Tensions Mount

This week we lived through the major events leading up to the American Revolution. Your historical dialogues allowed you to empathize both with the British government, which desperately needed money to finance the French and Indian War debt, and with the colonists, who were frustrated with what they saw as restraints on their rights as British citizens. Tensions mounted as taxes were imposed and boycotts conducted. Each side felt its actions were right and justified.

British troops arrived in Boston to impose order but the sight of the brightly uniformed soldiers infuriated the colonists. The colonists had been taunting the soldiers for months and in March 1770 the tension erupted in gun fire. The soldiers fired into the snow ball throwing crowd and killed five colonists. Sam Adams, one of the best organizers of the Revolution, quickly labeled this event the Boston Massacre. Paul Revere’s engraving of the event quickly spread throughout the other colonies, as evidence that British soldiers were sent to inflict harm on the colonists. More about this event next week when we read both primary and secondary sources on the Massacre and try to figure out what really happened!

While the events you portrayed in your dialogues happened in the past, the skills and techniques you used to understand multiple perspectives can still be used today. While you work on your current events assignment, ask yourself questions: is this the whole story? Is there another point of view I should be considering? Keep pushing for a fuller understanding of the event and its implications.

The Power of Ideas

Over the weekend you will be reading and thinking about the ideas that led to the Revolution. You will see Americans starting to read, think, and discuss the ideas that people were born with certain rights and that they should be able to rule themselves.

The best selling pamphlet in 1776 was “Common Sense” written by Thomas Paine. Using simple and direct language that all could understand, Paine argued that it was common sense that people did not need a King and that the colonies should break away from England. We will continue to look at these ideas as we read excerpts from “Common Sense” and as we explore these ideas as embodied in “The Declaration of Independence.”

John Adams

This is a friendly reminder that on November 14, Period 2 will be holding its first accountable talk activity focused on chapters 2 and 3 of John Adams. You need to come with an open ended question and/or a provocative comment that can be used to foster our text based discussion. You must have your John Adams text for the discussion to meet standard. I am looking forward to hearing your self-directed discussion.

Veteran’s Day

Please take a moment today to remember why November 11 is a national holiday. We should all pause to salute the many men and women who have served our country.

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences

November 16 has been set aside as a time for parents, teachers, and students to meet. It is a great opportunity to review your progress and to plan what you want to accomplish during the school year.

Where in the World?

Can you identify the location where these two photos were taken?