Title
Skill

Activity

Claims/Warrants
Procedure
Timing/Pacing
Notes

Imperialism in China: The Opium War
Making a Strong argument
Modified Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates
 Claim: The British’s actions in the Opium War were justified.
 Students will generate warrants. Examples supporting the claim:
o Opium was used for medicinal purposes in Europe and therefore
the British could not have assumed it would be abused as a drug.
o China’s policy of isolationism was preventing the free exchange of
commerce and ideas; Britain was trying to open up the country.
o When the Chinese government destroyed British property and
refused to trade, the British government had no other choice.
 Examples of warrants refuting the claim:
o It should have been clear from the sheer volume of opium
imports that the product was causing a deadly and debilitating
addiction among the Chinese.
o The British violated Chinese law by bribing Chinese merchants
and officials once opium was declared illegal.
o The British had a trade deficit because they failed to produce any
goods worthy of the Chinese public until they decided to become
drug traffickers.
 Have students pair up and hold mini-debates on the claim above.
 After both sides have made initial arguments and rebuttals, ask
students to share out the best warrants they heard on each side. List
these on the board and, as a class, choose three warrants in defense of
the claim and three warrants refuting it.
 Have students write down these warrants in a graphic organizer.
 Divide the class in half. One half will focus on the three warrants
supporting the claim; the other half will focus on the three warrants
countering the claim.
 Have each half of the class perform Choosing the Best Warrant Mini
Debates in groups of three.
 Lead a whole-class share-out debriefing both sets of debates.
 Students need to understand Chinese isolationism, the advanced
nature of Chinese society and goods, and the refusal of the British to
follow Chinese trade norms like paying tribute and the kowtow. They
also need basic knowledge of the Opium Wars—the initial importation,
the deadly impact of opium and creation of opium dens, and the
response of the Chinese government. Finally, they will need to
understand the concept of a trade deficit and the factors motivating
the British to find something of value to export to China.
 The activity should take 30-45 minutes.
Students are often outraged by the actions of the British during the
Follow-Up Activity
Texts
Opium Wars. Forcing them to defend those actions helps them
understand larger issues around economic imperialism during this era.
Defeating the Critic Paragraph using the claim above
A standard textbook entry on the Opium Wars, supplemented by primary
sources from both British and Chinese perspectives (e.g., Commissioner
Lin’s letter to Queen Victoria in 1839)
Name:____________________________________ Class:______________ Date:______________
Choosing the Best Warrant Mini-Debate
Background Information:
Claim: The British’s actions in the Opium War were justified.
Warrant 1:
Warrant 2:
Warrant 3:
Claim: The British’s actions in the Opium War were NOT justified.
Warrant 1:
Warrant 2:
Warrant 3:
Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates – Which warrant best proves the claim is true?
Before the Mini Debate write the two reasons you believe your warrant best proves the claim is true in the top two boxes in the appropriate
column (i.e. warrant 1 or warrant 2).
Claim: The British’s actions in the Opium War were justified.
My warrant (Warrant __) best
proves the claim is true
because…
1st Reason
warrant
best proves
the claim is
true.
2nd Reason
warrant
best proves
the claim is
true.
Boston Debate League © 2012
My 1st opponent argues warrant My 2nd opponent argues warrant
___ best proves the claim is true ___ best proves the claim is true
because…
because…
Choosing the Best Warrant Mini Debates – Which warrant best proves the claim is true?
Before the Mini Debate write the two reasons you believe your warrant best proves the claim is true in the top two boxes in the appropriate
column (i.e. warrant 1 or warrant 2).
Claim: The British’s actions in the Opium War were NOT justified.
My warrant (Warrant __) best
proves the claim is true
because…
1st Reason
warrant
best proves
the claim is
true.
2nd Reason
warrant
best proves
the claim is
true.
Boston Debate League © 2012
My 1st opponent argues warrant My 2nd opponent argues warrant
___ best proves the claim is true ___ best proves the claim is true
because…
because…