This booklet is part of a series of units designed to help students take and defend a position on public issues. By looking at how decisions were made in the past, students can see that history did not have to happen just the way it did. By looking at how conflicts were resolved in other times and places, students can clarify their positions on how they ought to be resolved here and now. By 1775, the American colonists and the British could no longer find common answers to basic questions about government. The result was the American Revolution. This unit deals with the critical issues relating to those questions. They include: (1) What is a proper government and where does its power originate? (2) When should governmental authority be challenged? (3) In what ways should people, as groups or individuals, be able to express themselves to constituted authority? Is violence ever the "right" course? In this unit students face these problems as open ended questions. The historical portion of the booklet is divided into four sections. The first section summarizes the events leading up to the revolution, especially the Stamp Act. The second section examines the views that colonists held on the conflict. Both the patriot and loyalist views are explored. The third section offers accounts of the war from participants on both sides. The words of soldiers, poets, ministers, and revolutionaries are included. The fourth historical section discusses analogy cases. Events in Selma, Alabama in 1965 are compared to the events of the revolution. In the accompanying teacher's guide primary source documents and secondary sources are used to acquaint students with how these questions manifested themselves in the period leading up the the American Revolution. Special attention is given to the choice individuals faced, whether to remain loyal to a government that violated the values for which they believed it stood or to support violent protest against that government. Students and teachers can choose among several contemporary cases for analysis and comparison. Addressing the question of when authority should be challenged requires students to define authority. This definitional issue is emphasized throughout the unit. In examining whether violence is ever justified, students consider such criteria as the severity of the grievances being protested. Each section in the guide suggests activities and teaching methods. An 8-item bibliography and handouts are included. (DK)