5th Grade Resources
Breaking Barriers During the
American Revolution
Suggested project process...
Your task is to create a poster that displays research on either a Patriot or Loyalist during the American Revolution and how they broke barriers during this period of history. This is not necessarily a biography, but rather a collection of facts, pictures, and reflections of this person's experiences.
From the NHD 2020 Guide:
At first glance it seems fairly straightforward; however, sometimes things are not always what they seem. Your first task is to think carefully and critically about what “breaking barriers” means before you choose a topic to research. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a barrier as “something material that blocks or is intended to block passage.”
What comes to your mind when you think of physical barriers? Why are barriers built in the first place? Who builds them and what do they hope to accomplish? Merriam-Webster also defines a barrier as “a natural formation or structure that prevents or hinders movement or action.” What natural barriers come to mind that made movement by people difficult? Rivers, mountains, oceans, deserts, jungles, and more have been barriers in history. How did people come up with ways to break, or perhaps more likely hurdle, such barriers? Why was that important and what were the consequences? How did breaking such barriers influence the development of your community?
The Dictionary also explains a barrier as “something immaterial that impedes or separates.” How is something a barrier if it is not a physical barrier? Think about ideas as barriers. In what ways might legislation create or break barriers? Consider the history of your community. How did legal decisions decide questions about social or racial barriers? Were such barriers broken? How and why?
For a barrier to be broken, it must exist in the first place—either naturally like a mountain or created by humans and societies. For example, why was the Berlin Wall built? To protect people? From what? To control people? Why? What impact did it have locally? How about globally? Why did the Berlin Wall come down—why was it broken apart? What impact did that have on people in Berlin and around the world? So, barriers can be physical, natural, or ideological. When you think of barriers, it is common to assume a barrier is a negative thing—created by people and societies, keeping them from the freedom to move or think for themselves. But are all barriers negative? Let us turn this upside down.
What barriers have had positive consequences in history? How about barriers against the spread of disease? Against pollution? Think about the Constitution of the United States. Did the Founders include barriers to protect democracy? Why did they feel it was necessary? The Founders were careful to consider historical context and understood that they could not predict the future.
Did they create a process to break barriers within the document or add new ones? How and why? How did this process influence the course of the history of the United States? Think about life in rural areas. How and why was barbed wire used in some places? How did it change the way in which people thought of private versus public property? Were there long-term consequences? If so, what were they?
The following Informational PDF is a great way to structure your research!
