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American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Standing Tall on Propaganda, Falling Short on Accuracy

Standing Tall on Propaganda, Falling Short on Accuracy

Details

Author
Allison Graichen
Topic/Subject Area
Media, Periodicals, Communication; Military, Wars, Battles
Historical Era
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2012
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that Paul Revere’s depiction of the Boston Massacre was an example of propaganda at that time by examining and comparing a variety of other depictions of that same event.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites

Teaching Plan

  1. Students will read about the Boston Massacre event in their Massachusetts curriculum textbook. (This is without any illustrations depicting the event; it is strictly informational.) Engage students in discussion: What was the Boston Massacre? Why was it called a “Massacre” and by whom? Who were the participants? Do you believe someone (or some side) was at fault? Why or why not? The British referred to it as “The Incident on King Street.” How do words and language influence the way we think about things?
  2. As a whole group, show the primary source: Engraving “The Bloody Massacre perpetrated on King Street, Boston on March 5th, 1770”. Discuss the image, asking questions such as: Who are the people in this image? Where are they located in this image? What objects do you see in this image? What actions are being shown? How does this depiction compare to the facts we just read in our textbook? Why do you think Paul Revere (the artist) chose to show the people and actions as he did?
  3. In small groups, hand students out a different piece of artwork depicting the Boston Massacre. Have students observe and analyze their assigned images, asking and answering the same questions as written above. (Images can be found on websites listed in the Materials & Resources section.)
  4. Have small groups share with the class what they saw in their group images, noting differences between their assigned images and Revere’s engraving.
  5. Students fill out compare and contrast circles on two different depictions of the Boston Massacre.
  6. Introduce the term propaganda and provide the following definition: Propaganda is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people.
  7. With teacher support, students will identify why Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre was an example of propaganda.
  8. Using facts they have learned, students will create their own depiction of the Boston Massacre. Students should not use propaganda, but rather strive to make their creation as accurate and without bias as possible. Students should include a caption for their art, as well as create or use a title of their choice. Students will share their artwork with classmates. To expand and enrich, students could work in groups to discuss which images, out of the ones the class has created, are without bias and based on the facts read.