#4

“The Stamp Act and the Townshend Act triggered the frustrations of the American Colonialist. These two acts, as we discussed the other day, created a tax for the American colonialist. Everyone pays taxes – so what about the Stamp Act and the Townshend Act unsettled the colonialists?”

“The Stamp Act and the Townshend Act were unfair because the people had no say in it – just like how my puppies at home don’t have a say in what they have for dinner.”

“That’s correct. The two acts were created by the British Parliament without the representation from the colonies. Who would like to share with the rest of the class a modern example of this issue? Yes, Mike?”

“Well . . . well, it’s like . . . A giant monster that has big feet. But the shoe company that makes shoes, they don’t make him his size. Because like, they’re just too big. So the monster is shoeless. And it’s unfair for the monster because the shoe companies only make a certain size. And . . . and . . . the monster has no representation!”

“Thank you, Mike. Would anyone else like to give an example? Timmy?”

“Taxation without representation is a lot like baseball. So take for example, you’ve got Chris Young throwing fastballs. You’ve got the umpire calling balls and strikes. If the umpire makes a bad call, the team’s manager can challenge the call – and he represents representation. He has a say with the decision. But the guy sitting in the bleachers with the Rangers jersey and baseball glove has no say. He’s can scream and yelp all he wants, and even if he’s right, his say has no merit.”

“That’s a good example Timmy. So on December 16, 1773, American colonists protested against the British. Do you remember what they did? It was in your reading assignment last night. I’ll give you a hint: The Boston Tea Party.”

“In the middle of the night, under the moonlight, the American colonists boarded the British trading ships and dumped tea into the ocean.”

“That’s right May. Carl, would you like to share with the class what happened afterwards?”

“Uh . . . Tremors . . . uh . . . were felt throughout the country?”

“Well, that’s true. But can you be more specific?”

The class continued on in this type of manner. The game for the day was similar to yesterday’s game where secret words had to be spoken in class. This time, it was the student’s goal to incorporate the magic words into their answers. The day’s magic words: Puppies, Monster, Fastball, Moonlight, and Tremor.

[Writing stories is a hassle because you have to do the research. It's like school, but you don't get a big, fat letter A when your paper looks good. Doing research for blogs only garners you an eProp, and the occasional pat on the back.]