American Revolution Web Quest
Introduction
The
Task
Roles
Resources
The
Process
Evaluation
A crisis has changed American history and only you and your team of experts can fix it. Apparently the American Revolution never happened and the British Colonies of America have replaced the United States of America due to someone tampering with time. Consequently, all of history as you knew it has been wiped out and the life of people living in North America has changed drastically on a variety of levels. Only your team remembers the way things "used to be" because you are the ones who were traveling in the world's first time machine when this disaster occurred. Could your test flight have caused this disaster? Can you change time back again? Should you? As your group frantically tries to answer these questions, you realize that only by returning to the precise moment where history changed will you be able to repair reality as you knew it. The race is on. Hurry!
The class will be divided in groups of four, each member of the group having a specific role.
1. Research the actual events of the American Revolution
2. Identify a list of turning points that could have led
to the British winning the war
instead of the United States.
Create a timeline for these events.
3. Explain how the British victory would have changed life in North
America in ways
specific to assigned areas of expertise.
4. Offer a proposed course of action that either supports a second
trip into the past to
return history to the way it was or to leave the timeline
in its altered form because
you perceive it as a better reality.
Historian:
How did the history of North America develop differently
because the British won the Revolution? In what ways did this victory
influence the treatment of the many races who came to live in North
America? Did the French and the Spanish maintain a presence in a British
dominated North America? What happened to the heroes of American history
who ended up losing the American Revolution and what key events were changed
that led to British victory?
Politician:
How did the political system of the British Colonies
of America develop differently from the democratic government of the United
States? Did the Colonists become British citizens with the right to elect
their own representatives to the British Parliament? Did any of the heroes
of American history become the "King" of the British Colonies of America?
In what ways were religious freedom changed by the victory of the British?
How was a leader chosen in the British colonies, what power did they hold, and
how did this differ from life in a United States ruled by an elected
president?
Reporter:
How did the lifestyle of the British colonists
change with the loss of the Revolution? Were the Loyalists given power
over the Patriots? Did the basic rights of freedom of the press and
freedom of speech develop in a British controlled North America? How was
the life of the Native Americans improved or worsened by British control?
Did the North and South continue to develop as different cultures, one religious
and the other material? What were the important values of the
British colonists and how did they differ from the American Way?
Economist:
How did the economy of the British colonies of
America change after the loss of the Revolution? Did mercantilism continue
to grow raw materials in America and manufacture goods for sale to the world in
England? What crops were important to providing income to the British
Colonies of America and who did they trade with? Were slaves still an
important part of trade in the British colonies and if not, why? Were
taxes once again used to pay for the French-Indian War and were they abandoned
once the British colonists had repaid their debt to England? How did the
common citizen make money and support a family in the British Colonies of
America and how did this differ from life in the early United
States?
Fortunately for your research team, the following Internet links are sources of information concerning the United States as it was before this crisis occurred. Use the links to help locate information about the American Revolution to help you form an educated opinion about what has happened and whether or not time should be repaired.
African Americans and the American Revolution
The American Revolution and Its Era (Maps)
The Encarta Encyclopedia Article: The American Revolution
Hispanics in the American Revolution
Religion and the American Revolution
What if the American Revolution had been avoided?
http://library.thinkquest.org/11683/HomeMain.html
1. Groups of four will be assigned by the teacher.
2. Each group member will be assigned a role: Historian, Politician, Reporter,
and
Economist.
3. Students will use research materials to assist in their fact finding efforts.
4. The group will use their gathered research to develop a timeline of the Revolutionary
War, charting major events above the line and potential changes below the line
that
could have led to a British victory.
Example: Sons of Liberty sneak aboard a ship and destroy tea from
England
__________________________________________________
Sons of Liberty are killed aboard a ship because the British knew they were coming.
5. After the group produces their timeline, each member should research the
issues of
their role using the sites offered above and other resources to answer
the questions
listed. Online notes should be cut and pasted into a
word processing document to
serve as a quote list. Note cards with bibliographical information should be taken
from print sources.
6. Each member of the group should summarize their findings and speculations
addressing the report issues appropriate to their role using the questions
listed below.
Be sure to include support and citations from your resources.
Historian:
A. How
was history supposed to go?
B. What key event was changed and how?
C. How has history been different since this change?
D. Are
the British Colonies of America a better or worse place to live than the
United
States? Why?
Politician:
A. How did America's democratic
government work and describe what events led
up to it's
creation?
B. What British political
institutions and policies changed the evolution of
government in the
British Colonies?
C. How has the government of North
America developed differently because of
continued
British rule?
D. Is the British form of
government that evolved in the British Colonies of America
better or
worse
that the
American democracy? Why?
Reporter:
A. What were the political and
social problems that led to the American Revolution?
B. How did the basic rights of
people living in the colonies change and differ from
U.S. History when
the British
won the Revolution?
C. What religious and racial
acceptance issues developed differently in North
America due to a
British victory?
D. Did the lifestyle of the
citizens in the 13 colonies improve or worsen as a result of
continued
British rule? Why?
Economist:
A. What were the economic policies
of trade and taxation like in America before
and after the Revolution?
B. How did the economy of the 13
colonies change as a result of continued British
control and
influence?
C. In what ways did the British
Colonies of America deal with issues like taxation,
representative
government, and slavery that were different from the United
States?
D. Was there more or less
opportunity for individual economic success for the
common colonists after the
British crushed or avoided the Revolution? why?
7. Each student will share their findings with their group
and together prepare a cover
letter using quotes from their research to either
support or reject the idea of
repairing the timeline.
8. Each group will share their cover letter with the rest of the class and a
Socratic
Seminar will take place on this question:
"Time travel can only destroy history and therefore should never be attempted again."
An inner/outer circle will be used for the discussion so that only one member of a group is participating at a given moment. After everyone has had a chance to participate the issue will be put to a vote.
Example: "If you could go back in time and kill Hitler as a child to save the world from his later crimes would you do it?", "Right now the lives of the people living in the new timeline will be destroyed if you change history back to the way it was. What gives you the right to do that?", "If history were changed in the past, how would we know things were different?"
9. The final reports for each group will be collected and submitted for grading after the seminar.
10. Students will write a one-page final reflection expressing their own
thoughts and
feelings on the issues raised in the seminar
discussion.
The final grade will be based on the combined scores for the Timeline, Expert Report, and Socratic Reflection for each student.
Project Grading Rubrics
Timeline
5 = greater than 10 events with appropriate explanations
4 = 10 events with appropriate explanations.
3 = 10 events without appropriate explanations.
2 = less than 10 events without appropriate explanation
1 = Incomplete Timeline
0 = No evidence of work completed.
1-5 * 10 = 50 pts possible.
Expert Report:
Content Criteria
5 = 4 or more sections and an appropriate
cover letter including the group's
recommended course of action.
4 = 4 sections and an appropriate cover letter
including the group's recommended
course of action.
3 = 3 sections and an appropriate cover letter
including the group's recommended
course of action.
2 = 2 sections and an appropriate cover letter
including the group's recommended
course of action.
1 = 1 section and an appropriate cover letter including the group's
recommended course of action.
0 = No evidence of a report.
Conventions Criteria
4 = Almost no errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
3 = Regular errors in punctuation, grammar, and
spelling that do not interfere with
comprehension.
2 = Regular errors in punctuation, grammar, and
spelling that interfere or destroy
meaning.
1 = Errors are so numerous that comprehension is impossible.
0 = Illegible or Unintelligible.
Content: 1-5 * 10 = 50 pts possible
+
Conventions: 1-4 * 10 = 40 pts possible
=
Total Report Score: 90 pts possible
Socratic Reflection:
Content Criteria:
3 = At least1 pages of reflection appropriately addressing the seminar issues.
2 = < 1 pages of reflection appropriately addressing the seminar issues.
0 = No Evidence of a report.
*Appropriate criteria addresses the pros, cons, and reasoning behind the student's opinions supported by several arguments.
Conventions Criteria:
3 = Almost no errors.
2 = Many errors that don't interfere with comprehension.
1 = Many errors that interfere with comprehension.
0 = Illegible or incomprehensible.
Content: 1-3 * 10 = 30 pts possible
+
Conventions 1-3 * 10 = 30 pts possible
=
Socratic Reflection Total: 60 pts possible