Following the double lecture on the causes of the American Revolution, try to get a sense of which argument students find more attractive. Ask two pairs of students each to present a statement to the class explaining why they believe one or the other argument to be better. Throw the session open to general discussion by the class. If there is a strong trend toward either one of the interpretations, the instructor will stand ready to challenge the prevailing opinion. Collections of excerpts will be of use. The Problems in American Civilization Series has John C. Wahlke, editor, The Causes of the American Revolution (third edition; 1973); American Problem Studies offers George Athan Billias, editor, The American Revolution: How Revolutionary Was It? (1965); and Major Problems in American History has Richard D. Brown, editor, Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution (1992). Use of Document Set 5-2 may also be integrated into this sequence.

Divergence of interests and opinions is sometimes obscured in considering the causes of the American Revolution. Different occupational groups had different views. Colonists were often divided in their sentiments according to their location or their social class. Students need to recognize the absence of unanimity. Consider, for example, the conflict between East and West in the Carolinas. What did the Regulators want? Were their concerns justified? Ask a couple of students to prepare a summary statement for presentation to the class. Let the instructor supplement the presentation with a brief preview of other clashes between frontier and settled area, rural and city people, West versus East--conflicts yet to come in the nation's history. See Hugh T. Lefler and William S. Powell, Colonial North Carolina: A History (1973), and Richard Maxwell Brown, The South Carolina Regulators (1963). Document Set 5-1 also addresses the difficulties of achieving intercolonial cooperation.

What was Samuel Adams's role in the events leading to the Revolution? Was he an irresponsible rabble-rouser undermining the pacific efforts of others? Was he a true patriot seething with justifiable rage? Ask students to write a two-page position paper on the matter. Consider discussing the results in class, reserving a few moments to compare Adams with modern-day figures within the students' memories. See Pauline Maier, The Old Revolutionaries: Political Lives in the Age of Samuel Adams (1980); Dirk Hoerder, Crowd Action in Revolutionary Massachusetts, 1765-1780 (1977); Hiller B. Zobel, The Boston Massacre (1970); and John C. Miller, Sam Adams: Pioneer in Propaganda (1936).

The writings of the Revolutionary generation deserve to be read by today's students. In particular, students need to read the Declaration of Independence. Although the bulk of it is simply a catalog of grievances, the more important parts demonstrate Thomas Jefferson's literary skill and serve as a window on the eighteenth-century concept of natural rights, on American anger, and on what was later to be created by the nation's founders. The declaration provides an admirable basis for understanding the American sense of righteousness. It may be valuable to conduct a close analysis of the text of this important document. See Carl L. Becker, The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas (1922); Garry Wills, Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence (1979); and Pauline Maier, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence (1997).