Road to
Revolution
Choose Your Own Adventure
• The city of Boston is abuzz with excitement. Last
year, the American Revolution began with the
fighting at Lexington and Concord. With the
tremendous colonial effort at the battle of Bunker
Hill, the militia has given colonists who believe in the
revolution a real reason for believing they can beat
the British. The time and location of the story is
January 29, 1776, Boston, Massachusetts. You are a
Boston shoemaker who will be faced with decisions
which will reflect your opinions on Independence
and your loyalty to the cause of revolution.
• Start your adventure!
• It is the morning of January 29, 1776, as you walk to
your shoemaker shop in downtown Boston, you
overhear two other colonists talking about a new
pamphlet that is popping up around the city. Do
you…
• Walk over to the men and ask about the document
• Continue walking to your shop
• You walk over to the two men and ask them what
they are talking about. They look from one another
then to you before one of the men finally says a
new pamphlet is being distributed through the city.
It is called Common Sense by Thomas Paine. The
other man pulls a pamphlet from his back pocket
and offers it to you. Do you…
• Say, thanks but I’m not interested.
• Take one of the pamphlets to read later.
• Begin reading the pamphlet with the men.
• Your refusal to read a patriotic document has
peaked the interest of the other men. They quickly
think of numerous insults to throw at your for your
apparent lack of interest in the patriot cause. You
quickly leave the men and head to your shop. Over
the next six months, not a single person enters your
shop, you are labeled a loyalist, your business fails,
and you begin a life of poverty.
• Start Again!
• You aren’t especially interested, yet you decide to
take a pamphlet to read during the boring
moments of your day. In your spare time you
decide to read…
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• You read chapter one to find out this pamphlet is
criticizing King George III for taxes imposed on the
colonists. The message is loud and clear that the
colonists would be better off without British rule. Do
you…
• Continue reading into chapter two
• Decide you have had enough for the day and set
the pamphlet aside.
• You decide not to finish the book, and eventually it
becomes lost. As the months pass, the colonial
passion for independence grows and you are left
out of the loop. Most of the conversations going on
in the city you cannot contribute to and soon, you
are an outcast.
• Start Again!
• You continue to read chapter two which discusses
the belief that the people are sovereign over the
condition of their lives. This means that the people
should make the laws of their government and not
a king.
• Continue to read chapter three
• Decide you have had enough for the day and set
the pamphlet aside.
• Chapter 3 is a call for independence! You realize
that after reading all of the pamphlet, it is time to
close the store.
• Move on until the end of 1776
• You take a pamphlet from the men and begin to read
the first page. The document is called Common Sense
written by Thomas Paine. The first statement you read
calls the colonists to declare independence from Britain.
The other two men seem excited and obviously agree
with the call for independence. One of the men playfully
punches you in the arm and says, “I’ve been saying we
should break away since those dirty Lobsterbacks
opened fire on King Street back in 1770!” Do you…
• Agree with the men
• Disagree with the men
• The two men take a liking to you and decide, as a
shop owner, you would be a perfect resource to
spread the message of independence. They give
you a pile of pamphlets to distribute in your shop.
You are excited to have an important role in the
patriot cause.
• Start Again!
• Over the course of the next week, as the rest of the
city begins to read this document, the colonists are
talking about only one thing, INDEPENDENCE! You
help with this effort by taking a number of
pamphlets to your store to distribute to customers.
You have caught the Independence fever and the
only prescription is freedom from Britain! You will do
anything to support the cause.
• Start Again!
• You disagree with the men and a shouting match
ensues. The men do not appreciate your lack of
patriotism. To demonstrate their displeasure, they
carry you to the closest dock and throw you into
Boston Harbor.
• Start Again!
• For the next five months, the city of Boston become
a center for patriotic ideas. George Washington
and the Continental Army push the British out of
Boston, and soon enough, the only topic being
discussed in the colonies declaring independence
from Britain. One night after work, you go to a local
tavern to enjoy some spirits.
• Go to the Tavern
• When you walk into the tavern you immediately
notice a group of men discussing the poor
condition of the Continental Army and rumors of
where George Washington is leading his troops. Do
you…
• Join in on the conversation
• Sit close by and eavesdrop on the conversation
• Some of the other men in the tavern notice you
leaning in, trying to hear the conversation. When
they confront you, it is apparent they believe you
are a loyalist spy trying to gather information about
the Continental Army. You try to explain but a
crowd soon gathers around you. Do you…
• Try to make a run for it.
• Try to explain the situation.
• Your efforts to run through the crowd of angry
colonists fail and before you know it, you are
hanging by your feet from the Liberty Tree.
• Re-enter the Tavern
• Although you make a strong argument that you are
not a British spy, the men cannot be sure and just for
a little fun decide to hang out upside down from
the Liberty Tree.
• Re-enter Tavern
• You share the latest gossip of Washington and his
troops that you have heard in your shop. The men
of the tavern can tell you are an intelligent lad and
ask you whether you believe the British government
has the right to rule over them.
• You are not quite sure what the man is asking and
ask him to explain a bit more.
• You say the British have all the power and colonists
shouldn’t be threatening the British.
• The patriots in the tavern hear your comments and
decide that you do not belong. They take you
outside, tar and feather you, and mock you for
hours before leaving you alone in the street. Nice
going…
• Re-enter Tavern
• The men explain that there was once a time
BEFORE there were governments. The term for this
time period is the “State of Nature”. They also
explain to you that there were once two
philosophers that had different opinions as to what
this “State of Nature” was like. Their names were,
Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Do you…
• Ask what philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed.
• Ask what philosopher John Locke believed.
• You ask what Locke’s opinion was and the men tell
you Locke believed people were born free and
equal. He also believed the “Social Contract” was
a belief where people formed governments only to
PROTECT the freedom and equality that ALL people
have. If a government decided to violate those
rights, people should be allowed to overthrow the
government. Do you…
• Agree with this belief?
• Want to hear Hobbes opinion on government
before agreeing with one or the other.
• The men explain that Hobbes believed life before
government was violent and death was common
because of constant fighting. Hobbes believed people
formed governments to protect people from violence.
The people made a “Social Contract” with governments
saying they will obey the government and government’s
job was to protect the people. Hobbes also believed the
people had NO right to overthrow the government. Do
you…
• Agree with this idea?
• Disagree and ask to hear John Locke’s opinion on
government.
• Congratulations! You have agreed with the ideas
that many colonists believed during this time! The
Declaration of Independence stated that all
people have unalienable rights (rights that cannot
be taken away). Also, the declaration stated King
George III violated the colonists rights and colonists
had the right to break away from Britain.
• Back to Beginning
• Your belief in Hobbes theory matches exactly what
a loyalist would say. You believe the colonies are
better off under Britain’s rule, and the colonists have
no right to overthrow the government.
Unfortunately, the other men do not feel the same
way and you have to escape the tavern before
you are beaten to a pulp. When home, you decide
to move to Canada instead of living in fear for the
rest of your days.
• Re-enter the Tavern
• Customers are coming in and out of your shop all
day. They are all talking about this pamphlet you
heard about in the morning. Your curiosity is
beginning to get the better of you. Do you…
• Ask one of the customers about the pamphlet.
• You assume the pamphlet is patriot propaganda
and yell at your customers for making treasonous
comments in your store and kick them out.
• You ask one of the customers where you can get
one of the pamphlets. He pulls one from his pocket
and hands it to you. He says, “Don’t let any
redcoats see you with that, Lad,” and walks out of
the store. Do you…
• Begin to read the pamphlet.
• Set it aside to read during downtime.
• The customers do not appreciate your threats. Over
the next six months, the entire town has boycotted
your store. Not a single person enters your shop,
your business fails, and you begin a life of poverty.
• Start again!