Process

1. Create a group of 3-4. (You are working in a group, however each member must still submit their own answer to the poll/exit ticket.)

2. Members of the group should read the Backstory page to themselves. Which part of your backstory would you say is most important? Why?

Share your thoughts within your group. (Make sure everyone in the group gets to speak.)

3. Navigate to open your and watch the video assigned in the textbook titled Taxation & Mercantilism.

Besides the taxes themselves, what were the complaints of the colonists against the British at this time?

4. Next, skim the document "Loyalists/Tories in the American Revolution" from the National Parks Service. Locate the paragraph describing where many Loyalists lived. What could this mean for a colonist from Virginia?

5. Continue reading until you find the paragraph about how families were often divided. Could your family be affected by choosing opposing sides?

6. Read the document "The Loyalists" at UShistory.org. What reasons does the article give for it being difficult to be a Loyalist and sticking to it throughout the war?

7. Go to the study.com lesson "British Loyalists vs. American Patriots During the American Revolution". Scroll down to the section titled "White Men Choose Sides and use the pie chart in this section to continue. About how much of the population was thought to have supported Britain during the Revolution?

The population of Loudoun County is approximately 413,000 people. What would be the equivalent of the number of Loyalists in Loudoun County? How does that compare to the population of your city/town? Hint: Use online search to figure out the current population of your city/town.

8. Open the document "Loyalists and Patriots" from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Scroll down to the second paragraph of the Patriots section. In what city could most Patriots be found? How does that influence you as a Virginian?

9. Now go back to the first paragraph of the Patriots section. How would you define republicanism to a fellow 6th grader?

10. Go to the article "Big Idea 6: The People and Perspectives in Between" on the Museum of the American Revolution website. Scroll down until you find the section titled Caught in the Middle. What were the different reasons arguments for American Indians and enslaved peoples choosing sides? How would you make your decision if you were in their place?

11. Watch the video "Differing Definitions of Freedom". How were women limited during the Revolutionary Era? What would "freedom" mean to them?

12. Once your group has completed all the tasks above, have a group member set a timer for 3 minutes quiet time to consider what you have learned. There should be no talking within your group during this 3 minutes.