Pick a Side! The American Revolution in Queens

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An interactive game for grades 5-8

PICK A SIDE!The American Revolution in Queens

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Loyalist

Patriot

OR

Click on the circles to learn about each side of the Revolution. Then continue on to choose your player!

The American Revolution has begun, and New Yorkers are deciding -- which side should they choose?

The year is 1776.

Merchant

Yeoman

Click on the images to learn more, then select the button below your choice to begin!

Choose Your Player

Next

Take a few minutes to think about and even jot down a few ideas about what your yeoman might need or want. What worries do they have, and why?

Challenge! Identify your character's needs and wants.

The Revolution has begun, and war has come to New York City. The Continental Army (Patriot Army) led by George Washington is recruiting soldiers and preparing to fight the British Army. They're in Manhattan right now, but you hear the battles might eventually get closer to your farm in Long Island. Hopefully they don't come too close.

You own a large farm, where you grow wheat and have a small apple orchard.

You are a yeoman living on Long Island.

Next

The next time you go to town, some of your friends who are Loyalists won't speak to you and call you a traitor to King and country. Other friends call you a patriot and support your decision. Both groups of friends will remember what you did in the future.

Edward thanks you and returns to load your harvest and bring it to the hungry Patriot soldiers. Your contribution will save many lives in the weeks to come, and he promises to pay you later. A week later you learn the British have the Continental Army surrounded in Brooklyn. You probably won't be paid any time soon, if ever.

You agree to sell your crops to the Patriots.

(When you see this icon, click to find out more and make a more-informed decision!)

What do you do?

Sell your crops to the patriots

Don't sell your crops to the patriots

Just then, you hear hoofbeats nearby and look up to see a young man riding onto your property on horseback. He tips his hat and approaches you. "My name is Edward Smith, and I represent the Continental Army. We need supplies badly -- our soldiers are worn out and hungry and we need your crops and any meat you've butchered to feed them. We need them immediately."

It's a good harvest this year! Once you sell the harvest, you're sure you'll make enough money to feed your family, keep hiring your workers, and continue to care for your animals and fields for next year.

You're out in the fields, beginning to harvest this season's crops with your hired workers.

Next

The next time you go to town, you get similar treatment from supporters of the Patriot cause who learned you refused to sell your crops to the Continental Army. Your Loyalist friends quickly tell you to be careful walking around alone. Angry Patriot supporters have been known to tar and feather people who they consider to be traitors.

Edward angrily leaves your farm, telling you that your crops might have saved many lives. He tells you that you're greedy and selfish, and that he'll remember this injustice.

You refuse to sell your crops to the Patriots.

Next

Take a few minutes to think about and even jot down a few ideas about what your merchant might need or want. What worries do they have, and why?

Challenge! Identify your character's needs and wants.

The Revolution has begun, and war has come to New York City. The Continental Army (Patriot Army) led by George Washington is recruiting soldiers and preparing to fight the British Army. They're in Manhattan right now, and there's a blockade in the harbor preventing ships from entering or leaving without a special pass you don't yet have.

You own a ship and hire a crew to transport tea and spices across the Atlantic Ocean to sell in the colonies.

You are a merchant living on Long Island.

Get a pass & Declare loyalty to Great Britain

Don't Get a Pass

(When you see this icon, click to find out more and make a more-informed decision!)

What do you do?

Fortunately, you can get a pass from the Governor's office that will allow your ship to go in and out of New York Harbor -- but only if you declare loyalty to Great Britain and sign a legal document that binds you to that promise.

You have a ship waiting to leave New York and bring goods to England. You do lots of business with British merchants in England, and you're worried that you will lose everything if you can't do business with them anymore.

You've gotten word that British ships are blockading the New York Harbor.

Next

You get a pass, and your ship is allowed to leave.

Even still, many people who support the Patriot cause are now angry with you. You are not only working with the British, you're also transporting goods that Patriots are boycotting -- like tea. You lose customers over this, but since the British control New York for most of the war, you get to take extra business that Patriot merchants lost by not getting a pass. You make more money than usual and manage to survive through the Revolution with few troubles. Things go less well for you, however, once the colonies gain their independence in 1783. As a Loyalist, much of your property is seized by the new American government as "recompense" for siding with the enemy. You might even be imprisoned. You lose everything.

You have officially and publicly declared that you will support the King's claim to the American colonies, making you a Loyalist. You are able to continue trading and making money to support your family.

Next

You refuse to get a pass and your ship is not allowed to leave.

Even once the colonies gain their independence and end the war in 1783, things don't get much better for you. American merchants no longer had access to the safe routes across the Atlantic Ocean that only British-affiliated ships were allowed to use. Your ships are vulnerable to attack by pirates, a situation that the new American government didn't immediately deal with.

Whether or not you support the Patriot cause, without a pass and declaring your loyalty to the King, you are not able to continue trading and making money to support your family. Your business will likely fail and you will lose everything.

Next

Jamaica Minute Men

No matter what side you believe in, you know that 56 men from your town of Jamaica have decided to join the Patriot cause. Many families have several family members in the local minutemen group, the Jamaica Minute Men. If the war ends poorly for the Continental Army and their patriot supporters, those men might be imprisoned or killed.

give up Muskets to the Patriots

Don't give UP your Muskets

Mrs. Higbie looks at you. "What do you think?"

It's a pleasant day, and you approach a few of your neighbors -- Mrs. Higbie and Mr. Ludlum -- to say hello. They look worried. "Did you hear? The Provincial Congress has sent some men to collect muskets for the Continental Army to use in the fight against the King," says Mrs. Higbie. "Giving them our guns would greatly help the Patriot cause." "But they're going to take our weapons!" Mr. Ludlum argues. "With all this unrest, we need those weapons for protection! And besides, those muskets are my property. They have no right to take them!"

You're in town one afternoon, shopping and enjoying a nice walk through the village.

Maybe that conversation between Mrs. Higbie and Mr. Ludlum sounded familiar to you. Can you draw parallels between their arguments and arguments made about gun ownership in America today? Why did you choose to, or to not give up your musket, and why?

Challenge! Past and Present

Click on the muskets to find out what happened!

He was sent by the Provincial Congress of New York, which was the temporary government set up by Patriots in rebellion against British rule. Patriots were expected to follow their laws and not the laws of the British King. His purpose was to collect guns to help the struggling Continental Army fend off the British in Manhattan and eventually Brooklyn. But not everyone was so eager to give up their weapons...

In 1775, a man named William Williams (yes, that was his real name) was tasked with collecting muskets from the residents of the Village of Jamaica, Long Island.

The Right to Bear Arms?

Next

Next

The war has come to Long Island. It's August of 1776, the British Army has landed in Brooklyn and is slowly backing the Continental Army into a corner. The fighting is now just a few miles from your home. You can hear the canon fire echoing throughout the day, and it's getting closer. You've heard about a few farms being destroyed in the fighting, but you've also heard that the British are likely to capture General George Washington and end the Patriot rebellion! That means trade will open back up, and maybe there will be peace. But Washington and his troops manage to escape across the East River and up through Manhattan. The revolution continues.

Battle of Brooklyn

Click on your choice to find out what real 18th-century Long Islanders decided.

Loyalist

Patriot

Unsure

The Battle of Brooklyn (Long Island) is behind you, and the British have control of New York City and the surrounding areas. You will live under British martial law for almost the entire rest of the war, until the Continental Army is victorious and the American colonies officially leave Great Britain in 1783 to form the United States of America. But which side did your character choose? Why did they feel that way? Were you loyal to Great Britain? Did you join the Patriot cause? Was that a harder choice to make than you thought it would be? Are you still unsure?

It's time to pick a side.

Play again

What side would you personally have chosen?

Was this result what you expected? Why or why not? Based on what you've learned, what factors do you think contributed to this result?

What did 18th-century Long Islanders really choose?