In this activity, you'll take on the role of a colonist in pre-Revolutionary America. In a letter to your (fictional) cousin in Great Britain, make your argument for the colonies'
independence, using specific references to the reasoning and evidence in Patrick
Henry's speech or Thomas Paine's text.
This writing assignment will focus on the following skills:
Establishing a claim
Providing relevant evidence
Addressing the counterclaim(s)

1. What is your claim? Your claim should respond directly to your cousin's argument
that the colonies should stay under British rule. Your claim should also give at least
one supporting reason.

2. Choose at least three facts or ideas from Henry's or Paine's writing that you can
use to provide evidence for your claim, and briefly explain how they support your
claim.

3. Write down the strongest counterclaim to your argument you can think of, and then
briefly explain how you will provide a rebuttal.

4. Write a preliminary outline for your letter. Write a short sentence or a phrase to
describe each main part of your letter: the claim, each piece of evidence that supports
your claim, a counterclaim your cousin might make, and your rebuttal of that
counterclaim.

5. Think of some transitions you might use to separate each part of your letter.
Should your first and second pieces of evidence be separated by furthermore or in
contrast, for example? Add these transitions to the outline you created in question 4,
but feel free to change them when you actually write your letter.

6. Write a basic summary of your argument here.

7. Write a full draft of your letter here.