Turmoil begins
Essential Question:
What happened to lead the colonists to the American Revolution?
Guiding Questions:
What was the French and Indian war?
What was the outcome of the French and Indian war?
Who fought in the French and Indian war?
Lesson Development (activities, discussion, and vocabulary):
Vocabulary:
Proclamation - a declaration
Confederacy - an alliance
Treaty - a formal agreement
Standards:
5.H.1.1 Evaluate the relationships between European explorers (French, Spanish and English) and American Indian groups, based on accuracy of historical information (beliefs, fears and leadership).
5.H.1.2 Summarize the political, economic and social aspects of colonial life in the thirteen colonies.
5.H.1.3 Analyze the impact of major conflicts, battles and wars on the development of our nation through Reconstruction.
What happened to lead the colonists to the American Revolution?
Guiding Questions:
What was the French and Indian war?
What was the outcome of the French and Indian war?
Who fought in the French and Indian war?
Lesson Development (activities, discussion, and vocabulary):
- BrainPOP: Show students the introductory video on BrainPOP titled "The French and Indian War" at the beginning of the lesson.
- Write the following questions on the board in a checklist style to guide students through the lesson but also allow them to see the whole picture from the beginning of the lesson: Who were the people involved? What were they fighting for? How did the war end? How did the French and Indian War set the stage leading to the Revolutionary War?
- Leave this picture (posted below) of the people involved in the war on the Smart Board and begin to answer the first question of who was involved in the war. Read the two page description posted below, and found at this website, aloud with the whole class. Together, highlight the major information about the French, the British, and The Indians. To conclude the whole class research about who was involved, have students write a summary paragraph giving background on each of the three parties involved. This may include why they were there, who they did and did not get along with, their wants and needs, etc.
- To find out what they were fighting for, students will create a map that shows the land disputes created between the French, Indians, and British. I will leave a copy of the coded map on the board for students to follow, but they will have a detailed step-by-step instruction on how to fill in the map from an adapted lesson plan from The National Park Service. The maps are pictured below.
- Students will compare the geography of their new map with the map they created of the 13 colonies. As a class, we will discuss how this will affect the British positively to double their land size, and how it will affect the French and Native Americans negatively to lose so much land.
- Read the following passage form nps.org aloud with students to learn about the outcome of the wars: "On the morning of August 6, Bouquet’s troops pretended to be retreating. Instead, they circled around and attacked the warriors from another direction. Bouquet’s plan succeeded. He drove off the American Indians. Although one-quarter of his men were dead or wounded and he had lost all his flour, four days later Bouquet arrived at Fort Pitt. His arrival allowed Fort Pitt to be relieved. To settle the troubles with the American Indians, British policy makers in London decided to draw a line down the Allegheny Mountains. Everything between the mountains and the Mississippi River was reserved for the American Indians. There would be no settlements, only tradingposts. Signed in October of 1763, the act was called the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation angered settlers who had fought for land in the Ohio River Valley. Although military leaders at Fort Pitt and other forts were aware of the proclamation, they rarely enforced it and settlers continued to flock to the area. Pontiac’s War ended in 1765. The British changed their unfavorable trade policies with the American Indians. The French had not joined in fighting the British as the American Indians had hoped. The Indians were ready to resume trade. One of the conditions of peace at the end of Pontiac’s War was that the American Indians were required to return their British captives. The outcome of the French and Indian War affected all three powers. Before the French and Indian War, most wars between the old rivals France and Britain ended in a stalemate. The French and Indian War, however, had a decisive winner. Britain defeated France and became the most powerful European country. It now had a vast new empire to manage. The French were looking for an opportunity to avenge their defeat. The American Indians were faced with British rulers who were not going to stop the flow of settlers into the Ohio River Valley and other native lands. The Ohio River Valley Indians eventually lost their land. To keep their traditional lifestyle they moved further west.”
- Have students write a small, bulleted description discussing how it affected a) the colonists b) the British c) the Native Americans and d) the French.
- Split the students into 4 small groups. Assign each group one of the following 4 bullets and allow them time to discuss why it made sense and why this was indeed a reason that led to the American Revolution as a direct result of the French and Indian War. After they have had a few minutes to discuss, allow each group to give a 1-2 minute explanation to the rest of the class of their thoughts and opinions.
• The British gain a large amount of land from the French at the end of the French and Indian War. Since it was expensive to have soldiers in North America the British government began taxing the colonists to pay for these soldiers. The American colonists were upset by the taxes.
• The American colonists had worked together during the French and Indian War making it easier to work together against the British government.
• Many Americans gained military experience during the French and Indian War.
• The French joined the American Revolution to get revenge on the British. They were bitter about losing the French and Indian War. - Put it all together by wrapping up with a run through of a brief timeline of the French and Indian war and how angry the colonists were, which led to turmoil. Briefly introduce names like “Stamp Act” and “Tea Act” to give students a preview of the monetary anger that colonists feel shortly after the French and Indian war. They will learn more about this during research of the next lesson.
Vocabulary:
Proclamation - a declaration
Confederacy - an alliance
Treaty - a formal agreement
Standards:
5.H.1.1 Evaluate the relationships between European explorers (French, Spanish and English) and American Indian groups, based on accuracy of historical information (beliefs, fears and leadership).
5.H.1.2 Summarize the political, economic and social aspects of colonial life in the thirteen colonies.
5.H.1.3 Analyze the impact of major conflicts, battles and wars on the development of our nation through Reconstruction.
Main lesson source here
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