Chapter 3 –Read pages 25-31
George III Raises Taxes to Pay for War Debts
Purpose: Students will learn how war is financed and why the taxes levied in England led to economic problems and anger in the colonies. England and America debate who should pay for military and trade wars when peace is declared.
Set up:Team up with students from another class. This could either be another history class or an English class. One class will represent the British Parliament in London and the other class will reqpresent the House of Burgess in Virginia (Students must be adequately supervised at all times.) Students will be divided into two groups with one group in the classroom and the other group outside or down the hall where they cannot see or hear each other. The two groups represent the British Parliament in London and the House of Burgess in Virginia. They will communicate only in writing, with personally delivered messages. Students representing King George, Prime Minister George Grenville, William Pitt, former Prime Minister, Dutch East India Company director Robert Clive, George Washington (the British characters) and Patrick Henry, delegate to the Virginia House of Burgess (for the Patriot side) will be chosen.
Resources: Each of these students should read pages 25-31 in Book 1, and research their characters. (See: Hunger for Liberty footnotes 29, 31, 34, 36, 37, and Loyalism and Patriotism in One family; and George Grenville plus William Pitt's Defense of the Americans - footnote 39
Procedure: Each group discusses its views on the issue of paying for the 7 Years' War and the war in India. Parliament passes laws; the House of Burgess passes resolutions and they each write and deliver to the other the results of their laws and resolutions. No direct communication takes place. Group discussion: How does that differ from today with modern technology?
Evaluation: Have each student write an essay on what he/she learned from the experience.