The American Revolution

The American Revolution: 1763-1789

3rd through 8th grades
50 minutes
$39.95 (2 or more Book/CD sets @ $30 each)

Scroll down to see the list of characters and the first several pages of the script. (You might want to print it out.)

FLEXIBLE CASTING:
From 11-40 students.
Use as many Minutemen, Bostonians, etc. as desired; one student can also play more than one role. There are an awful lot of parts, but many of them have just a few lines. Note that all roles can be played by either boys or girls; see our comments on page 47 of the Teacher's Guide

BETSY ROSS STUDENTS KING GEORGE III COUNSELORS JOHN ADAMS JAMES OTIS SAM ADAMS BOSTONIANS JOHN JAY PATRICK HENRY PAUL REVERE RACHEL REVERE REVERE KIDS CLERK BEN FRANKLIN THOMAS JEFFERSON JOHN HANCOCK REDCOATS MINUTE MEN BERT ALICE GENERAL ROCHAMBEAU JOHN PAUL JONES BENEDICT ARNOLD COLONISTS JAMES MADISON ALEXANDER HAMILTON SMALL STATES BIG STATES VOTERS and a CHORUS comprised of all students who are not playing roles on stage at the time

(TWO STUDENTS step forward and address the audience ) STUDENT #1: If you’re like me, you’re tired of the same old stories about the American Revolution. STUDENT #2: Enough about George already! We want to hear from someone else. Like… STUDENT #1: Betsy Ross. STUDENT #2: Betsy Ross! STUDENT #1: Finally the woman who sewed the first American flag tells all about the stitch heard ’round the world. STUDENT #2: And now everybody, here she is…the Seamstress of the Revolution… STUDENT #1: The Empress of Embroidering… STUDENT #2: The Sultan of the Saddle-Stitch… STUDENT #1: The Guru of Needlework… BOTH STUDENTS: Betsy Ross! (Music begins as BETSY steps forward with knitting needles and nods at the audience. She sits in her rocking chair at the side of the stage.) STUDENTS: Tell us, Betsy, tell us Song 1 Shoo bee doo bee shoo bee doo shoo Come on, Betsy, tell us Shoo bee doo bee shoo bee doo shoo Tell us how your sewing Helped us win the war. Tell us, Betsy, tell us The tales you’ve told before. STUDENTS and CHORUS: Tell us, Betsy, tell us Shoo bee doo bee shoo bee doo shoo Come on, Betsy, tell us Shoo bee doo bee shoo bee doo shoo Tell us how you tailored Food at Valley Forge. Tell us, Betsy, tell us The one how you saved George. STUDENTS: Tell us how you knitted muskets BETSY: I felt it was my duty. STUDENTS: And then crocheted a cannon BETSY: Oh that one was a beauty. (spoken) Oh, and it sparkled! STUDENTS and CHORUS: Tell us, Betsy, tell us (clap) Come on, Betsy, tell us (clap) Tell us how your sewing Helped us win the war. Tell us, Betsy, tell us The tales you’ve told before. STUDENTS: How you stitched the revolution BETSY: You know I’m double jointed CLASS: You sewed the Constitution BETSY: No, that I needle-pointed. (spoken) And didn’t it turn out fine! STUDENTS and CHORUS (whispered): Tell us, Betsy, tell us (clap) Come on, Betsy, tell us (clap) Tell us how you tailored Food at Valley Forge. Tell us, Betsy, tell us The one how you saved (loudly) Shoo bee doo bee shoo bee doo Shoo shoo bee doo bee shoo bee doo shoo. STUDENT #1: Can you tell us about the American Revolution again, Betsy? BETSY: Oh my. It’s been so many years. STUDENTS: Pleeeeaaaaase!? BETSY: Okay, okay. Well, let’s see. A good place to start is when England defeated France and Spain in a long war. STUDENT #2: My dad told me about that. The colonists helped the British defeat the French here in America in 1763. BETSY: Yes, but the French and Indian War was just a small part of a much bigger conflict. A patch in the quilt of world politics. England became the leading power in the world. How King George III gloated. (THEY exit. GEORGE III enters with COUNSELORS) COUNSELOR #1: Tremendous news, your majesty. We’ve won the Seven Years War.

GEORGE III: Well it’s about time. We’ve been fighting for…um…how many years now? COUNSELOR #1: Seven. GEORGE III: That’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? COUNSELOR #2: Yes, my lord. Our victory is especially beneficial for our prospects in America. GEORGE III: America? How splendid! Did we get any of those fur hats? You can’t beat America for fur hats. COUNSELOR #2: Even better, your majesty. GEORGE III: Better than fur hats? You don’t mean…fur sunglasses?! COUNSELOR #1: Your majesty. We’ve driven the French out of most of America. The entire North is ours, as well as Florida, and everything east of the Mississippi. COUNSELOR #2: Our empire’s never been bigger. We rule the seas. Our colonies are rich and well-organized. England is the most powerful country in the world. GEORGE III: In other words… COUNSELORS 1 &2: That’s right, your majesty: (THEY shout) You’re da man! (quickly, back and forth) GEORGE III: Who da man? COUNSELORS: You’re da man. GEORGE III: Who da man? COUNSELORS: You’re da man. GEORGE III: Rootin’ tootin’ right I’m da man. GEORGE III and COUNSELORS: We spanked old Spain Song 2 We flogged the French We whipped the world Yeah we’re a mensch. Our colonies Are our great joy Hey, America Our fav’rite toy. And it’s great to be an empire Everyone shines your shoes Yeah it’s great to be an empire Nobody can refuse. It’s great to be an empire In its early days In its early ways It’s great to be an empire ’Cause it pays. (During the dobro solo, GEORGE and his COUNSELORS do a Victory Dance.) Now we’re in debt Up to our knees So where to turn? The colonies! They fought with us To win the war Hey, and now they’ll know What they fought for. GEORGE III, COUNSELORS, and CHORUS: And it’s great to be an empire Everyone shines your shoes Yeah it’s great to be an empire Nobody can refuse. It’s great to be an empire In its early days In its early ways It’s great to be an empire ’Cause it pays. It’s great to be an empire In its early days In its early ways It’s great to be an empire ’Cause it pays. (THEY exit. STUDENTS and BETSY enter.) STUDENT #3: What do they mean,“it pays”? Does being an empire come with a salary and retirement plan and stuff like that? BETSY: Even better. England was in debt for over 140 million pounds. King George and Parliament figured the colonies could help pay. STUDENT #1: 140 million pounds! Wow, like, you’d need to diet for months to lose that. BETSY: Pounds as in English money, dear. The British Parliament passed a series of acts that placed duties and taxes on the colonists. By 1767 they weren’t happy. (THEY exit. JOHN ADAMS and JAMES OTIS enter) JOHN ADAMS: Mr. Otis, what’s the latest? OTIS: John Adams! I’m glad I ran into you. It’s another British outrage. They’ve passed the Townsend Acts, which put import duties on just about everything. ADAMS: I didn’t think it could get any worse. We’ve already had the Hat Act, the Wool Act, Iron Act, Currency Act, and Sugar Act. OTIS: I know it. The British just can’t get their Acts together. ADAMS: Remember the Stamp Act? OTIS: A direct tax on everything we printed, from cards to calendars. ADAMS: I loved what you said. What was it? “Taxation without representation is exploitation.” OTIS: “Tyranny.” ADAMS: What? OTIS: I said “tyranny.” “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” ADAMS: You did? (pauses, then:) Doesn’t really rhyme, though, does it? OTIS: It’s not supposed to rhyme. It’s an aphorism. ADAMS: Well of course, but the good ones rhyme. Take Ben Franklin’s maxims. “He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing.” “Little strokes fell great oaks.” “Plough deep while sluggards sleep.” OTIS (interrupting): Okay, I get it. The point is the British are not treating us as equals but as subjects. They’ve prohibited us from settling beyond the Appalachians. They’ve even started enforcing the Navigation Laws so all commerce between England and here must be by British vessels. ADAMS: You’re right. This has got to stop. ADAMS and OTIS: They’re taxing my coffee, my paper, my wine* Song 3 They’re paying for theirs with what ought to be mine. They’re taxing my glass—and everything I see They call ’em “levies”—they feel like a tax to me. They’re taxing my sugar, they’re taxing my paint I don’t think there’s nothing I’ve got that they ain’t They’re taxing my tax—and adding on a fee They call ’em “duties”—they feel like a tax to me. Taxation Taxation Without representation It’s not right Time to fight Lai lai lai lai lai. Taxation Taxation Without representation It’s not right Time to fight Lai lai lai lai lai. The Hat Act and Wool Act, the Iron Act too The Townsend Acts, Greenville Acts, what can we do? So what else is left? They wouldn’t touch my tea! They call ’em “acts” but they feel like a tax to me. ADAMS, OTIS, and CHORUS: Taxation Taxation Without representation It’s not right Time to fight Lai lai lai lai lai. Taxation Taxation Without representation It’s not right Time to fight Lai lai lai lai lai. (THEY all freeze on the last note. Then THEY exit. SAM ADAMS enters with BOSTONIANS) SAM ADAMS: This is the last straw, my fellow Bostonians. BOSTONIANS: You tell ’em, Sam. SAM ADAMS: Did we fight the Townsend Acts? We refused to import English goods and pay the duties. And what did they do? BOSTONIAN #1: They sent warships into our harbor. SAM ADAMS: And did we relent? BOSTONIANS: Never! SAM ADAMS: What about the Boston massacre? BOSTONIAN #2: Right. The British shot and killed three un-armed colonists. SAM ADAMS: Did we give up? BOSTONIANS: Never! SAM ADAMS: And finally they had to repeal the Townsend Acts in 1770. BOSTONIANS: Yes! SAM ADAMS: But here we are, three years later. They’ve passed the Tea Act. Are we going to keep paying a tax on tea? BOSTONIANS: Never! SAM ADAMS: They’ve shipped a half million pounds of tea to America, driving down the price of tea. Are we going to buy it? (silence) Well, are we? BOSTONIAN #1: Come on, Mr. Adams. We’ve got to have a spot of tea. BOSTONIAN #2: Yeah, I mean, we’re only human. BOSTONIAN #3: And the prices are so low! (BOSTONIANS mumble in agreement) SAM ADAMS: Listen to me! Today it’s tea. Tomorrow it’s sugar. The next day it’s those nice fuzzy slippers with the bunny ears that keep our feet so cozy in winter. BOSTONIANS: Not our slippers! SAM ADAMS: Yes, your slippers! How long are we going to keep letting the British kick us around? It’s time for action! BOSTONIANS: Right! SAM ADAMS: It’s time we stopped calling soccer “football”! BOSTONIANS: Right! SAM ADAMS: It’s time we started riding on the RIGHT-hand side of the road! BOSTONIANS: Right! SAM ADAMS: And it’s time we dressed up as natives and dumped those 342 chests of tea into the harbor! BOSTONIANS: Right! SAM and BOSTONIANS: Down , down , down Song 4 Just dump it off the boat Down, down, down Let’s see if it can float. Down, down , down It’s sinking in the sea Something’s brewing boys and it ain’t tea. Something’s brewing boys and it ain’t tea. Trouble’s brewing for the crown Tell them all in London town London town All their lovely tea just drowned Send some more it’s going down Send some more it’s going down. Send some more it’s going down. SAM, BOSTONIANS, and CHORUS: Down, down , down Just dump it off the boat Down, down, down Let’s see if it can float. Down, down, down It’s sinking in the sea Something’s brewing boys and it ain’t tea. Something’s brewing boys and it ain’t tea. SAM and BOSTONIANS: Something’s brewing boys and it ain’t tea. Song List

Click on the song name to hear samples in mp3 format. Please note that internet song samples have low fidelity and rest assured that the CDs we sell sound much better. Problems hearing the music? Visit our Audio Help page.

Teacher Reviews:

To submit your own review, just e-mail it to ron@badwolfpress.com Be sure to include your school name and what grade you teach.

"We loved it! Our audience was in excess of 40 parents, grandparents and friends. One of my parents told it the best student/school play she'd ever watched. She has 5 children. My students enjoyed the songs and would literally break out in song during the day. I would tell another hesitant teacher to try it, without obligating the class to perform it, knowing he/she couldn't resist!"
---Diana Anderson, Teacher (2-8th grades), Midnight Sun Learning Center, Wasilla, AK.

"I only had four weeks to teach this standard. I played the music while the kids read the script, and I elaborated on the important stuff. The kids were thrilled and I was relieved."
---Olga Cammer, Teacher (5th grade), Sierra Vista School, La Habra, CA

"I chose this play because of the 'history' but the music was lively and I thought the kids would like it. They did!....The best part, as always, was the the students learned so much about American History."
---Donna Bakes, Teacher (4-9th grades), Logan County Home Education, Russellville, KY.

"It was superb. I, the kids, my coteacher, and the parents/rest of school loved it. They were impressed. Best play I've done. We really did it up---big lights, three mics, LOUD. Very fun."
---Jay Garrett-Larsen, Teacher (3rd/4th grades) The Well School, Peterborough, NH

"We are a Technical High school with a Theater Arts program and I did Am Rev with my Freshmen & Juniors (a total cast of 12) and we took it out 'on the road' to local elementary schools. We all had a fantastic and very memorable experience. We had comments from audience members such as 'this is the best assembly we've ever had here!' My students enjoyed the material and we all learned a lot. We found your material to be filled with fun and the fact that you allow flexibility for different productions makes them very attractive to me as a teacher/director."
--Jan Dawson, Teacher, (High School Theater), Warren County Technical School, Washington, NJ

If you ask us, we always suggest having just one class put on a play. We think each kid is more involved,
and we think it's easier for you to deal with a smaller number of students.

But lots of teachers disagree with us. They've been happily doing the plays together for years.

But if you're gonna go this route, we want each of you to have your own copy of the Book/CD set.
There are three very good reasons:

One of our Book/CD sets costs $39.95, but if you purchase two, the price drops to $30 each.
So the second play is only $20!

The American Revolution: 1763-1789

Teacher Reviews: To submit your own review, just e-mail it to ron@badwolfpress.com Be sure to include your school name and what grade you teach.

Teacher Reviews:

To submit your own review, just e-mail it to ron@badwolfpress.com Be sure to include your school name and what grade you teach.