Unit Plan 5 (Grade 8 Social Studies): Causes of the American Revolution
Trace how British war debt, new taxes, and escalating protests from 1763–1775 fueled colonial resistance; evaluate diverse perspectives and detect source bias on the road to revolution.
Focus: Trace causes of conflict from the French and Indian War through imperial reforms, colonial resistance, taxes, and protests, evaluating perspectives and source bias.
Grade Level: 8
Subject Area: Social Studies (U.S. History • Civics • Inquiry)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
This unit follows the road from imperial victory in the French and Indian War to colonial crisis: debt, new taxes, enforcement, and colonists’ escalating resistance. Students build a cause-and-effect chain from Proclamation of 1763 to the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts, weighing how different people experienced the same events and evaluating bias and perspective in sources.
Essential Questions
- How did British war debt and imperial policy changes drive conflict with colonists?
- Why did some colonists support resistance while others remained Loyalists or neutral?
- How do we detect bias, credibility, and perspective when sources describe the same event differently?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Construct a cause-and-effect chain from 1763–1775 linking policies, protests, and responses.
- Describe diverse perspectives (Indigenous nations, enslaved/free Black Americans, women, artisans/merchants, frontier settlers, Loyalists/Patriots).
- Evaluate sources for relevance, credibility, and bias; corroborate across conflicting accounts.
- Write a claim–evidence–reasoning argument explaining how policy, protest, and repression intensified the crisis.
- Communicate findings using precise vocabulary, timelines, and annotated evidence.
Standards Alignment — 8th Grade (C3-based custom)
- 8.C3.Hist.2: Explain causes/effects for major developments.
- 8.C3.Hist.3: Describe diverse perspectives/experiences.
- 8.C3.Inq.3: Evaluate sources for relevance, credibility, bias, and perspective; corroborate across accounts.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can trace how one event led to the next and justify the links with evidence.
- I can explain who benefited or suffered from each policy and why views differed.
- I can identify bias and corroborate details using multiple source types.