The Declaration of Independence

Common Sense A variety of colonial viewpoints developed in response to the outbreak of war. Loyalists still wanted to remain under British rule. In the provinces of Canada, colonists stayed loyal to the Crown. There were also many Loyalists in the thirteen colonies. Some wanted to stay a part of the British Empire, but with more rights for the colonists. The Iroquois Indians sided with the British, as did many black slaves, who were promised their freedom for helping the British in the war.Thomas Paine, an Englishman living in the colonies, published a pamphlet, Common Sense, early in 1776. Paine believed it was ridiculous for America to be governed by a small, distant island across the vast ocean. He said the colonists derived no benefit from British rule. In fact, the British had dragged the colonists into European wars. Many Patriots (supporters of the Revolution) began to demand complete independence. Thomas Paine's Common Sense PUT IN YOUR HEADPHONES Thomas Paine believed is was "common sense" for the colonies to separate from Great Britain. TRUE FALSE The passage below comes from Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense":"This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. [Here] have they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still... I challenge the warmest advocate for reconciliation to show a single advantage that this continent can reap by being connected with Great Britain we can expect nothing but ruin... Everything that is right of reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'tis time to part'."What argument does Paine use to support American independence? The king is not allowing immigrants to enter American anymore. The king is pleading with the colonists to separate from Britain. The colonists have no advantages by being connected to Great Britain. People are coming from all over Europe for religious freedom. How did Common Sense contribute to American independence? Common Sense contributed to American independence by... The Declaration of Independence Representatives of the Second Continental Congress began discussing the issue of American independence early in 1776. John Adams played an important role as leader of the movement for separation from England. A Virginian, Richard Henry Lee, proposed that the colonies declare their independence. Adams seconded the motion (he agreed).After much debate, the delegates decided to declare their independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson, working as part of a small committee that included John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams led the debate in the Continental Congress.Much of our knowledge about the debates in the Continental Congress comes from the stream of letters between Adams and his wife, Abigail Adams. Her letters reveal a woman of keen (sharp) intelligence with strong opinions. Her writing reveals a commitment to voting rights for women and African Americans, and fierce support for American independence.The Declaration of Independence, issued on July 4, 1776, explained the reasons why the colonists sought independence from Great Britain. Borrowing from the ideas of John Locke, Jefferson explained that government was a "social contract". Its purpose was to protect citizens' unalienable rights. These rights should not be taken away from citizens, including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".The philosophy teaches that each individual is endowed at birth with rights that are "unalienable" because they were given to us by our Creator. This idea of "unalienable rights" became a basic belief of American government- that some rights are derived from nature and may not be taken away or violated by the government.The Declaration of Independence went on to list the grievances, or official complaints, of the colonists against King George III and his ministers. Most of these grievances related to the belief that the British Crown was threatening the colonists' rights in favor of a tyrannical (cruel) rule. Creating the Declaration of Independence PUT IN YOUR HEADPHONES How did Abigail Adams contribute to the American independence movement? By advising her husband during the Continental Congress. By supporting voting rights for women. By supporting rights for African Americans. All of the above What are "unalienable rights"? Jefferson argued that citizens had the right to overthrow an oppressive government to protect these unalienable rights. This argument is found in the most important paragraph of the Declaration:"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,- That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government...." Briefly summarize this paragraph in your own words. According to the Declaration of Independence, the main purpose of government is to- protect the rights of individuals provide strong military leadership protect a nation from foreign invasion ensure the stability of a country's economy The main purpose for writing the Declaration of Independence was to- declare war on Great Britain force Spain to support the Revolutionary War convince Great Britain to abolish slavery state the colonists' reasons for separating from Great Britain The principles of government that Thomas Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence were most influenced by John Locke's social contract theory Cotton Mather's sermons on religion King George's belief in divine right William Penn's views on religious toleration Sort these statements: Colonists Grievances Against the King Passing taxes on the colonists Colonists did not have a voice in Parliament Colonists were forced to house British soldiers British soldiers did not have to answer for the killings at the Boston Massacre The king would not listen to the colonists complaints NOT Colonists Grievances Against the King Colonists had to give their candy to the to king