Lesson #3: Patriot or Loyalist? Decide for yourself.

Activity 3.1: What is Historical Inquiry?

Patrick HenryJoseph Galloway

Left: 1st and 6th Governor, Patrick Henry, was a Patriot who famously proclaimed, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”/

Right: Joseph Galloway was a Pennsylvania delegate at the First Continental Congress who joined the Loyalists.

The colonists as a whole needed to decide whether they were going to sever ties with the British. This made for a very big decision for some colonists. There were serious costs and benefits to the decision of breaking away from the rule of the British. Colonists felt both ways on the issue. Some felt they should sever ties (Patriots), while others felt they should stay loyal to the British (Loyalists). 

In order to understand this issue further, you will need to ask good questions, and search for the answers in order to make a judgment about what side you believe was more justified. In this activity, you will get to know a process of learning history called historical inquiry. You will then use this knowledge in the next few lessons to learn more about Patriots and Loyalists during the American Revolution.

Benchmark:

5.4.1.2.1: Pose questions about a topic in history, examine a variety of sources related to the questions, interpret findings and use evidence to draw conclusions that address the questions.

Learning Target:

I can...define the method of historical inquiry.

Essential Question:

How do you use the method of inquiry to draw conclusions about a topic in history?

To complete Activity 3.1 please follow the steps below:

STEP 1:

Watch an explanation of historical inquiry in order to understand what historical inquiry is.

The process of historical inquiry that we will be using consists of 3 steps:

  1. Pose questions about a topic in history.
  2. Examine a variety of sources related to the questions.
  3. Interpret your findings and use evidence to draw conclusions.

STEP 2:

You will use the process of historical inquiry to answer questions about the historical topic of Patriots and Loyalists in the American Colonies. You will be guided through the processes by completing one step at a time by going through each activity in order.

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To check your understanding of historical inquiry, answer these questions:

  1. What is important to remember when creating questions?
  2. Why do we examine a variety of sources to answer a question?
  3. What do you need to make a good conclusion?