Students examine how British and colonial actions built on each other to increase tensions before the American Revolution, analyzing key events, causes, and effects, and the colonies’ growing unity.
Students examine how British and colonial actions built on each other to increase tensions before the American Revolution, analyzing key events, causes, and effects, and the colonies’ growing unity.
Students read a brief introduction explaining that colonial resistance to British laws grew through petitions, boycotts, and protests, increasing tensions with Britain. They examine the painting The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man, or Tarring & Feathering and contribute to a See–Think–Wonder chart, listing what they see in the image, what they think it means, and questions they have. They then read the lesson overview and objectives describing how they will study the cycle of British and colonial actions that led to rising conflict.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the lesson focus on rising tensions between Britain and the colonies and briefly situate events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party as context for later, deeper study. Review and discuss student responses in the See–Think–Wonder chart, highlighting careful observations, thoughtful connections to colonial resistance, and meaningful questions. Explain the historical context of the painting, including who John Malcom was and what tarring and feathering involved, and prompt students to consider differing colonial and British perspectives on such protests and the artist’s British point of view. Clarify the lesson objectives and prepare students for examining how actions on both sides escalated conflict over time.
Students read Rising Tensions in the American Colonies to learn how new British laws, taxes, and trade rules and colonial responses created a back-and-forth cycle of rising tension. After reading, they complete a series of inline-choice items, selecting words or phrases that best complete sentences to demonstrate their understanding of key events and cause-and-effect relationships.
Teacher MovesEmphasize that the goal is to see how British and colonial actions were connected in a chain of cause and effect. After students answer the questions, lead a discussion that links events together, such as how British trade laws led to the stationing of soldiers in Boston, how the presence of troops contributed to events like the Boston Massacre, and how colonial protests prompted further British crackdowns. Guide students to recognize the ongoing cycle in which each side’s actions triggered reactions from the other, gradually escalating the conflict.
Students view an image of the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor and then watch The Intolerable Acts and read The First Continental Congress to learn how Britain responded to colonial resistance and how colonists united in response. Using this information, they complete a graphic organizer showing British responses to colonial resistance, colonial responses to those measures, and the overall impact on the relationship. Finally, they post to a discussion wall explaining how both British and colonial actions contributed to escalating tensions, using evidence from the video or text.
Teacher MovesFrame the scene as an examination of how escalating tensions developed through a cycle of action and reaction shaped by differing British and colonial perspectives. Support students as they complete the graphic organizer, ensuring they accurately capture key British actions (such as the Intolerable Acts), colonial responses (including aid to Boston and convening the First Continental Congress), and the resulting impact on the relationship. Review organizer entries and discussion wall posts to highlight how each side’s actions fueled the other and pushed them closer to war. Prompt students to consider how Britain’s desire to assert control and colonists’ desire to defend their rights influenced their choices and intensified the conflict.
Students read the first two paragraphs of Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (Adapted and Abridged) to identify Congress’s purpose for issuing the document, then complete a hot-text item by selecting the passage that best explains that purpose. Next, they continue analyzing the document and use a graphic organizer to answer three questions about the rights the Congress claimed for colonists, the British acts they said violated those rights, and the peaceful actions they planned to take in response.
Teacher MovesExplain that this scene is an optional extension focused on a longer primary source and that the text is adapted and abridged to make its core ideas more accessible. Prepare students by previewing challenging vocabulary and, as needed, pausing during reading to check comprehension. When reviewing the hot-text responses, emphasize how the opening paragraphs lay out Britain’s unfair actions and the threat to colonial liberty, framing the purpose of the Declaration and Resolves as expressing grievances and justifying a response while still seeking peace. As you examine students’ graphic organizers, confirm that they understand the rights asserted, the laws opposed, and the peaceful measures proposed. Connect this document back to earlier scenes by discussing Britain’s reaction, why ignoring colonial petitions deepened resentment, and how the colonies’ united stance to defend their rights made further conflict with Britain more likely.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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