Loyalty or Rebellion?

Warm-Up: This or That? 

To warm-up the students’ philosophical thinking and introduce them to the primary theme of the lesson (rebellion or loyalty), facilitate 2-5 rounds of “This or That?” 

Directions: 

1. Framing: Tell the students that they are going to have to make decisions about whether, in different situations, they would stay loyal or rebel against the group they are a part of. 
2. Read one of the prompts below (pick your favorites, or the ones you think your students will be “hooked” by). Tell students to move to one side of the room if they agree with the first option or the other side if they agree with the second option. 
   • If students are genuinely torn between the two sides, you can allow them to stand in the middle. (But they will still have to say why they chose the middle!) 3. Once the students have moved to their side of the room, have them turn and talk to 2 or 3 people on their same side about why they are on this side of the room. 
   • Many students (especially middle schoolers) might choose “rebel” just because they think it’s cool. Encourage students to choose what they would actually do, and always have them support their answers with strong reasons. 
3. Call on 3-5 students on each side to share to the whole class why they picked their side.
   1. IMPORTANT: Even though students are standing, everyone should be showing respect to the speaker by listening and tracking them with their eyes. 
   2. Establish a norm that if students hear strong reasons from the other side that make them change their mind, they can walk to the other side of the room (or move to the middle). When this happens, celebrate this student for demonstrating an open mind! 
4. Repeat with another prompt. If you would like, you can have students “reset” at their seats before reading the next prompt, but this is not necessary. (Try to keep this portion of the lesson to ~15 minutes.) 

Prompts 

1. Your best friend tells you to back them up in an argument, even if you secretly disagree. Do you stay loyal to your friend, or rebel and say what you really think? 
2. Your parents set a rule that you don’t like. Do you stay loyal because they are your parents, or rebel because you know better? 
3. Your favorite sports team trades away your favorite player to another team and continues to make choices that you do not like. Do you stay a fan (loyal) or root for a new team (rebel)? 
4. A loved family member secretly did something that you know is wrong and hurt someone. Do you stay loyal to your loved one by protecting their secret, or break your loyalty in order to get justice for the victim? 
5. A new mayor of your town (that you didn’t choose) makes new rules for your town. Do you stay loyal to keep order, or rebel because you didn’t get a say? 

*Throughout this activity, you might notice a trend that students’ opinions on whether to rebel or stay loyal are contingent on how egregious the rule/ argument/ infraction is. This observation is important to the next inquiry. Also, take note of interesting points specific students said so you can reference them when you discuss the historical details of the American Revolution. 

Philosophical Community of Inquiry 

Framing: During the American Revolution, people were faced with dilemmas about whether to stay loyal or rebel against the British government. Some people joined the American Revolution (Patriots) and others continued to support the British King (Loyalists). 

The Patriots chose to rebel because of: 

• Taxation Without Representation: the colonists had to give money to the British government even though they didn’t have a say in decisions 
• Trade Restrictions: the colonists were only allowed to trade with Britain and had to pay additional taxes on some goods 
• Quartering of Soldiers: colonists were forced to house and feed British soldiers in their homes 
• No Say in the Laws: important decisions were made in Britain, far away, by leaders who did not understand daily colonial life 
• Lack of Self-Government: colonists wanted to govern themselves, make their own laws, and choose their own leaders 
• Violation of Rights: colonists believed they had certain rights (free speech, assembly etc.), but the King does not respect these rights 

*Recommendation: write this list (only the bolded parts) on the board so students can think about it and reference it during the philosophical inquiry.  

Discussion Prompts 

*Note: You should not use all of these questions. Internalize this list and choose the ones you most want your class to engage with. 

• Political leaders often ask for their citizens’ loyalty.
  • Do citizens owe loyalty to their leaders? 
  • What makes a leader worthy of the people’s loyalty? 
• Laws are rules that everyone must follow in society. 
  • What makes a law fair? A law unfair?
  • When do you think it is okay to break a law, if ever? 
• The Patriots rebelled against the King, while the Loyalists supported his leadership.
  • Can someone be friends with another person who has different political opinions with them? Why or why not? 
  • Is it possible for rebellion and loyalty to ever go together? How?  
  • What are the responsibilities of someone who is in the middle, who sees valid points on both sides? 
• Revolution requires sacrifice.
  • What does it mean to sacrifice for what you believe in?  
  • What are some different ways people can sacrifice for what they believe in? 
  • Are there some things that are not worth sacrificing, no matter what?
  • Even if we are not willing to fight and die like the Patriots, what sacrifices can we make in order to build a better society where people are treated fairly as free and equal citizens? 

*For all of these general philosophical questions, they can be connected to the American Revolution with a follow up question (if you want to connect the philosophy to the academic content). 

• Ex: What makes a leader worthy of the people’s loyalty? → Could the King have done anything to secure the Patriot’s loyalty? 
• Ex: When do you think it is okay to break a law, if ever? → Do you agree with the Patriots that the revolution was justified? 
• Ex: Is it possible for rebellion and loyalty to ever go together? How? → Was there any form of loyalty from the Patriots, or rebellion from the Loyalists? 
• Ex: Can someone be friends with another person who has different political opinions with them? Why or why not? → Is it possible for a Patriot and a Loyalist to be friends? 
• Ex: What are some different ways people can sacrifice for what they believe in? → How did the Patriots sacrifice for their values? 

Community Close-Out 

• To close this lesson, have students think about one question from the “This or That” activity or one point from the “Philosophical Community of Inquiry” that someone else said that made you think in a new or surprising way. 
• Have students share who said what that expanded their thinking. This can be done orally to the whole class or by having students write private notes to each other. 
• This closing allows students to reflect on the lesson and builds community by emphasizing the value others can have in changing the way we think.