American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > The Tory and Whig Perspectives

The Tory and Whig Perspectives

Details

Author
Susan Boraski
Topic/Subject Area
Politics, Government, Law, Civics
Historical Era
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12)
Creation Date
2007
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

In this activity, students will examine these two different opinions that divided the colonists during the time of the Revolution. Students will understand that the path to freedom was unclear. Students will identify reasons why one group may have chosen a different viewpoint than the other. Using primary sources they will see how this struggle over the choice of independence from England was also felt in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Essays
Websites

Teaching Plan

  1. Pre-activity: Divide the class into two groups, the Tories (loyalists) and the Whigs (patriots). Give each group an assignment: the Whig group will read Common Sense by Thomas Paine; the Tory group will read Plain Truth by James Chalmers. During class time, each group will outline the major reasons that a colonist would pick either side from the information gathered from these articles.
  2. Lead the group in a discussion on the American Revolution in the Connecticut River Valley essay from the American Centuries website. Each group will think about Western Massachusetts and what was happening at the time of the American Revolution in terms of social, economic and political aspects. They will examine the question: What factors would lead a colonist to take a particular side in this struggle?
  3. Each group will examine the items from the online collection: pages 40-46 in “Deerfield History”, pages 3-7 of “An Old Custom” -The Liberty Pole of Deerfield 1774, and pages 82-83 in the Pages from Journal of Dr. Elihu Ashley. They will discuss how these two groups lived together in a small community. What might be the consequences of sharing one’s views? Using the items from the collection, students will look for examples to support their thoughts.
  4. Each group will compose a letter to a fictitious friend interpreting the Boston Tea Party from their respective point of view.
  5. Post activity: The groups will consider where in the United States today we see different political opinions and how they work together. How has the government been designed to allow for different opinions?