Title – My Brother Sam Is Dead — Propaganda and the Revolutionary War
By – Mary
Primary Subject – Language Arts
Secondary Subjects – Art, Social Studies
Grade Level – 6-8

Introduction:

Visual art integration allows students who are strong visual learners or visually/spatially inclined to retain and learn material through creating or evaluating visual arts.

Objective:

Content Objective:
Apply the elements of propaganda and persuasion to the events and controversy of the American Revolution using the novel,

My Brother Sam Is Dead

, an American Revolutionary War novel.

Creative Objective:
Create a piece of propaganda to persuade a colonist during the American Revolution to join either the British or the Patriots.

Procedure:

• Students will learn and define the term “propaganda.”
  • Propaganda — the deliberate spreading of such information or rumors; information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution or nation.
• Students will view and discuss the effectiveness of various pieces of propaganda from World War II (Uncle Sam, Nazi Germany, etc.)
  • What makes a piece of visual propaganda eye-catching?
  • What type of message is each piece sending?
  • How does propaganda play on your fears and/or emotions?
• Pose a question for discussion: What would propaganda look like if the British and Patriots used propaganda to try to convince colonists to join their side during the American Revolution?
  • What negative things would the British say about the Patriots? What negative things would the Patriots say about the British?
• Students will then be broken into pairs. Their task is to create a single piece of propaganda using the following process:
  • Choose a side you wish to support with your propaganda
    (British or Patriots).
  • Create a slogan to use on your propaganda poster. Your slogan can either be positive and support your side, or negative towards your opposing side.
  • Decide upon an eye-catching, visual image to go with your slogan.

Assessment:

• Based on the piece of propaganda they created, each individual student will then compose a piece of creative writing. Students will create a persona of a colonist during the Revolutionary War.
• Their essay must discuss why they have decided to support either the British or the Patriots during the war.
• The essay will be paired with their piece of propaganda.

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