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Lesson Plans
The American Journey: A History of the United States ©2000
by David Goldfield, Carl Abbott, Virginia DeJohn Anderson, Jo Ann E. Argersinger, Peter H. Argersinger, William L. Barney, Robert M. Weir
Focus Lesson 4
Chapter 5: "Imperial Breakdown"
AP* Course Description
- Road to Revolution, 1754–1775
- Imperial reorganization of 1763
- Stamp Act
- Declaratory Act
- Townshend Acts
- Boston Tea Party
- Philosophy of the American Revolution
- Imperial reorganization of 1763
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 38–42
- Study Guide, Vol. I to 1877: pp. 33–40
- Test Item File: pp. 53–65
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check PHSchool.com for updated links to U.S. history sites.
Key Words and Terms
- Charles Townshend
- Proclamation Line
- Currency Act of 1764
- Sugar Act
- writs of assistance
- Declaration of Rights and Grievances
- Declaratory Act
- nonimportation
- Committees of Correspondence
- Suffolk Resolves
Suggested Pacing
This chapter contains the events leading to the American Revolution and could be combined with Chapter 6 (fighting the war) to create a unit on the American Revolution. Allow two class periods on a traditional bell schedule of 45-minute classes or one class on a 90-minute block schedule for Chapter 5.
Test Strategy
Another type of essay found on the AP* United States history exam is the persuasive essay, sometimes referred to as the argument essay. The writer attempts to defend an opinion or to convince others to accept his/her position on an issue. The thesis statement presents the opinion or the position and the body of the essay presents the support—logical reasons, examples, facts, and details. The tone must be authoritative, logical, and reasonable. The Test Item File presents a number of suggestions for essays; it might be useful to duplicate some of them and have students determine which call for persuasive essays.
Key Concepts
- Causes and effects of the Revolutionary War
The overall concept that students should understand from this chapter is that the origins of the War for Independence lay far back in time with the establishment of the original colonies—and even further with the Magna Carta. The amount of independence that the various charters gave the colonists as well as the distance between the British colonies and the home country allowed for the evolution of certain ideas and practices that encouraged independence.
One way to emphasize the concept of cause and effect is to have students create a table listing causes and then the effects of those causes. They should realize that some effects then became causes of other effects in an escalating spiral by the 1760s and 1770s. Students should look at all aspects of colonial life in listing events and ramifications—political, economic, social, and religious.
Summing Up Student Understanding
Chapters 5 and 6 present many opportunities for essay writing. The Test Item File, pp. 64–65, lists relevant essay suggestions. Duplicate and distribute the following sheet and present it as one way students might approach writing the essays. (You might work with the English/Language Arts Department to have them reinforce this process.)
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Essay-Writing Skills Introduction
The number, order, and nature of these paragraphs will be determined by the organizational list in the introduction. Each paragraph should contain the following:
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 5
- The Power of Words: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Breen—Chapter 6