Revolution Research Topics
Learning Objectives
For this unit, students will be able to:
- Understand why the American colonists sought independence from Britain
- Economic Factors (a transition from Mercantilism to Capitalism in the Atlantic Basin)
- Political Factors (a transition from Autocracy to Democracy in the Atlantic Basin)
- Social-Cultural Factors (American colonists began to see themselves as separate from the British homeland.)
Introduction
We have studied the economic factors behind the American War of Independence as the Atlantic Basin shifted from Mercantilism to Capitalism. Now we are going to turn our attention towards the political factors. At the same time, that these economic changes were taking place, new political ideas were circulating as well. The American Revolution occurred at a time when political thought was changing from autocracy (under a divinely appoint king) to democracy (rule by the people). For this research assignment, you will have a variety of options.
You can select to do 1 Major or 2 Minor Projects. Papers will be done by 1 person while projects may be completed by 2.
Major
Minor
Focus Question
Comparing Revolutions (Major)
Battle Strategy (Major)
A Conversations with a Historical Figure (Minor)
Daily Life (Major/Minor)
Key documents of the American Revolution (The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) (Minor)
Evaluation: You will be graded based on the following:
Levels:
You can select to do 1 Major or 2 Minor Projects. Papers will be done by 1 person while projects may be completed by 2.
Major
- A paper should be 4-pages, double-spaced with 4 to 6 sources. Also, you must have a visual aid to help while you present the summary of your paper.
- A project should be presented within 10 to 20 minutes, and it should have at least 3 elements.
Minor
- A paper should be 2-pages, double-spaced with 3 to 4 sources. Also, you must have a visual aid to help while you present the summary of your paper.
- A project should be presented within 5 to 10 minutes, and it should have at least 2 elements.
Focus Question
- Your project must have a driving question that you are trying to answer through the paper or project. Be careful to select a question that can be properly answered within the given time for this project. It shouldn't be too big or too small.
Comparing Revolutions (Major)
- Between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, major revolutions happened on both sides of the Atlantic in the United States, France, and Haiti. These wars had very different outcomes. A) The United States became the wealthiest nation in the world; B) France broke down into a violent, bloody mess as social groups tried to exterminate each other. C) Haiti, see as a slave rebellion, was not acknowledged by its slave holding neighbors. As a result, it is one of the poorest nations in the world.
- Following a summary of 2 of these revolutions, here are some suggested questions. What were the end results of these revolutions? Why did they turn out so differently? What similarities and differences did they have?
Battle Strategy (Major)
- Pick at least 3 battles from the American Revolution. Describe the battles. Explain the results of these battles, and explain how it fit within the broader context of the entire war.
A Conversations with a Historical Figure (Minor)
- Select a person that played a role in the American Revolution. Use at least 3 sources. Create a fictional interview with this person. Present it to the class. Ask questions that will give us a strong sense of who this person was.
Daily Life (Major/Minor)
- Examine the day-to-day activities of people that lived during this era. You could focus on a specific group such as the roles of women, children, minorities, etc. You could explore their customs, culture, and interests. Try to bring this to life by bringing traditional food, playing a common game, and dressing in costume.
Key documents of the American Revolution (The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) (Minor)
Evaluation: You will be graded based on the following:
- Focus Question: The Driving Force of the presentation/paper. The main goal that was trying to be accomplished. Was the purpose of this paper/project clearly identifiable to all observers.
- Organization: Does the paper/presentation have a logical order? Did all the sections connect in order to create a narrative?
- Content: Did you come across as an expert on the topic? Did you know the material well enough to speak as an authority? Was the information included well-researched? Did you know enough on the topic to understand the main points and why it is relevant?
- Design/Presentation: Was it visually rich? Were you able to engage the class with the information and ideas you were presenting? Did you demonstrate creativity and imagination?
Levels:
- 4: Excellent (Highly Professional)
- 3: Good (Enjoyable and engaging. However, there was some room for improvement. Needs a little more work to reach perfection.)
- 2: Average (The assignment was completed, but it could have been significantly improved in several areas.)
- 1: Needs Improvement (Parts of this assignment were incomplete, or significantly lacking. More work needs to be provided.)
- 0: Non-existent or non-evident. (It was not completed or included.)