Format
1) Before the experience begins the students are given characters in order to participate in the Boston Massacre Trial.
2) The students are introduced to Samuel Winthrop, the Clerk of the General Court of Massachusetts, who lays out the different roles the children will be playing, introduces the structure of the court, and summarizes what the trial is about.
3) The students meet the two councilors in charge of the trial, John Adams and Robert Treat Paine. Adams and Paine lay out arguments for and against the soldiers using witness accounts (provided by the students) and evidence.
4) The students playing the jury are given a chance to deliberate, under the guidance of their teachers, using the facts and evidence presented to determine whether the soldiers are guilty or not guilty of the crime.
5) After the verdict is read, the students discover what historically happened in the trials and there is time for a question and answer session.
Objectives
Participants will...
- Immerse themselves in the moment of the Boston Massacre Trial by taking on the identity of the jury, magistrates, witnesses, co-councils, and people of Boston. Each identity plays a specific role in the functioning of the trial.
- Analyze the testimonies, evidence, and facts presented by the council to determine the innocence or guilt of the soldiers held responsible for the Boston Massacre.
- Use critical thinking skills to deliberate with their peers to determine the verdict.
- Reflect on their decision making and explore the reasons for their verdict.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
NSS-WH.5-12.7 ERA 7: AN AGE OF REVOLUTIONS, 1750-1914
- the causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
State Standards
Massachusetts
History
USI.4 Analyze how Americans resisted British policies before 1775 and analyze the reasons
for the American victory and the British defeat during the Revolutionary war. (H)
USI.5 Explain the role of Massachusetts in the Revolution, including important events
that took place in Massachusetts and important leaders from Massachusetts. (H)