Friday, November 9, 2012

King George III on Trial

Hello all. Here's what I need from you on Monday:

Two lists (they don't have to be complete sentences, bullet format is fine) - one list for the prosecution, one list for the defense. Each list should have between 5 - 10 facts/points.

Prosecution: the attorneys who will be bringing evidence against the king. Refer heavily to the list of grievances (located in the Declaration of Independence) and that page of notes I printed for you with all of the taxes, etc. that the colonists were unhappy about. Remember, they will be putting King George on trial to determine if he has violated the rights of the colonists and, if so, can be called a "tyrant."

Defense: the attorneys who will be defending the king. Think about things from a British/loyalist perspective. Were any of the king's actions in the best interest of the colonists? If so, how? Which ones? etc. Do some Google-ing about King George III himself. What was he like? Does any of his biographical information help his case?

Here are some helpful links (please rememeber, the list of grievances is located within the Declaration!):

Magna Carta (remember that document from the 13th century? The one the English nobles forced their king to sign so they'd be guaranteed some rights?):
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/translation.html

Declaration of Rights and Grievances (1774 - written before the Declaration of Independence):
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/amrev/rebelln/rights.html

Declaration of Independence in "modern" English:
http://www.independencedayfun.com/267/the-declaration-of-independence-in-modern-english/
Here's one that lists the grievances nicely:
http://matthew.aqoul.com/2010/07/declaration_of_independence_in.html

Look around the web for some info on King George himself. Also, use your notes/textbook as a reference if you'd like when creating your lists.