U.S. HISTORY ASSIGNMENT
“THE PATRIOT” ANALYSIS
DIRECTIONS: You will be watching The Patriot in class. If you miss class time, it is your
responsibility to either watch the part you missed on your own time, or ask a classmate to fill you
in on what you missed. After watching the film, write a short paper addressing the questions
listed below. You must use at least two references (other than the movie) in preparing your
response. References must be cited properly using MLA documentation. You can visit the
school’s library website for more information on MLA documentation. Your grade will be based
on the rubric on page two of this handout. The assignment will be due approximately one week
after the completion of the movie.
1. How does the American militia’s style of fighting contrast to that of the British? What role
did the militia’s style of fighting play in the colonies winning their freedom from the
British?
2. Who were Loyalists and the Patriots and what percentage of colonial population did each
group comprise during the American Revolution? How does the movie depict Loyalists?
Explain why Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a “Patriot”?
GENERAL GUIDELINES:
 Your paper should include the following elements
o Introduction
 Introduce the movie and how it relates to U.S. history
o Body
 Address the questions above using detail.
 Use clear topic sentences that make the reader want to continue reading.
 Should be 2 – 3 paragraphs minimum
o Conclusion
 Summarize the main ideas of your paper
“The Patriot” Analysis Rubric
4
3
2
Amount of
Information
All topics are
addressed and all
questions answered
with at least 2
sentences about
each.
All topics are
addressed and most
questions answered
with at least 2
sentences about
each.
All topics are
One or more topics
addressed, and most were not addressed.
questions answered
with 1 sentence
about each.
Sources
All sources are
accurately
documented in the
desired format.
All sources are
accurately
documented, but a
few are not in the
desired format.
All sources are
accurately
documented, but
many are not in the
desired format.
Mechanics
No grammatical,
spelling or
punctuation errors.
Almost no
A few grammatical
grammatical, spelling spelling, or
or punctuation errors punctuation errors.
Quality of
Information
Information clearly
answers the
questions. It includes
several supporting
details and/or
examples.
Information clearly
answers the
questions. It provides
1-2 supporting
details and/or
examples.
CATEGORY
1
Some sources are
not accurately
documented.
Many grammatical,
spelling, or
punctuation errors.
Information clearly
Information has little
answers the
or nothing to do with
questions. No details the questions.
and/or examples are
given.
“The Patriot” Notes: