Lesson plan

Guy Johnson

by Benjamin West is usually identified as a portrait of Guy Johnson, although some historians argue that it depicts Sir William Johnson, Guy's uncle. Guy Johnson ( – 5 March 1788) was a British Indian Department officer, judge and politician. He served on the side of the British during the American Revolutionary War, having migrated to the Province of New York as a young man and worked with his uncle, Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet who served as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the northern colonies. Guy was appointed as William's successor in 1774. The following year, Johnson relocated with Loyalist supporters to Canada as tensions rose in New York during the American Revolution. He directed joint British-Mohawk military actions in the Mohawk Valley. Accused of falsifying reports, he went to London to defend himself after the war, and died there in 1788.

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Article summary

by Benjamin West is usually identified as a portrait of Guy Johnson, although some historians argue that it depicts Sir William Johnson, Guy's uncle. Guy Johnson ( – 5 March 1788) was a British Indian Department officer, judge and politician. He served on the side of the British during the American Revolutionary War, having migrated to the Province of New York as a young man and worked with his uncle, Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet who served as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the northern colonies. Guy was appointed as William's successor in 1774. The following year, Johnson relocated with Loyalist supporters to Canada as tensions rose in New York during the American Revolution. He directed joint British-Mohawk military actions in the Mohawk Valley. Accused of falsifying reports, he went to London to defend himself after the war, and died there in 1788.

Key claims

  1. date of death: 1788 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of death: 1774 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. date of death: 1788 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "1788". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of death is "1774". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the date of death is "1788". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370864198

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.