CHAPTER 1
Overview
The Young Historians Program is an innovative approach to the study of his- tory which leverages technology to enable international debate and discussion be- tween students in different countries on a historical topic of direct relevance to both nations. The 2021-2022 Young Historians Program focuses on the Causes of the Ameri- can Revolution and is open to students across in grades 4/5 and in grade 7. This year-long program requires 90 minutes of instructional time per month between September and April. Starting in May, the program requires 90 minutes of instruc- tional time per week as we ramp up to the debate with an international school. Be- cause major state testing is completed by May, this time of year should prove more amenable to increased focus on the program. In order to fully understand the Causes of the American Revolution, which ex- plores the idea of who has a right to the territory known as the 13 Colonies, it is essential to begin with the first inhabitants of North America. The program there- fore begins with the history of Native Americans and the process of European ex- ploration, mercantilism and colonization that displaced the first peoples of this re- gion. Students will be assigned to one of the thirteen colonies and compare and con- trast the perspectives of the native tribes in their assigned region and that of the colonists who have moved into the area. We will explore the sources of legal and moral authority that gave the colonists the “right” to these tracts of land and to es- tablish them in areas that had been for thousands of years inhabited by Native Americans. In learning about this history, we will learn about the Protestant Refor-
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