"The Case of the Boston Tea Party" - Viatouch Teacher Articles

ROLES:

Judge: Begin by asking the Court Police to state the purpose of the trial. Next, ask the Loyalist lawyer to present his/her side of the case. After the loyalist lawyer has made a statement, ask the lawyer to call their witnesses. When the Loyalist lawyer has finished calling his/her witnesses, ask the Patriot lawyer to stand and present his/her side of the case. Next, ask the Patriot lawyer to call for his/her witnesses to take the stand. After all witnesses have taken the stand, you will need to call for the Loyalist lawyer to make a closing statement. Next, ask the Patriot lawyer to make a closing statement. Call on the court clerk to summarize all notes from the trial. Dismiss the jurors to determine whether the Sons of Liberty are guilty and responsible for the costs of replacing the tea. When the jury comes in, have the head of the jury read their statement.

Court Police: When the judge asks you to, you will need to state the following information: "The British Government vs. The Sons of Liberty. The British Government is suing for the damage of several hundred pounds of tea in the event of what is known as The Boston Tea Party." Every time a witness takes the stand, you will need to ask them to raise their right and repeat the following: "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Then you will need to sit down. Make sure that your classmates remain in order and talk only in turn. If you see someone causing disturbances, escort them into isolation.

Clerk: Your responsibility is to take notes of all occurrences throughout the trial. The judge will ask you to review all notes before the jury is dismissed.

Jury: Your responsibility is to listen carefully and impartially to each statement made. You must take notes. At the end of all statements, you must meet with your fellow jurors to discuss whether you find the Sons of Liberty guilty and responsible for payment to the British Government. You must also vote amongst yourselves to elect a head jury official to read your statement before the court.

Loyalist Lawyer: The judge will ask you to present your side of the case. You will need to stand and say: "As a representative of the British Government, we are suing The Sons of Liberty for the cost of 342 cases of tea that were dumped into the harbor." The judge will then ask you to call your first witness. After the witness has presented his/her case, you may ask them any questions. These are the witnesses that you have to call:

Mary Lyte witnessed the Boston Tea Party on the night of May 10, 1773. Please ask Ms. Lyte to tell about the happenings on this night.

Governor Thomas Gage is a representative of the British government. Please ask Governor Gage to give information about the reasoning of the British government for the tea tax.

Margaret Smith has a brother that is a member of the Sons of Liberty. Ask Ms. Smith to tell the court everything she knows about The Sons of Liberty.

After both sides have presented, you will be asked to make a closing statement. You will need to summarize your case and tell why your party should win this law suit.

Patriot Lawyer: When the judge will call you to present your side of the case, you will need to stand and say: "As a representative of The Sons of Liberty, I am here to show that my clients had a right to dump 342 cases of tea into the harbor." These are the witnesses that you have to call:

James Otis was on the ship on the night of May 10, 1773. Ask Mr. Otis to tell about what happened on the night in question.

Paul Matthews is a legal expert. Ask him to discuss his view on the Tea Act.

Samuel Adams is the founder of the Sons of Liberty. Ask Mr. Adams to explain what the Sons of Liberty do.

After both sides have presented, you will be asked to make a closing statement. You will need to summarize your case and tell why your party should win this law suit.

FACTS:

Mary Lyte: - You are a British loyalist. You witnessed the Boston Tea Party on May 10, 1773.

Here are the facts:

-You saw a crowd of men, who identify themselves as The Sons of Liberty, dressed up like Native Americans.

-These men boarded the British ships, broke open all of the chests of tea, and dumped the tea into the harbor.

-As they threw the tea overboard, they sang: "Rally, Mohawks! Bring out your axes, and tell King George we'll pay no taxes."

Governor Thomas Gage:- You are a representative of the British government. You are going to tell the court about the tea tax.

Here are the facts:

-King George and all of England have a big job in supporting the colonists in America.

-We constantly have to send over money and supplies to help protect the colonies.

-After the French/Indian war in America, England needed some extra money to help pay for the costs.

-The colonists have done nothing but whine and protest about everything the government comes up with.

-Finally, England announced that the East India Company would supply all of the tea in America. This tea was to be sold without tax and would cost less than any other tea.

Margaret Smith:- Your brother is a member of The Sons of Liberty. You will tell the court everything you know about The Sons of Liberty.

Here are the facts:

-The Sons of Liberty were started in Massachusetts by a loud-mouthed man named Samuel Adams.

-The Sons of Liberty are constantly rallying and protesting anything that the British government does.

-They are traitors to our home country and to King George.

-The Sons of Liberty have been known to burn houses, destroy property, and even torture their enemies. If you ask me, they are a bunch of rebels up to no good.

James Otis:- You were on the ship on the night in question. You will tell the court what happened on the ship during the Boston Tea Party.

Here are the facts:

-I was with The Sons of Liberty on May 10, 1773. We were angry with England for taking away the tea trade from Boston.

-We were also angry with all of the new taxes and laws that England was passing on our behalf.

-To show England that we did not want to buy their tea, we dressed up like Mohawk Indians. We politely boarded the ship. We tipped the tea into the harbor to show our protest, but did no other damage to the ship.

Paul Matthews:- You are a legal expert. You will tell about the Tea Act and why it is not fair.

Here are the facts:

-England made an unfair decision for the colonies. England said that we had to buy the tea that they supplied us with.

-This put many of our local storekeepers out of business because England would not allow them to sell tea.

-It seems unfair to the colonists to have to buy all supplies from England.

-It is also unfair that England keeps raising our taxes to pay for a war that they waged.

Samuel Adams:- You are the founder of the group The Sons of Liberty. You will tell the court about the purpose of the group.

Here are the facts:

-I established The Sons of Liberty to keep England from taking advantage of us.

-Our group believes that the colonists should be allowed to make laws for America. England is so far away that they don't know what is best for the colonies here.

-King George refuses to listen to our complaints. He disallows the colonists to take part in making laws.

-The only way to get England to listen to us is to perform acts like The Boston Tea Party.