout this lesson, the school year, and indeed the rest of your life, you should develop a practice of using the seven-step document analysis detailed below
A.P.P.A.R.T.S. Document Analysis
A.P.P.A.R.T.S. Document Analysis
Author: Who created the source..?
What do you know about the author..?
What is the author's point of view..?
Place and Time: Where and when was the source produced..?
How might this affect the meaning of the source..?
Prior Knowledge: Beyond information about the author and the context of its creation, what do you know would further your understanding of the primary source..?
For example, do you recognize any symbols or terminology..?
Do you recall what they represent..?
Audience: For whom was the source created, and how might this affect the source's reliability..?
Reason: Why was this source produced at the time it was produced..?
The Main Idea: What point is the source trying to convey..?
Significance: Why is this source important..?
What inferences can you draw from this document..?
Concerning the question asked, ask yourself, "so what..?"
Synthesize the documents using a T-Chart
Synthesize the documents using a T-Chart
During the American Revolution, in the years just before the War for Independence,
During the American Revolution, in the years just before the War for Independence,
what Does it mean to be a . . .
what Does it mean to be a . . .
. . . Loyalist . . . Patriot
. . . Loyalist . . . Patriot
Flash Draft ( 20 points )
Flash Draft ( 20 points )
A flash draft is written in one writing sitting. You are to independently write a full draft of your narrative during a set writing period (~45 minutes). The point of this approach is to push you to get your thoughts down on paper in one sitting, allowing you time to consider other directions you might want to take and/or to identify additional research you may need to conduct. If you identify something you need to research as you write, you are to make a note but keep writing. (20 points)
Revise & Extend ( 20 points )
Revise & Extend ( 20 points )
Building off of what you began in your flash draft, you are to expand your narrative, incorporating new information drawn from the sources provided and insights gathered from our class discussion. This writing session should not over-write or replace opinions expressed in your initial draft but rather should demonstrate how your character thought about events as they occurred and incorporated new information into their understanding of events.
Building off of what you began in your flash draft, you are to expand your narrative, incorporating new information drawn from the sources provided and insights gathered from our class discussion. This writing session should not over-write or replace opinions expressed in your initial draft but rather should demonstrate how your character thought about events as they occurred and incorporated new information into their understanding of events.
Some concepts your character could be struggling to define during this period may include, but are not limited to:
Some concepts your character could be struggling to define during this period may include, but are not limited to:
Justice, Liberty, Freedom, Opportunity, Fairness, Tradition, Culture, Loyalty, Legitimacy, Faith, Patriotism
Justice, Liberty, Freedom, Opportunity, Fairness, Tradition, Culture, Loyalty, Legitimacy, Faith, Patriotism
Pair, Peer, & Publish ( 50 points )
Pair, Peer, & Publish ( 50 points )
In this writing session, as its name suggests, you will work with a partner to help flesh/flush out and tighten up your narrative in anticipation of turning in your final product. Getting someone else to read your narrative is essential, especially for those who hope to improve their writing skills; after all, the purpose of writing is to convey your meaning to someone other than yourself.
In this writing session, as its name suggests, you will work with a partner to help flesh/flush out and tighten up your narrative in anticipation of turning in your final product. Getting someone else to read your narrative is essential, especially for those who hope to improve their writing skills; after all, the purpose of writing is to convey your meaning to someone other than yourself.
Flushing vs Fleshing
Flushing vs Fleshing
Flushing or Fleshing out writing are two editing terms frequently used interchangeably but have slightly different, somewhat antithetical meanings. To "flush out" something is to cause it to leave its hiding place; in editing, the term is used figuratively as you are trying to "flush out" the writer's meaning by stating it more clearly or removing unnecessary prose from the text.
Flushing or Fleshing out writing are two editing terms frequently used interchangeably but have slightly different, somewhat antithetical meanings. To "flush out" something is to cause it to leave its hiding place; in editing, the term is used figuratively as you are trying to "flush out" the writer's meaning by stating it more clearly or removing unnecessary prose from the text.
As you might have inferred from the term, when "fleshing" something "out," you add meat to the bone. Again, this term is used figuratively when "fleshing out" a written draft; you add the necessary details to reveal the author's meaning.
As you might have inferred from the term, when "fleshing" something "out," you add meat to the bone. Again, this term is used figuratively when "fleshing out" a written draft; you add the necessary details to reveal the author's meaning.
Tighten it up . . .
Tighten it up . . .
Tightening up means cutting extra words, all those that don't contribute to your message. Inexperienced writers often use far more words than necessary.
Tightening up means cutting extra words, all those that don't contribute to your message. Inexperienced writers often use far more words than necessary.
Publish . . .
Publish . . .
McNamara will begin publishing a literary magazine this year, and I hope to submit some of your work.
McNamara will begin publishing a literary magazine this year, and I hope to submit some of your work.
Debate ( 20 points )
Debate ( 20 points )
REQUIRED SOURCES
REQUIRED SOURCES
Source A: Image bank: 18th-century British debt
Source B: Map of North America before and after the French and Indian War
Source C: “An American Looks Back At British Victory in the French and Indian War, 1763”
Source D: Legislation bank: Excerpts from laws demonstrating British policies toward the American colonies, 1764– 1774
Source E: Declaration of Rights from the Stamp Act Congress
Source F: Image bank: Protests in Boston, 1770– 1774
Source G: Excerpt from ” Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”
Source H: Repeal of the Stamp Act
Source I: Olive Branch Petition
Source J: Excerpt from Plain Truth
Source K: An extract from a speech by Eliphalet Dyer of Connecticut
Source L: Testimony of Benjamin Franklin to the House of Commons.
Source M: Woodard, Colin, 1968. American Nations: a History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.
Source N: Adams, John. The Works of John Adams, vol. 10
SOURCES X, Y, Z: This being an AP course, you will be required to identify and include ONE but no more than THREE additional sources to inform your writing.
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