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[In Class Work] The Boston Massacre and Revolutionary War

Last updated over 1 year ago
13 questions
Note from the author:
Content Objective: I will be able to compare the perspective of two different portrayals of the Boston Massacre.
Standard Objective: I will be able to determine the point of view or perspective from which an image is related.
Content Objective: I will be able to compare the perspective of two different portrayals of the Boston Massacre.
Standard Objective: I will be able to determine the point of view or perspective from which an image is related.
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Have you heard of the term "propaganda" before?

Propaganda is information that is primarily used to influence an audience and promote a specific cause, which may or may not be objective. Propaganda can be found in news and journalism, government, advertising, entertainment, education, and activism. Simply put, propaganda is a communication tool to convince you to feel or act a certain way.
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Why do you think Ted Cruz believes Big Bird's tweet is propaganda?

Propaganda is hugely important in U.S. History. Nearly every major event has some form of propaganda associated with it.

<<---This poster is one of the most famous pieces of propaganda, and it was used in World War One to encourage young men to join the army.

Is propaganda bad? Not necessarily. The objectives of propaganda are sometimes positive. For example, the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign below is a form of propaganda. These advertisements make an emotional plea – don’t be careless with fire or cute woodland creatures may be harmed. The campaign was incredibly successful in preventing forest fires, which is a positive outcome.

Now, that we know what propaganda is, let's look at a famous example from the Revolutionary Era....

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Circle any important details you notice in this engraving. What stands out most to you?

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Do you think this painting is intended to be anti-colonist or anti-British propaganda? Why?

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How does the language of "massacre" contribute to anti-British sentiment/feelings? Why not use a word like "accident?"

The person who created the above engraving was famous Patriot Paul Revere (not Jack Black ha!) Paul Revere was a key member of The Sons of Liberty; an underground political organization in the 13 colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government.
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How does knowing that Paul Revere created the engraving further prove that this engraving is anti-British propaganda?

Great job finishing the in-class work! Please do not move on to the second half of this formative, as we will do it together in class next week. You do NOT need to submit this formative yet.

You can now start on your homework found on Google Classroom: *HW* 2.2 Formative: The Road to Revolution Reading
Let's look at another, much less popular, depiction of the Boston Massacre that is also anti-British propaganda:
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Circle any important details you notice in this painting.


Although these two images both depict the same event, and are both anti-British propaganda, Paul Revere's engraving is missing a key detail...
The person left out of Revere's engraving is Crispus Attucks, a mixed race man who was credited as the leader and instigator of the event. Both of these images are considered propaganda to help spread anti-British feelings across the 13 colonies. AND YET, why would Revere consciously choose to leave out such an important person in his engraving?
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Take a guess! Why would Revere consciously choose to leave out such an important person in his engraving?

While both artists depict the British as evil, Paul Revere's omission of Attucks suggests that he believed that public awareness of a Black man’s important role in the Boston Massacre would have undermined the cause for independence. In other words, Revere believed that colonists would be less outraged over a Black man's death, than they would over a White man's.
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A martyr is...

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Exit Ticket: How do you think Attucks's story represents a larger narrative of how Black men are depicted in American history?

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Please evaluate how well you understood today’s lesson on a scale from 1 to 4: