|
|
 |
 | 
|
   |
 |
Teacher Resources
: Lesson Plans
: A Family Disrupted -- The Randolph Family and the Coming American Revolution
Introduction
In the early 1760s, when Parliament began to tighten its control
over Britain's North American colonies, most colonists could not
imagine separating from Great Britain. As English policies and
taxes became increasingly burdensome, however, many colonists
began to believe that independence from Great Britain was preferable
to remaining colonies. The choices that individuals made concerning
whether they would choose to join the cause of the patriots or
to remain loyal to England were difficult. In some cases, the
choices they made divided families irreparably. In this lesson,
students will examine biographical information on several members
of the Randolph family to determine the choices that each member
made regarding the coming American Revolution. Students will also
determine the effects of those choices on the Randolph family.
Objectives
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Practice the skills of analyzing and interpreting primary
documents
- Use biographical information to explore the effects of the
coming American Revolution on one eighteenth-century family
Materials
Strategy
- Review the material from prior lessons (Colonial
Reaction to the Stamp Act and Eighteenth-Century
and Twentieth-Century Forms of Resistance). What was the outcome of the
vote on Patrick Henry's Stamp Act Resolutions? Were all the members of the
House of Burgesses in agreement over the issue?
- Explain to the students that this lesson takes place in 1775. In looking
ahead to 1775, ten years have passed and many important events have happened
since the Stamp Act/Stamp Act Crisis of 1765. Using the "Virginia Time
Line, 1760-1776," discuss the events that have taken place since the
1765 Stamp Act.
- Several members of the Virginia House of Burgesses -- including John and
Peyton Randolph -- struggled with the issues of the Stamp Act Resolutions
and England's "right" to tax the colonies. Ten years later, relations
with Great Britain have grown much worse, and the two brothers and the members
of their families are facing some difficult decisions.
- Divide the students into five groups. Distribute the Randolph family member
biographical material to the groups as follows: 1) Peyton Randolph; 2) John
Randolph; 3) Betty Randolph and Ariana Randolph; 4) Edmund and Susannah Randolph;
and 5) Aggy and Charlotte.
- Instruct the students to read the biographies for details that may reveal
the opinions of and choices made by each of the Randolph family members. Ask
the students to be prepared to defend all inferences by citing specific information
from the biographies. Based on the biographical information, which side did
the person favor--patriot or loyalist? What did his or her choice (to side
with the patriots or the loyalists) mean to the rest of the family? What did
that choice mean to the person's wife, husband, son, daughter, brother, or
slave? Did he or she stay in Williamsburg? If not, where did he or she go?
How do you know this?
- As the students discuss each member of the Randolph family, write the name
of each family member on a graphic organizer according to whether the person
sided with the patriots or the loyalists:
PATRIOT LOYALIST
| |
|
Historic Triangle