1 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS – PATHWAYS
LESSON MODULE
RYAN ROSS, CHELSEA WESTERMAN, HOPE BANKER, KELSEY MARTIN,
BRIANNE HOGENSON
College of Education
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls IA
Title:
“Boston Tea Party” Using Primary Sources to Rediscover the Events and Personnel of the Boston Tea
Party
Theme: Reform
Historical Period: The American Revolution, 1763-1783
Lesson Module Overview: Students will learn about the revolutionary event of the Boston Tea Party.
Students will learn about the event itself, along with the major people involved and the ramifications of
the event through analyzing primary resources from the Library of Congress such as images and
documents.
Grade Range: Intermediate/Middle Level (4th- 5th)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LESSON MODULE DAY 1
Title: Major People in the Boston Tea Party: An Introduction
3
LESSON MODULE DAY 2
Title: The Boston Tea Party: The Actual Event
6
LESSON MODULE DAY 3
Title: Why the Boston Tea Party Happened?
9
2 LESSON MODULE DAY 4
Title: Ramifications of the Boston Tea Party
12
APPENDIX I: Images and Graphic Material
14
APPENDIX II: Bibliography and Webliography
26
3 Lesson Module
Day 1
Title: Major people of the Boston Tea Party: An Introduction
Knowledge
- Students will gain insight on the main groups that took part in the Boston Tea
Party.
-Students will understand King George III was in control of the British colonists in
America
- Students will understand sons of liberty was group that met to discuss matters of the king
Skills
-Students will create a T chart, using classroom discussion discuss what the King does in
comparison to a superintendent of a school.
-Students will be able to work in table pods to create a meeting place for the teachers rebellion
group. (Each table group with about 4-5 students, creating maybe 5 - 6 objectives to discuss at meeting).
-Students will individually write the Rebellion group, Teachers for change
Dispositions
-Students will begin to understand, the King, sons of liberty, and colonist feel of
the kings rule and what they did during the Boston Tea Party.
National Council for Social Studies Themes
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Time, Continuity, and Change: Knowledge and understanding of the past enable us to analyze the
causes and consequences of events and developments, and to place these in the context of the institutions,
values and beliefs of the periods in which they took place
Power, Authority, and Governance: The development of civic competence requires an understanding of
the foundations of political thought, and the historical development of various structures of power,
authority, and governance. It also requires knowledge of the evolving functions of these structures in
contemporary U.S. society, as well as in other parts of the world.
People, Places, and Environments: The study of people, places, and environments enables us to
understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world.
Materials Needed:
T chart paper
4 Markers
Pencil
Image of Superintendent (comparison to King George III)
Image of Sons of Liberty meetings (#2- Appendix I)
Social Studies notebook
Lesson Procedures:
Introduction:
1. Want to hook the students with something relating to the rule of King George III. After
transitioning to Social Studies, get notebooks out first, act very worried.
2. Give students a 2-minute talk on how any paper used from now on (taking notes, taking tests,
free drawing paper, scratch paper for tests) has to be bought from the school. The paper will
have our school name on the top and costs 2.00$ for one piece. You are not allowed to use
any other paper. All paper distributed by the teacher for homework worksheets, and tests will
also cost, you as the students, money. At the last in service meeting for teachers the
superintendent decided this would help everyone show some more school pride.
Development:
1. As students start to get upset and “freak out” you can let them know this is not happening.
However, a similar situation in history did happen with a King George III in rule over the
colonists that settled in America.
2. The colonist had a king, and we in school have a superintendent.
- Introduce the picture of King George III
- How can you tell the King is royalty? (Introduce, clothing, hair, expression)
- Here is the superintendent; he is in charge of the school
-Let us take a couple minutes at our tables to discuss the similarities between a king and a
superintendent.
3. After a couple of minute of kids discussing differences come together and make a T chart on a
large piece of paper, or the white board and students will use the next clean sheet of notebook
paper in their social studies notebook labeling one King Rule and the other side
Superintendents. (This is where the picture of King George III will come into play, while
showing a picture of the superintendent. Quickly discussing differences in clothing and
showing they have power. Then, also showing the pictures above the T chart both pictures to
get a good look of both when discussing the similarities.)
4. Have the students discuss what a king would do. Then label the similarities of what the
superintendent does of the school district. (ex. King making laws, Superintendent school
handbook of rules for students. King would be in charge of a country and Superintendent
would be in charge of a school.) Using guided questions to get to near these points.
5. After T chart has been completed discuss with the students the king aggravated the colonists
who settled in America, but were still under British rule. The colonists are kind of like you as
students, when thinking of the King like the Superintendent.
6. Transition: If the superintendent really decided to make students pay 2.00$ for one piece of
paper and that was the only paper that could be used what would you want to do as students,
or “colonists” if relating this to an event in history. Who could you turn to as students for
help, looking for solutions. (Guide their thinking to talking with teachers as their options.)
7. Teachers, would be a good option to talking with the Superintendent. However, back in the
day, do you think the king would let other people influence his decisions that were being made
5 by him, or do you think the king was allowed to “rule with an iron fist” and do what he wanted
regarding laws, taxes, and everything else? (Get students to realize kings had ultimate power).
8. The group back in history that met would call themselves Sons of Liberty. The secret group in
history met at very public places such as, the Liberty Tree, and the Liberty Pole. (Show two
pictures of each meeting place to show here and open a quick discussion of what they look like
and how they were feeling as they met at either place. Questioning, public or secret places?
Did they have to be careful when meeting? Do you think they wanted people to find out what
they were planning?)
They met to protest what was going on in their life, which we will talk about later.
Culmination:
1. The teachers would have to meet at a location and start a group to protest against the
superintendent’s power.
2. What is a public place the teachers could meet in regards to discuss what they could do to
protest the superintendents rule regarding paying for paper? Quickly talk amongst table groups
to decide where would be a good meeting place. (Lead discussion towards public place in the
school, meeting room, or lunch room in the school.)
Assessment:
Place four questions on the board for students to reflect on in their social studies notebook
where they will turn in for teacher to look at:
1. One thing you found interesting.
2. What did the colonists do because they were mad at King George III?
3. What would you discuss at the meeting with the teachers, for ideas as a revolt on the
Superintendent for making paper rule?
4. What do you want to know more about?
6 LESSON MODULE
Day 2
Title: What was the Boston Tea Party? The Actual Event
Learning Goals:
Knowledge:
-Students will develop knowledge of what the Boston Tea Party was
-Students will understand the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party
-Students will recognize all parties involved in the Boston Tea Party
-Students will be able to explain why the Boston Tea Party occurred
Skills:
-Students will participate in a role-playing activity centered on the event of the Boston Tea Party.
-Students will explore various types of sources such as creating posters, activating images, documents,
etc.
-Students will be able to explain aspects of an image regarding the Boston Tea Party in depth.
Dispositions:
-Students will be able to evaluate multiple perspectives, think critically about the past, and come to terms
with the complexity of historical issues.
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Time, Continuity, & Change: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of the past and its legacy.
Power, Authority, & Governance: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for
the study of how people create, interact with, and change structures of power, authority, and governance.
Civic Ideals & Practices: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study
of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.
Materials Needed:
-Poster board
-Markers/writing utensils
-Computers/resources for students to activate
-Open space in classrooms
-Groups of 3-4 students
7 Lesson Procedures:
Introduction:
1. Hook student’s interests by leading a short conversation on taxation and how the students feel
about paying a tax on some of their most favorite items. Explain to students how back in the
year 1773, there was rarely any taxation on any items. Ask the students if they would be mad
if their favorite items became taxed and they had to pay more for those items. Explain to the
students how some items have a higher tax than other items so that one company can make
more money than another.
a. Relate the above topic to the Tax Act of 1773; explain to students how the tea was
taxed so that they could undercut the price of tea smuggled into Britain’s North
American colonies. Explain to the students how this was supposed to convince the
colonists to purchase Company tea on which the Townshend Duties were paid, thus
agreeing to accept Parliament’s right to taxation.
2. Tell the class that you are going to take a vote. Ask the students to raise their hand if they
would be mad if one of their favorite items was raised in price for such a silly reason?
Students will most likely raise their hand. Ask the students if they think that anyone was
upset about this new taxation policy on their tea? Students will reply with yes.
3. Explain to the students that a group of people did become very upset by this event. Explain
how throughout British America, colonists were objecting to the Tea Act just as they thought
they would.
4. Tell the students that the Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in
Boston in 1773. This group disguised themselves as American Indians.
a. Ask the students why they think that the group disguised themselves as American
Indians; refer to image #4 and show this image to the students.
5. Explain to the students that this group of “Indians” destroyed an entire ship load of tea which
had been sent by the East India Company in defiance of the Tea Act.
a. Ask students how they feel about this outrage? Would this be something that they
would do if their favorite items were raised in price? Remind the students how
money was different back in the day.
6. Create a list on the board of why the students think that this group was so outraged and acted
the way that they did.
7. Show the students image #5 and asks the students to distinguish between the two groups of
people which is which. Ask the students to list characteristics between the two groups that
helped them come to this decision. It is important for the students to be able to tell which is
group is which and be able to list noticeable characteristics of the two to show understanding
of what the two groups were identified as.
8. Explain to the students that this was a peaceful protest. Ask students to raise their hands and
explain what they think that means. The destroyers of the tea did just that, they destroyed the
tea and nothing else on the ship. They didn’t steal or destroy anything else; they left
everything except for the tea the exact same way as it was before they left. Ask the students
to look at image #6 and describe why they think that the “Indians” harmed nothing but the
tea? Why didn’t they take the opportunity to steal other goods? Why does this make for a
peaceful protest? Write your answers down on a scratch paper to share with the class.
9. Finish the conversation by splitting the group into 3-4 groups. Explain to the students that
they will have a few minutes of spare time to research any more on the topic of the Boston
8 Tea Party, they will take ideas from this lesson and yesterday’s lesson to create a storyboard
on a provided poster to make a short skit within their group that they will present to the class.
Development:
1. Write the following question on the board, “What was the Boston Tea Party?”
2. Who were some of the key people involved in the Boston Tea Party as discussed yesterday?
3. Create a bulletin board at the front of the classroom with images and statements regarding the
Boston Tea Party.
4. Write student ideas on a chart to keep up throughout the week so that they can refer back to
them.
5. Ask students if they have any questions regarding this topic and write them down so you can
make sure they are covered as well as so you can refer back to them.
6. Inform the students that over the next few days you will be learning more about the Boston
Tea Party and go into more depth of why it occurred and what would it be like if this event
hadn’t occurred.
7. Make sure to stop throughout the lesson to ask if students have any questions or concerns,
check for understanding and repeat student answers to be able to count on full student
understanding of the topic.
Culmination:
1. Create a space in the classroom where students can refer to a computer as a source for images
and documents regarding the Boston Tea Party. Have some ideas already posted on a bulletin
board near this area to give students an idea of what they are looking for.
2. Encourage students to use this resource area if they are ever confused throughout the week or
if they need help in preparing for their skit or other activities that will take place in this
week’s lesson.
3. Create a space for students to ask questions such as a drop-box that only the teacher can read,
these questions should make the students feel more comfortable and will allow you to clear
the air of any ideas students are unsure of.
a.
Make sure to read through the questions initially before giving a response to make
sure the questions are appropriate.
Assessment:
1. Ask the students to make a poster within their groups of a short skit that they will act out. The
students should make sure that every group member has a role in the skit and that each idea
within the Boston Tea Party is clearly depicted within their skit. After completing their
poster, the students will present their skit of the Boston Tea Party to the class. Student posters
will be hung around the room for the entire week of Boston Tea Party lessons.
a. Students will be assessed on how well they can work as a group, if the skit is relevant, if
all topics are covered from the event, and if the skit is appropriate.
2. Students will have time after the lesson to research other main ideas regarding the Boston Tea
Party on the computers in class that they can use in their skit.
9 LESSON MODULE
DAY 3
Title: Why the Boston Tea Party Happened:
Learning Goals:
Knowledge:
-Students will understand the key reason for the start of the Boston Tea Party.
-Students will understand problems, issues, and dilemmas of life in the past and their causes.
-Students will understand causes and effects of events within a time period.
Skills:
-Students will begin exploring various types of primary sources such as images, documents, political
cartoons, and posters.
-Students will create a brochure using sources such as; images and facts.
Dispositions:
-Students will begin to develop an ability to evaluate multiple perspectives, think critically about the past,
and grapple with the complexity of historical issues.
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Time, Continuity, & Change: Social studies programs should include experiences that
provide for the study of the past and its legacy.
Power, Authority, & Governance: Social studies programs should include experiences
that provide for the study of how people create, interact with, and change structures of
power, authority, and governance.
People, Places, & Environment: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the
study of people, places, and environments.
10 Materials:
Construction paper
Marker/crayons
Scissors/glue
Access to technology and resources
Additional Resources about the Boston Tea Party (books, articles, websites—See Appendix II)
Lesson Procedure:
Introduction:
1. Ask students to share some of the information they have learned from the previous lessons
given.
2. Conduct a review by asking questions like; “Who were the main people in the Boston Tea
Party?” “What was the Boston Tea Party event?” “What was the main event of the Boston Tea
Party?”
3. After reviewing with the students, ask the question; “What do you think led to the Boston Tea
Party?”
4. Allow students to share and discuss their ideas with a partner, and then regroup to share with the
class.
Development:
1. Prepare the primary resources in the Appendix in this lesson module. Search for additional
information about some of the primary resources.
2. After the students have shared their ideas or predictions of why the Boston Tea Party occurred,
read the book The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freeman and read the passage “The Final Straw”
from the site http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-final-straw.
- Share pictures from Appendix I.
3. Have the students discuss what the events were that led to the Boston Tea Party. Let students
ask questions if needed to completely understand the causes.
4. Organize students into partners or they can do this individually. Each group or individual will
choose a stick out of a can; the sticks read “Patriot support” or “Dissuade Colonists.”
- “Patriot support” means that they will develop a support system to persuade the classmates to
rally Patriot support.
- “Dissuade Colonists” means that they will develop a persuading argument for the classmates to
dissuade colonists from participating.
11 4. Give students instruction that they will be making a brochure supporting the topic they picked
out from the can.
-The students are given construction paper and materials to prepare a brochure.
-Allow students to use computers and books to find facts and pictures to support their
brochure. Also, they can explore resources from Appendix II.
5. Give students time to finalize their research and finalize their brochures.
Culmination:
1. Have students come together as a class and split into the two groups; either “Patriot Support” or
“Dissuade Colonists.” Allow the students in each group to give a preview of their brochure.
- As the students are sharing in their groups, move the desk in groups of two so one student
from each topic can sit across from the other.
2. As each group finishes sharing within their group; have the students move to a desk so they are
sitting across from someone who has the opposite topic.
3. Once all students have found a seat; have the students share their brochure and inform them they
are trying to persuade the person to join your group.
-Give each group around two minutes to share. (this may vary)
4. When the group has shared; have the student from one of the topics move to the desk next to
them. Only ONE topic group needs to move. Allow that group to share their brochures.
-Repeat this until every student has shared their brochure with each student from the opposite
group. (If time allows)
5. Regroup and get the students attention. Ask the students to take a poll on who would change
sides, who would stay on their sides, or who isn’t sure?
- Have students raise their hands when answering and tally the votes on the board.
6. End the discussion with showing the tallies on the board and explaining how their brochures
made an impact. Then ask the question; “How do you think the people felt when being told to
take sides?” Allow students to write on a piece of paper what their thoughts or ideas may be to
answer that question.
Assessment:
1. Collect the students’ brochures. Evaluate them both formally and informal to check for student
understanding.
2. Collect students’ responses to the closing questions. Evaluate these both formally and
informally to check for student understanding.
12 LESSON MODULE
DAY 4
Title: What were the Ramifications of the Boston Tea Party?
Learning Goals:
Knowledge
- Students will learn three of the major events that were a result of the Boson Tea Party. (Intolerable Acts
placed on the settlers by the British, formation of the First Continental Congress, and the American
Revolutionary War)
Skills
- Learn to look at events through multiple points of view so they can gain a better understanding of the
event.
- Students will interpret pictures that a representation of feelings or events instead of a picture of the
actual event.
Dispositions
- Students will start to develop the ability to think critically about situations and how actions have
consequences. They will look at historical events and determine either what is a logical reason it
happened, or what is a logical consequence that will come from the event.
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Time, Continuity, and Change: Social Studies classes should explore the sequences of events in order to
understand the events. This will also help students understand the moral issues of the time.
Power, Authority, and Governance: It is important for students to develop a sense of fairness, as well
as a persons or group of peoples responsibilities in a specific context.
Materials:
- A partial deck of playing cards (only enough cards so each student gets one card and the number of
black cards and red cards are equal).
- Multiple giant pieces of paper
- Markers
Lesson Procedures:
Introduction:
1. Hook students by having a discussion on choices they have made and what happened as a result
of those choices.
Development:
13 1. Tell the students that we are now going to discuss the consequences of the Boston Tea Party. Tell
them that for now they are all going to pretend to be the British in 1774 who have just heard the
news of what happed in Boston. Ask the students to have a discussion they believe the British had
after hearing about the event.
2. Now have the students discuss, still as the British what they want to do about this act of rebellion.
Write down their responses on one of the giant pieces of paper.
3. Show image #10 and talk about the intolerable acts that the British put on the Colonists after the
Boston Tea Party. (taken form http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/291884/IntolerableActs)
a. Boston Port Bill – This is where the British closed to Boston Port down until they paid
the British Back for destroying the tea.
b. Massachusetts Government Act – British Military was placed in Massachusetts to
forbid any unapproved town meetings.
c. Administration of Justice Act – This act was made to make sure that the British
officials placed in America could not be charged with anything while enforcing the new
laws. This was done by allowing the trials to occur in England.
d. Quebec Act – This act shut down trade between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
e. Boston Parliament’s Quartering Act. – This forced the people in the American
colonies to house the British soldiers
4. Take another look at image 10. What do you think this picture says about the intolerable acts?
Who is who in the image? What are the different emotions in this picture?
5. Have another discussion on what the students believe the colonists will do after all of these acts
have been placed on them. This time the entire class is going to pretend to be colonists.
6. Show picture #11 and tell the students that this is what the colonists decided to do. What do you
think is going on in this picture?
7. Show picture #12. This is what was the end result of what we have been talking about for the past
4 days. What is going on in this picture?
.
Culmination:
1. This is where the students will apply all of what they have learned. Walk around the classroom
and give each student one card. (From the deck of cards you have in the materials)
2. Have the students with the black suited cards go to one side of the room and the students with the
red cards go to the other.
3. The students with the black suited cards are the Colonists, and the students with the red suited
cards are the British.
4. This time frame is just after the Boston Tea Party.
5. The British team needs to come up with ways to react to this in a manner that fits with the time
period and the Colonists need to react to the British reaction in much the same way.
6. The goal for the colonists (which is kept secret from the British) is to gain independence from the
British without a war being needed.
7. The goal for the British (which is kept secret from the Colonists) is to get the Colonists back
under the British rule without a war being needed.
Assessment:
1. Have the students make an exit card with two things they have learned and two questions they
still have.
14 APPENDIX I:
IMAGES AND GRAPHIC MATERIALS
FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
1. Image
King George III of Great Britain
15 2. Image
Liberty Tree in Boston where Sons of Liberty would meet
16 3. Image
Sons of Liberty Meeting New York City Hall
17 4. Image
Colonists dressed as Indians destroying tea and throwing it into the Boston Harbor (1773)
18 5. Image
The Sons of Liberty in hopes of sinking all making all the tea useless, the other colonists stood on boats
cheering them on.
19 6. Image
Colonists dressed as Indians destroying and unloading the tea into the Harbor, although all of the tea load
was destroyed, nothing else on the ship was harmed.
20 7. Image
Sons of Liberty Meeting New York City Hall
21 8. Image
A mob pouring tea into the mouth of a Loyalist who has been tarred and feathered. Behind the group, on
the right, is the “Liberty Tree” from which hangs a noose and a sign “Stamp Act” written upside down;
on the left, revolutionaries on a ship pouring crates of tea into the water.
22 9. Image
Cartoon shows America, seated on the left, and a sombre Britannia treated to a glass lantern presentation
on the American Revolution. Father Time, leaning against a globe; provides a commentary on the
momentous events projected by the lantern: an exploding teapot, the Boston Tea Party, over a fire that is
fueled by paper taxed by the Stamp Act and fanned by the Gallic cock sitting on a bellows; as American
troops advance on the right, British troops flee on the left.
23 10. Image
This is a dramatization of the Intolerable Acts placed on the settlers after the Boston Tea Party. This
image is titled “The Bostonians in Distress. The people in the boat are the British and the people in the
cage are the Bostonians.
24 11. Image
First Continental Congress (1774). After the British made the Intolerable Acts, the American Congress
formed the First Continental Congress and meet to decide how they could petition the acts. They met in
September and October during the year 1774. Eventually all of this lead to the American Revolution.
25 12. Image
Ultimately the Boston Tea Party was an act of rebellion. It led to several different events of reactions to
the other sides reaction. All of this ultimately led to the settlers wanting their independence for Britain
thus the American Revolution started
26 APPENDIX II
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WEBLIOGRAPHY
OF RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
Bibliography of Children’s Literature
Freedman, Russell, and Peter Malone.The Boston Tea Party. New York: Holiday House, 2012.
Print.
Webliography of Supporting Online Resources for Teachers
Boston Tea Party Ship: The Aftermath
"Boston Tea Party Aftermath | 1773 | Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum." Boston Tea Party
Aftermath | 1773 | Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-aftermath>.
Boston Tea Party Ship: Secret Meetings
"Boston Tea Party Secret Meetings | Planning the Boston Tea Party | Boston Tea Party Ships and
Museum." Boston Tea Party Secret Meetings | Planning the Boston Tea Party | Boston Tea Party
Ships and Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/thesecret-plan>.
Boston tea party ship: The Tea Crisis
"Tea Crisis | Boston Tea Party | Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum." Tea Crisis | Boston Tea
Party | Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-final-straw>.