Overview: You will learn how the American colonies defeated Britain in the Revolutionary War and compare the events to a tug-of-war between two unequal opponents.

 

Assignments to hand in:

Tug-of-War Scenario Graphic Organizer [Word Version]

Reading Notes 13 - Tug-of-War Graphic Organizer

Historical Marker Handout

 

Revolutionary War: Unequal Tug-of-War Diagram

 

Step 1: Tug of War Simulation: Look at the diagram, Revolutionary War: Unequal Tug-of-War (above), and read the scenario below to follow this analogy. Answer the questions after each stage in the Tug-of-War Scenario Graphic Organizer.

 

Stage 1 - The Beginning/Setting: Imagine if you were watching a tug-of-war game, on one side were the biggest and strongest students (Red Team above) in the class and on the other side were the smallest students (Blue Team above).

*The Red Team represents the British forces who were better trained (a professional army).
*The Blue Team represents the Continental Army that is made up of volunteers who are not seasoned soldiers like the British

*The White Team represents the European nations who are watching to see if it is worth helping out the Colonists.

Question: Who do you think will win? Why?

 

Stage 2 - Motivation: Now imagine that if the Blue Team were to win, they would receive a bunch of candy, whereas the Red Team would receive nothing for winning. The candy represents the freedom the colonists in the Continental Army would receive if they were to win. This was a major motivator in the American Revolution. The White Team would cheer and root for the Blue Team as the Tug-of-War went on.
*Note: A member of the Blue team would not receive candy for winning - this is to represent African American slaves and Loyalists that would not benefit from the war.

Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?

 

Stage 3 - Trans-Atlantic Supply: Now imagine if half of the Red Team had to stand several yards away from their other teammates. These members would have to run to help their other Red Team members once the tug-of-war started. This is to represent the challenge Britain faced in supplying its troops across the Atlantic Ocean.

Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?

 

Stage 4 - Offensive v. Defensive War: Now imagine if in order for the Red Team to win, they would have to pull the rope 20 more feet in their direction than the Blue Team. This is to represent the British Army's objective to fight an offensive war and to retake the land in America, as opposed to the American colonies' objective merely to defend their country.

Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?

 

Stage 5 - The French Help the Continental Army: Finally, imagine that the White Team (the French) will be allowed to jump in and help the Blue Team as the tug-of-war continues. This is to represent France's entry into the Revolutionary War, which provided the American colonists with more military power.

Question: Who do you think will win now? Why?

 

Step 2: Reading Notes 13 Graphic Organizer: Use your textbook, Chapter 13, and the scenario above, to complete the Reading Notes 13 Graphic Organizer.

 

Step 3: Historical Marker: Print out and complete the Historical Marker Handout. Follow the directions carefully.

 

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