Name that Country

Name that Country

Practice: Get ready for some activities.

Activity 1

Step 1

For this activity, students will take on the role of Benjamin Franklin and the American colonies, hoping to convince larger countries to take their side against the King of England.

Step 2

Break students into small groups if working with a large group. Students will brainstorm & list on paper as many countries as they can think of to win to their “side” against King George III and England. Whichever group can name the highest number of countries (not continents, not cities) wins the game.

Activity Summary and Application:

Unfair taxes levied on the colonies by the King of England, King George III, led to the colonists’ frustrations, and ultimately, their banding together to protest British rule in the American colonies. The colonists’ rallying cry became “No taxation without representation!” which meant that they would refuse to pay taxes handed down by the King of England if they continued to have no representation in England’s government. Led by several important patriots, the colonists unified around a desire to be freed from British rule and use the power of protest and boycotts to fight against multiple acts and subsequent taxes imposed by King George III. The outcry caused the king to send British soldiers, nicknamed “Redcoats,” to occupy the colonies and enforce his laws. Some of these acts included The Sugar Act (taxing sugar), The Stamp Act (taxing printed paper of all kinds), and The Townshend Acts (taxing paint, paper, glass, lead, and tea). A few merchants and their leader, Samuel Adams, banned together as the “Sons of Liberty” to boycott the unfair taxes and refuse to unload tea from ships coming into harbor. In an ultimate act of defiance, the Sons of Liberty, at the direction of Samuel Adams, secretly boarded ships in the harbor to throw around 90,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. As retaliation, King George III introduced The Coercive Acts, also known as The Intolerable Acts. These laws were to force the colonists to pay for the destroyed tea and the taxes they had left unpaid. Further, the Redcoats were now to be housed by colonial families. In continuation of their fight against the British government and the King of England unfairly taxing them, the colonists and the early patriot leaders formed The First Continental Congress, which included representatives from each colony, not including Georgia. They met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1774 to begin to develop a plan and united front in their efforts to be free from the King of England.

Activity 2
Watch the video and pay attention to the materials and supplies you will need.