From Tea to Shining Sea: A Primary Document-Based Unit on the Boston Tea Party

Developed by Lisa M. Green, Swampscott High School, Swampscott, Mass.

From Tea to Shining Sea contains curriculum units for both A.P. United States History and A.P. Economics classes. In the History curriculum, students use five sections of primary source documents to discern the different economic, political, and social strands that created the tension leading up to the Boston Tea Party. Each section contains document analysis and "Consider" questions to help students prepare for group discussion. The unit culminates with an oral debate, as well as argumentative essays that draw from the documents. In the Economics curriculum, students view the historical event of the Boston Tea Party by applying economic analysis, including taxation policy, Game Theory, demand curves, and monopolies. A PowerPoint presentation that reviews the major events leading up to the Tea Party may be downloaded for use with either curriculum.

• View/Download Complete History Unit
• View/Download Individual History Lessons
  • View/Download Introduction
  • View/Download Lesson 1: A Taste for Tea
  • View/Download Lesson 2: Non-Importation and the Boston Merchant Crisis
  • View/Download Lesson 3: The East India Company (Monopoly)
  • View/Download Lesson 4: The Profits of Patriotism
  • View/Download Lesson 5: Tea Party Perspectives
  • View/Download Debate Guidelines
  • View/Download Document Analysis Worksheet
  • View/Download Activities

• View/Download Complete Economics Unit
• View/Download Individual Economics Lessons
  • View/Download Introduction
  • View/Download Lesson 1: To Tax or Not to Tax
  • View/Download Lesson 2: The Demand Curve in the Boston Tea Party
  • View/Download Lesson 3: Non-Importation and the Boston Merchant Crisis
  • View/Download Lesson 4: The East India Company (Monopolies)
  • View/Download Lesson 5: The Profits of Patriotism