Rise to Rebellion

We are starting a unit on the American Revolution.  As a way to discuss viewpoint and perspective, we look at the events surrounding the Boston Massacre from multiple sources, one of which is by reading a chapter from the novel Rise to Rebellion.

The first chapter of the historical fiction novel is from the perspective of a British soldier, Hugh White, who is stationed in Boston in the early 1770s.  He is standing guard in front of a custom house when he is antagonized by a group of rowdy young men.  The events that follow would become known as the Boston Massacre.

We then view the opening scene of the HBO mini-series John Adams in which Adams comes upon the scene just after the Bostonians have been shot by the Redcoats.

 

A third perspective is offered when viewing and interpreting Paul Revere's famous etching in which he termed this event 'The Bloody Massacre':

We finish the exercise on perspective by reading primary source accounts from the perspective of Captain Prescott, a British officer involved in the incident, and an anonymous colonist's account of the event.  This leads us in to a discussion about fact vs. interpretation when it comes to history.