Propaganda war: Patriots vs. Loyalists
In this lesson plan for grade eight, students adopt the role of a Patriot or Loyalist during the American Revolution. Students create advertisements to persuade others to join their side.
Provided by CareerStart
Author’s note
This lesson could be adapted to any time frame where there are multiple sides to an issue such as: Federalists v. Anti-Federalists; Andrew Jackson’s Democrats v. Whigs; Confederate v. Union; or Mill owner v. Mill worker.
You may want to work with the language arts teacher to coordinate this lesson on propaganda techniques so it provides an opportunity for students to apply their understanding of the techniques in a different context.
View this page in context
- CareerStart lessons: Grade eight
- This collection of lessons aligns the eighth grade curriculum in math, science, English language arts, and social studies with potential career opportunities.
- Page 6.3
Learn more
- Library of Congress American Revolution learning page This page from the Library of Congress provides a thorough explanation of the American Revolution and provides links to a variety of primary source documents.
- The History Place: American Revolution This site provides detailed chronologies of the events leading up to the American Revolution, events of the Revolution itself, and information about the early nation.
Related pages
- Let's take a trip: Careers in tourism: In this lesson for grade six, students will create advertisements for travel destinations in Europe and South America and will research careers in travel and tourism.
- Teaching suggestions: A Brief Description of the Province of Carolina: Teaching suggestions designed to support students' understanding of a 17th-century primary source document — a pamphlet produced in London at the request of the Lords Proprietors describing the economic opportunity and religious freedom available to settlers in Carolina.
- Teaching about slavery through newspaper advertisements: In this lesson for grades 8 and 11, students will analyze a selection of advertisements related to slavery from an 1837 newspaper in order to enhance their understanding of antebellum North Carolina, U.S. history, and the history of American slavery.
Related topics
- Learn more about American Revolution, advertising, careers, history, and social studies.
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Essential question: How might advertisers use propaganda to convince someone to be either a Loyalist or a Patriot during the American Revolution?
Lesson overview
Students will adopt a historical perspective and use persuasion to try to convince people to become either a Loyalist or a Patriot during the American Revolution. Students will create a magazine-style advertisement to convey their message.
Teacher planning
Materials needed
- art supplies (colored pencils, markers, rulers, etc.)
- paper (can be construction, computer, or notebook paper)
- examples of advertisements for commercial products and political positions, ready to project
- projector
Student handouts
Time required for lesson
50 minutes
Pre-activities
Before beginning this lesson, students should be familiar with propaganda techniques and should have begun their study of the ideology of Patriots and Loyalists before and during the American Revolution.
Activities
Opening activity
- Project several ads for commercial products and political positions and ask students what advertisers do to convince you to buy their product or endorse their candidate. Ask students what makes a good ad campaign and what makes someone a successful advertiser. (Guide the discussion to address the attributes included in the scoring rubric.)
Main activity
- Distribute the advertising vocabulary handout and discuss the list of propaganda techniques.
- Discuss some examples of propaganda used during the Revolutionary War period. Display if possible.
- Patriots: Boston Massacre engraving, Edenton Tea Party cartoon, Ben Franklin in Paris wearing fur hat as the “Natural American,” death of Jane McCrea, Ben Franklin’s “Join or Die,” excerpts from Thomas Paine, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Dickenson and other members of Committees of Correspondence
- Loyalists: William Franklin, “Black Loyalists,” Joseph Brant, Quakers
Evaluate the works to determine the motives, propaganda techniques used, and impact on the progression of the American Revolution.
- Divide class into pairs and distribute the advertisement planning handout. Have the students complete the T-chart on the handout.
- As a whole class or in student pairs, brainstorm the pros and cons of taking the side of Loyalist or Patriot.
- Assign each pair students a position (Loyalist or Patriot) to take as they complete the class activities. Have the partners work together to plan an advertisement. Instruct the students to consider:
- the kind of ad they will create: negative or positive
- the Propaganda technique they will use
- intended audience (age, lifestyle, political beliefs, etc.)
- where to publish the ad to reach the greatest number or potential converts
- Have each pair of students use one or more propaganda techniques to construct their ad supporting either the Loyalist or Patriot cause. Students must include at least two historically accurate reasons and relevant artwork to win supporters for their cause.
- Conclude with a class discussion:
- How did early revolutionaries promote their causes?
- How do people promote their causes today?
- Compare revolutionary propaganda to today’s propaganda.
- What techniques used by advertisers and politicians persuade you most?
- What skills do effective citizens need to posses in order to analyze information critically in an effort to understand different points of view?
- Discuss with students the details of a career in advertising using the career information below.
Assessment
Use the following rubric for grading the advertisement.
| 3 | 2 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Propaganda technique | Student uses propaganda technique effectively. | Student use of propaganda technique is not effective. | No propaganda technique used. |
| Historical accuracy | Two or more historically accurate reasons given. | One historically accurate reason given. | No historically accurate reasons given. |
| Artwork / illustrations | Use of artwork is relevant and enhances ad. | Use of artwork is somewhat relevant and enhancing. | No artwork included in ad. |
| Appearance / layout | The ad is easy to read and has few distractions. | The ad has some distractions that are confusing to the reader. | The ad has many distractions that are confusing to the reader. |
Modifications and alternative assessments
- Students could work individually or in groups as large as four members.
- Students can create ads using Microsoft Publisher.
- Students can write a persuasive speech to deliver representing their views on independence.
- Debate: You can divide class in half (Loyalists/Patriots), allowing each side to research their assigned views. Have the class engage in a short debate on the issue of independence.
- Advertisement assignments could include a written description of the content, reasoning, and propaganda technique utilized.
- Provide more scaffolding and use less time by assigning students (or partners) one of the following perspectives for designing their ad:
- Assume the role of a Loyalist and develop an ad about why one would support British colonial rule. (positive)
- Assume the role of a Loyalist and develop an ad to win supporters by publicizing what problems will result from breaking away from England. (negative)
- Assume the role of a Patriot and develop an ad about what is good and right about joining the revolution. (positive)
- Assume the role of a Patriot and develop an ad to win supporters by showing what is problematic and defeating about remaining under colonial rule. (negative)
Optional extensions
- Have students bring in magazine advertisement examples using the same type of propaganda technique they used in their advertisement for the Patriot or Loyalist.
- Have students write an essay choosing which side they think they would have supported and why they feel that way.
- Have students write an essay explaining how the Declaration of Independence could be considered a form of propaganda.
Career information
Career information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Advertising and Public Relations Services
Job description
Firms in the advertising and public relations services industry prepare advertisements for other companies and organizations and design campaigns to promote the interests and image of their clients. This industry also includes media representatives—firms that sell advertising space for publications, radio, television, and the Internet; display advertisers—businesses engaged in creating and designing public display ads for use in shopping malls, on billboards, or in similar media; and direct mail advertisers. A firm that purchases advertising time (or space) from media outlets, thereafter reselling it to advertising agencies or individual companies directly, is considered a media buying agency. Divisions of companies that produce and place their own advertising are not considered part of this industry. Most advertising firms specialize in a particular market niche. Some companies produce and solicit outdoor advertising, such as billboards and electric displays. Others place ads in buses, subways, taxis, airports, and bus terminals. A small number of firms produce aerial advertising, while others distribute circulars, handbills, and free samples.
Education requirements
Most entry-level professional and managerial positions in advertising and public relations services require a bachelor’s degree, preferably with broad liberal arts exposure. Employees in advertising and public relations services should have good people skills, common sense, creativity, communication skills, and problem-solving ability. Foreign language skills have always been important for those wanting to work abroad for domestic firms or to represent foreign firms domestically.
Pay
In 2006, nonsupervisory workers in advertising and public relations services averaged $724 a week — significantly higher than the $568 a week for all nonsupervisory workers in private industry.
Hours
Most employees in advertising and public relations services work in comfortable offices operating in a teamwork environment; however, long hours, including evenings and weekends, are common. There are fewer opportunities for part-time work than in many other industries; in 2006, 12 percent of advertising and public relations employees worked part time, compared with 15 percent of all workers. Work in advertising and public relations is fast-paced and exciting, but it also can be stressful. Being creative on a tight schedule can be emotionally draining. Some workers, such as lobbyists, consultants, and public relations writers, frequently must meet deadlines and consequently may work long hours at times. Workers, whose services are billed hourly, such as advertising consultants and public relations specialists, are often under pressure to manage their time carefully. In addition, frequent meetings with clients and media representatives may involve substantial travel.
Growth in future
Competition for many jobs will be keen because the glamor of the advertising and public relations services industry traditionally attracts many more job seekers than there are job openings. Employment also may be adversely affected if legislation, aimed at protecting public health and safety, further restricts advertising for specific products such as alcoholic beverages and tobacco. The best job opportunities will be for job seekers skilled in employing the increasing number and types of media outlets used to reach an increasingly diverse customer base. Layoffs are common in advertising and public relations services firms when accounts are lost, major clients cut budgets, or agencies merge.
Advocacy, Grantmaking, and Civic Organizations
Job description
Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations comprised about 50 percent of the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry establishments in 2008. Business associations are primarily engaged in promoting the business interests of their members. They include organizations such as chambers of commerce, real estate boards, and manufacturers’ and trade associations. They may conduct research on new products and services; develop market statistics; sponsor quality and certification standards; lobby public officials; or publish newsletters, books, or periodicals for distribution to their members.
Professional organizations seek to advance the interests of their members and their profession as a whole. Examples of professional associations are health professional and bar associations.
Labor organizations promote the interests of the labor union members they represent by negotiating improvement in wages, benefits, and working conditions. They persuade workers to become members of a union and then seek the right to represent them in collective bargaining with their employer.
Political organizations promote the interests of national, State, or local political parties and their candidates for elected public positions. Included are political groups organized to raise funds for a political party or individual candidates, such as political action committees (PACs). A variety of other similar organizations also are included in this segment of the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry. They include athletic associations that regulate or administer various sports leagues, conferences, or even entire sports at the amateur or professional level. Also included in this segment are condominium and homeowners’ associations, property owners’ associations, and tenant associations.
Education requirements
The types of jobs and skills required for advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations vary with the type and size of the organization. But all organizations need individuals with strong communication and fundraising skills, because they must constantly mobilize public support for their activities. Creativity and initiative are important as many workers are responsible for a wide range of activities, such as creating new events designed to communicate and sell an organizations goals and objectives. Basic knowledge about accounting, finance, management, information systems, advertising, and marketing provide an important advantage for those trying to enter the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry. In some cases, a second language may be needed for jobs that involve international activities. This highly competitive industry also needs individuals who have adequate technical skills to efficiently operate and maintain their computer systems.
Pay
Earnings of nonsupervisory workers in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations averaged $17.31 an hour, compared with $18.08 per hour for all workers in private industry in 2008, although earnings varied by industry sector.
Hours
In 2008, 70 percent of the workers in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations worked full time; the remainder worked part-time or variable schedules.
Future growth
Wage and salary jobs in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations are projected to increase 14 percent over the 2008-18 period, compared to 11 percent growth projected for all industries combined.
