The Declaration of Independence A Breakup Letter No

The Declaration of Independence A Breakup Letter

“No other event in American History seemed so impossible at the time, yet so inevitable when we look back, as the American Revolution. ” - Ellis

Why Rebel? 1. British policies became stricter in the later 1700’s 2. Colonists felt that the King had gone too far 1. Taxation without representation 2. Violation of individual rights 3. Interfering with colonial self-gov’t 4. Abusing power 5. Unfair trials Olive Branch Petition/ King's response/Too Late to Apologize

It's Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration (with lyrics)

The Declaration 1. Written by Thomas Jefferson 2. Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 3. Major Themes 1. Human Equality 2. Natural Rights 3. Purpose of Gov’t 4. Right of Revolution 5. Abuses of Power

3 parts 1. Intro- explains their rights and role of gov’t (from “When” to “abused”) 2. List of Abuses- list of grievances against the king (from “The” to “condition”) 3. Closing- declares independence (from “At” to “Independence”) 1. First time in history! 4 Themes of Grievances 1. King's Abuse of Power 1. Charges 1 -12 refer to abuses of executive power 2. King and Parliament acting Together 1. Charges 13 -22 attack the king for combining with "others" (Parliament) to subject America to a variety of unconstitutional measures 3. The King's War Crimes 1. Charges 23 -27 assail the king's violence and cruelty in waging war against his American subjects 4. Violation of Rights 1. Other charges talk about economic interests, infringement of colonial selfgovernment, and violation of individual rights

Assignment: Annotate the Declaration Directions: -In Part 1 of the Declaration: Highlight/underline all Enlightenment Philosophy ideas and write the name of the philosopher in the margin. -In Part 2 of the Declaration: Draw a square around the 5 worst abuses (in your opinion). Rank them 1 -5 (1 being the worst of all) and write your ranking number in the margin. -In Part 3 of the Declaration: Write a key word/phrase in the margin next to each paragraph (6 total) that represents the main concept of each paragraph in the last section. -Now create your own letter to the king explaining why you feel the need to break from them.