Depicting the conflict – a British perspective

American History | Modul 7 | Quellen untersuchen: Karikatur | Protest und Aufstände | ◻◻ mittel | ca. 30 min

Tea PartyPhilipe Dawe: The Bostonians Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and Feathering, Karikatir von 1774 | Vollständiges Bild und Bildnachweis (Public Domain, Wikimedia): Bild anklicken

 

 Vokabelliste

 

Since the Stamp Act of 1765, the British colonists in North America had rejected several taxes and tariffs which the British government had tried to impose. A central argument of the protesting colonists was that they could not decide about their own taxes, as they were not directly represented in the British Parliament – “no taxation without representation” became their slogan. As a result, new taxes were often met with protests, boycotts and sometimes violence.

Boston, one of the largest cities in North America at the time, had been a centre of the protests since 1765. It was the origin of an organization called the Sons of Liberty, who played a major role in the battle against the Stamp Act throughout the Thirteen Colonies. Later on, those protesting against the taxes were often referred to as Patriots, while those who supported the British Government were called Tories or Loyalists.

The British government raised taxes on tea in 1767, but those had been avoided by many of the colonists. In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, which aimed to enforce those taxes. This led to a new series of protests and unrest. On December 16th 1773, Bostonian demonstrators destroyed a whole shipload of English tea – this event is today called the “Boston Tea Party.“

On January 25th, 1774, the Bostonian Loyalist and customs official John Malcolm was captured, tarred and feathered by a group of Patriots. The caricature below was used to illustrate the events in America for an English audience. What view does it express?

 

 

    Aufgabe

    1 | Look at the carricature “The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man, or, Tarring & Feathering” by Philip Dawe.

    a) Describe your first impressions.

    b) Have a closer look at the persons in the foreground, their body postures and facial expressions. How are John Malcolm and the Patriots portrayed?

    The following phrases may help you:

    The expression on the man’s face shows fear / joy / pleasure / satisfaction / …

    The men are standing close together. This could mean …

    The man’s body posture makes him seem aggressive / defensive / helpless / violent …

    The man in the center is looking down / away / into the distance / at … . It can be concluded that ...

    c) Read the information about the caricature’s details. What symbols did the artist use to convey his opinion and what do they stand for?

    The following phrases may help you:

    The ship in the background hints at ...

    The man in the center is being tarred and feathered. This suggests ...

    The Stamp Act poster on the tree reminds of …

    The rope attached to one of the tree’s branches refers to …

    d) Try to identify the print’s message. What seems to be the artist’s oppinion of the Patriots and the events in Boston? Moreover, what do you think was his intention for creating the caricature?

    The following phrases may help you:

    The cartoonist has a positive / negative view of …

    The cartoonist wants to … / He intends to …

    I think the most important thing for the cartoonist is …

    The cartoonist is criticising ... / laughing at ... / trying to convince people that …

    By presenting …, the cartoonist …

    Stichworte zum Modul Depicting the conflict – a British perspective | Geschichte | Geschichtsunterricht | Unterricht | American History | Boston Tea Party

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