CHAPTER 6 OBJECTIVE
The student will understand the events
that pushed Great Britain and the American
colonies apart and ultimately led to the
signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Road to
Revolution 1763–1776
CHAPTER
6
Section 1
Tighter
British
Control
HISTORY FROM VISUALS
Interpreting the Illustration Ask students to study
the engraving of British troops arriving in the
colonies. Have them draw conclusions about the
mood of the colonists and explain why they might
feel that way. Possible Responses The colonists
were angry because they saw the influx of British
troops as a sign of Britain’s attempt to restrict their
freedom. The colonists felt nervous and uneasy
about living among so many armed British troops.
Extension Have students write a descriptive paragraph about the scene in this painting.
Section 2
Colonial
Resistance
Grows
Section 3
The Road to
Lexington
and
Concord
Section 4
Declaring
Independence
CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITY
Making Inferences Have the students look at
the titles of the sections in this chapter. Ask
them how the images on these opening pages
illustrate the ideas found in the section titles.
Then ask them what images they would expect
to see illustrate the rest of the chapter.
Angry confrontations between
colonial protestors and British Red
Coats became common as the colonies
moved towards independence.
Class Time 10 minutes
1763
Proclamation of
1763 becomes law.
USA
World
1769
Spanish begin to
establish military
posts and missions
in California.
1763
1763
Treaty of Paris ends
Seven Years’ War in
Europe.
156
1767
Townshend
Acts are
passed.
1765
Stamp Act
is passed.
1765
Chinese forces
invade Burma.
1769
Scotland’s James Watt patents a
steam engine capable of
running other machines.
CHAPTER 6
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
BOOKS FOR THE TEACHER
Maier, Pauline. American Scripture:
Making the Declaration of
Independence. New York: A. A.
Knopf, 1997. A closer look at the
creation of the nation’s cornerstone
document.
156 CHAPTER 6
Miller, John C. Origins of the
American Revolution. Stanford: SU
Press, 1957. An examination of events
that led to the Revolutionary War.
Zobel, Hiller B. The Boston
Massacre. New York: W. W. Norton,
1970. An examination of the
famous prewar shooting incident.
The American Revolution. A&E
Home Video, 1994. See episodes
one and two, “The Conflict Ignites”
and “1776.”
Morgan, Edmund S. and Helen M.
The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to
Revolution. Chapel Hill: The UNC
Press, 1953. A look at one of the pivotal events leading up to the war.
VIDEOS
Liberty! The American Revolution.
PBS Video, 1998. See episode one,
“The Reluctant Revolutionaries.”
For more about the American Revolution,
visit . . .
INTERNET
classzone.com
CHAPTER 6 • INTERACT
Interact with History
Interact with History
OBJECTIVES
The year is 1765. Your neighbors are enraged
The bayonets, or blades, on
the soldiers’ gun were very
dangerous in close combat.
by Britain’s demand that British troops be
housed in American cities at American
expense. Britain has never done this before.
• To help students identify one reason for
the growing tension between Britain and
the colonies
• To help students better understand the mood
of the American colonists in the years before
the Revolutionary War
There are protests in many cities. You have
What Do You Think?
to decide what you would do.
1. Ask students how they would react if
the government forced a policy upon them.
2. Have students consider why a large public
rally is an effective way to protest an
unpopular policy.
3. Ask students to think about the different
ways the British could react to the
colonists’ protest.
Would you join
the protest?
What Do You Think?
Would you join
the protest?
• What is the best way to show opposition to
policies you consider unjust?
• Is there anything to be gained by protesting?
Anything to be lost?
Encourage students to think about the bestand worst-case scenarios facing the protesters.
Possible scenarios: best—Britain removes the
troops; worst—British troops jail or beat the
protesters.
• Does government have the right to make
demands without consent of the people?
Why or why not?
The fife and drum corps played music to
keep soldiers at a steady march. During
battle, the drummers beat out orders and
the fifers carried messages and stretchers.
MAKING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS
CLASSZONE.COM
Ask students to think about policies either in
their homes or community that they considered
unjust. What did they do to protest? Did their
protest achieve anything? Why or why not?
Visit the Chapter 6 links for more information
about the American Revolution.
1773
Boston Tea Party
1770
Boston Massacre
RESEARCH LINKS
1774
Intolerable Acts
are passed; First
Continental
Congress meets.
1776
1775 Declaration of
Battles of Lexington Independence
is signed.
and Concord
1776
1772
Captain Cook explores
the South Pacific.
1774
Reign of Louis XVI
begins in France.
The Road to Revolution
157
TIME LINE DISCUSSION
Explain to students that after the
Seven Years’ War, Great Britain was
the most powerful nation in Europe.
Its colonial empire included North
America, holdings in the Caribbean,
and India. In light of Britain’s
strength, the American colonists’
declaration of independence seemed
all the more bold and daring.
• Ask students how many years it
was from Britain’s passage of the
Stamp Act to the Intolerable Acts.
Answer Nine years.
• Ask students to hypothesize what
colonists thought about these acts
based on the events shown
between 1774 and 1776.
Possible Response The colonists
opposed these acts, for what followed them were fighting and a
declaration of independence
from British rule.
• Have students look at the time
line and determine which world
event and U.S. event are linked.
Possible Response The two events
in 1763 are linked. The end of the
Seven Years’ War set up the need
for the proclamation.
Teacher’s Edition 157
CHAPTER 6 • READING STRATEGY
CHAPTER
6
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
Reading Strategy:
Sequencing Events
What Do You Know?
Students may know that Britain and the
colonists clashed over the issue of taxes. Tell
them that the increased taxation was just one
example of Britain’s attempt to achieve greater
control over the colonies after the French and
Indian War. Remind them that Britain had long
allowed the colonies to develop with a notable
degree of independence. As Britain sought to
reverse this policy, however, tensions grew.
What do you already know about the time before the Revolution? What were
the issues that caused the colonists to choose independence?
Think About
• what you have learned about this period from
movies, television, or historical fiction
• reasons people in history have chosen to fight for
freedom from oppression
• your responses to the Interact with History about
joining the protest (see page 157)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
What Do You Want to Know?
Have students work in pairs to generate questions about what they want to know about the
American Revolution.
What questions do you have about the issues and events that pushed the
American colonists toward rebellion? Record them in your notebook before you
read the chapter.
SEQUENCING EVENTS
Sequencing Events
Tell students that sequencing events, or arranging them in chronological order, will help them
to better understand the relationship among
those events. By sequencing events in a chart
such as the one shown here, students can more
clearly see the cause-and-effect relationship
among historical events.
Sequencing means putting events in the order in which they happen in time. In learning
about how the American colonies moved toward independence, it would be helpful to list
the important events. Place them in the order in which they occurred. You might record the
event and its date in a graphic organizer such as the one below. Copy this organizer in your
notebook. Fill it in as you read the chapter.
See Skillbuilder Handbook, page R4.
In-Depth Resources: Unit 2
• Setting the Stage: Reading Strategy, p. 1
Taking Notes
Critical Thinking Transparency CT16
• Setting the Stage: Reading Strategy
HISTORICAL THEME
Proclamation of 1763
Stamp Act, 1765
Declaratory Act, 1766
Townshend Acts, 1767
Intolerable Acts, 1774
Boston Tea Party, 1773
Tea Act, 1773
Boston Massacre, 1770
First Continental
Congress, 1774
Battles of Lexington
and Concord, 1775
Second Continental
Congress, 1775
Declaration of
Independence, 1776
Impact of the Individual
Ask students why strong and popular leaders
would be so important to the colonists’
attempts to gain independence from Great
Britain. Possible Response Strong and dynamic
leaders are vital to such an effort because they
inspire citizens and help them to maintain their
courage and determination.
In-Depth Resources: Unit 2
• Tracing Themes: Impact of the Individual, p. 2
158
CHAPTER 6
TEACHING STRATEGY
READING THE CHAPTER
This is a chronological chapter focusing on the chain of events that led to
the colonists’ declaring their independence from Great Britain. Encourage
students to look for the causes and effects of each event. Have them also
consider how each event increased tensions between Britain and the
colonies. Pause after each section to summarize the causes and effects
of the main events described in the section.
158 CHAPTER 6
ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT
The Chapter Assessment describes two activities for alternative
assessment on page 187. You may wish to have students work on
these activities during the course of the chapter and then present
them at the end.