EDU Lesson Script

Alizeah Lugo
Ms. Lugo: Good Morning Class! How are you guys doing today?
Students: We’re doing great!
Ms. Lugo: That’s awesome! So, today we will be discussing the events that lead up to the
American Revolution. Does anyone know an important event that made the Colonists
want to become independent from Great Britain?
Student 1: I know! The Boston Tea Party!
Ms. Lugo: Excellent! The Boston Tea Party is an excellent example of an event that
contributed to the American Revolution. Does anyone else have any more examples?
Student 2: The Boston Massacre!
Ms. Lugo: That is another excellent example!
Ms. Lugo: Now, class, let’s get
into other reasons that the
colonists no longer wanted to be
a part of Great Britain. Before I
get into the lesson here is a great
video to give you guys an idea of
what we will be talking about.
Ms. Lugo: Now that you guys
have a good look into what we
will be discussing let’s begin the
lesson.
Ms. Lugo: Okay let’s begin with the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act was passed March 22, 1765 to
pay off war debts from the Seven Years’ War. This taxed paper, documents, and playing cards. The
reason it is the Stamp Act was because when you paid the tax, the paper or document received a
stamp as proof that you paid the tax. Now does anyone want to guess why this Act was so unpopular?
Student 3: Because the colonists didn’t like taxes?
Ms. Lugo: Well, no one likes taxes, but great guess. The colonists didn’t like this for two reasons: One,
this act was passed without the approval of the colonial legislature, and two, anyone accused of
violating this law was not going to be tried in a colonial court, but a British court with no jury. So
Americans were paying taxes that they had no say in whether they wanted to pay them and anyone
who was accused of breaking was not even going to be tried in a court under the jurisdiction of the
colonies, but Great Britain.
Student 4: Is this where the phrase “No taxation with out representation comes from?”
Ms. Lugo, “Yes!”
Ms. Lugo: The Stamp Act caused a massive uproar in the Colonies, which resulted in
numerous protests, and many argued that British Parliament didn’t have the power to
impose such taxes on the Colonies. In response, British Parliament passed the Declaratory
Act which stated that the British Parliament has full legislative power over the Colonies just
like they have in Great Britain.
Student 5: So, the British Parliament said they could do whatever they wanted to without
approval from the Colonies?
Ms. Lugo: Exactly! This was a reminder that the Colonies were not their own country and still
had to follow the laws that were passed, whether the Colonists liked it or not. British
Parliament continued to tax the Colonies when the Townshend Act was passed in 1767. This
Act taxed imported goods such as China, glass, paint, and most importantly, tea. Does
anyone want to guess what happened after more taxes were imposed?
Student 1: The colonists protested?
Ms. Lugo: Indeed, the colonists protested these new taxes that were imposed. Protests did
take place, but many states also decided to boycott the taxes. Due to influential pamphlets,
many towns in various states such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island decided
to not import British Goods. Why do you think this was such a big deal?
Student 3: Because Great Britain was not making money off the imports, so it was hurting
their profits.
Ms. Lugo: Exactly, though Great Britain did have their own loophole around this. Because
they found out that the colonists were planning on making their own goods instead if
importing British goods, British Parliament decided to tax goods that would be difficult to
produce in the Colonies. Over the next three years tensions continued to rise between British
soldiers and the colonists.
Ms. Lugo: At this point actions like picking fights with British soldiers and vandalizing stores
with British Goods was common, though it slowly evolved increasing violence against British
soldiers. Tensions finally reached a boiling point one night on March 5, 1970. Does anyone want
to take a guess to what event I’m taking about?
Student 4: The Boston Tea Party?
Ms. Lugo: Good guess but no, anyone else have a guess?
Student 2: The Boston Massacre?
Ms. Lugo: Yes, The Boston Massacre! So, I’m assuming a good amount of you are familiar with
the Boston Massacre, in which a lone British soldier was attacked by colonists, and he ended up
hitting one with his bayonet. To which a mob formed, and soldiers were facing off with this
large, very angry mob. To which, at some point, a soldier fired his weapon, which caused the
other soldiers to fire their weapons, killing five colonists and wounding six others.
Ms. Lugo: As of today, there is a lot of debate as to what
really happened that night, especially due to the
differing narratives that came from various sources.
Though one of the biggest influences for the anti-British
sentiment that resulted from the Boston Massacre was
the famous drawing of what looks like innocent
colonists being ruthlessly killed by British soldiers by
Paul Revere. Ultimately, the Boston Massacre had a
major impact on British and Colonial relations.
Student 6: So the picture of the colonists being killed
isn’t what really happened?
Ms. Lugo: Yes. The picture shows scared colonists who
seem to be running away from the gun fire, though
according to other narratives the group was an angry
mob who were pelting the soldiers with snowballs and
rocks.
Student 4: Why would Paul Revere draw that if that
didn’t happen?
Ms. Lugo: To get colonists to rally behind the Colonists
who were against British occupation.
Ms. Lugo: Moving forward, let’s discuss what happened after the Boston Massacre. So, at this point, tensions are sky high, the
Colonists are being taxed for essential items, in which they’re mad because they didn’t have a say in any of these Acts that
have been passed. Not to mention, due to the propaganda and heavy anti-British sentiment that is becoming more common,
the Colonists believe that British soldiers are just slaughtering other Colonists. And the Colonists are tired of it, they don’t want
the British soldiers there anymore, they don’t want to pay these taxes. Well, eventually, Britain repealed most of the taxes,
except the tax on tea because Americans drank about a 1 million pounds of tea, and Britain was going to take advantage of
that. Can anyone guess what the Colonists did in relation?
Student 2: They protested?
Ms. Lugo: Yes, they protested, more specifically they began boycotting yet again. They told the English Merchants that they
didn’t want their tea and weren’t going to buy their tea. And so, British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which allowed the
British East India Company to sell their tea at a cheaper price, though they were still able to tax the tea when it reached the
harbor. And the British Parliament did this to combat the tea smuggling that was going on, so eventually the smuggled tea
cost more than the taxed tea. And through all of this the Colonists are still fighting for the tea taxed to be removed and are
saying they don’t want the tea to even be unloaded off the boat! To which the English Merchants said that they weren’t
sending the tea back to Britain and still wanted the tea tax to be paid. So, do you guys know what the colonists did that night?
Student 3: They threw the tea into the harbor!
Ms. Lugo: Yes! a group of colonists dressed up as native Americans and threw as much of the
tea as they could off the harbor, destroying as much tea as they could. Do you guys think the
British were okay with this?
Students: No
Ms. Lugo: No, they were not, and so, in 1774 British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts
otherwise known as the Intolerable Acts. Does anyone know one of the laws passed that was
part of the Intolerable Acts?
Student 6: The quartering act?
Ms. Lugo: Yes, that was one of them? And do you know what that allowed?
Student 5: It let British soldiers stay in peoples’ homes. 
Ms. Lugo: Yes, that was part of it. Though, it wasn’t just the private residence that British soldiers were
allowed to reside in, British soldiers could stay at places like alehouses and inns. Can anyone else guess what
other law was part of the Intolerable Acts?
Students: No
Ms. Lugo: No? Well, that’s alright. The Intolerable Acts also shut down the Boston Harbor until the money that
was lost from the destroyed tea was paid. Do you know why colonists would be really upset over this?
Student 4: The colonies were losing money because they couldn’t send anything out.
Ms. Lugo: Exactly! The colonies were losing money by the hour. Not only that but the colonies couldn’t import
goods either, meaning whatever essentials they needed that they couldn’t produce, the colonists couldn’t
access. The Intolerable Acts also made it difficult for colonists to have town meetings, which was important
because the Colonies had their own democratic system due to the laid-back approach Great Britain had
running the Colonies. 
Ms. Lugo: The last event we will be talking about is what led up to the battles of Lexington and Concord. This
battle was what got the ball rolling on the revolutionary war, and technically is the battle that started the war.
What was supposed to happen was that British soldiers were trying to capture “radical” leaders Sam Adams and
John Hancock in Lexington. Following their capture, the soldiers were then going to destroy gunpowder and
gun stockpiles in Concord. Colonial spies caught word of the plans and Paul Revere started his legendary ride.
This is where the quote, “One if by land, and two if by Sea,” comes from. Eventually, Revere and his partner,
William Dawes, met up in Lexington where they told Sam Adams and John Hancock to flee from the city,
warning them of their possible arrest. Revere and Dawes made way to Concord, though Revere was captured,
and Dawes had to complete the trip on foot. Now when the British troops finally made their way to Concord do
you think they found many weapons or a lot of gunpowder?
Student 5: No
Ms. Lugo: You’re correct! They did not find much in Concord because the rebels had already relocated most of
their stockpiles. Of course, the militia did not let the British soldiers search Concord without a fight, but we will
discuss that next class.
Ms. Lugo: Now that we have completed the lesson, let’s talk about your assignment. Your
assignment is to create a Journal taking the perspective of a colonist. You will be using
google slides for your assignment.
Student 3: What do you mean when you say to take the perspective of a colonist?
Ms. Lugo: Imagine you were living when the Boston Tea Party took place, or when the
Quartering Act was put in place. How would you feel about that? Would you denounce the
group of men that dumped the tea in the harbor, or would you support them? Would you
be fine with having British soldiers living in your house, or would you wish they would get
out?
Student 1: Can we write from the perspective of one of the Founding Fathers?
Ms. Lugo: If you feel you can find enough information about how the Founding Fathers felt
about British Occupation, then yes.
Assignment: Historical Journal

▪ Students will use Google Slides to create a Historical Journal by

taking the perspective of a colonist who either supports the actions
of Great Britain or is against the actions of Great Britain. The student
must discuss at least five events that occurred, with a slide dedicated
to each event. This means the student should have 6 slides when they
have completed the assignment (including the title slide).
Steps

▪ Create a Google Slides Presentation

▪ Create 5 slides, the font must not be larger than 24 sized font.
▪ Write a 7-8 sentence Journal entry describing an event that took
place and how the writer feels about the event.
▪ Each slide must contain the following:
– Date and location of the journal Entry
– The journal entry number
– A picture that relates to the event
Journal Entry Example