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  Independence

Introduction Democracy Democracy vs. Autocracy The Original Thirteen Colonies The Declaration of Independence, Part I The Declaration of Independence, Part II The Articles of Confederation

  

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Books & Reading

Books & Reading

According to the second paragraph of the Declaration, "whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." Why did the colonists consider separation from the English government a natural right?



Declaring Independence
 

Democracy Democracy vs.Autocracy The Original Thirteen Colonies The Declaration of Independence, Part I The Declaration of Independence, Part II The Articles of Confederation

 
The Declaration of Independence, Part I

Concentration - The Age of Jefferson
http://www.quia.com/cc/66968.html
Terms and events associated with the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Try to uncover matching pairs of cards.

The Declaration of Independence and Political Activism
http://imet.csus.edu/imet2/clarkc/webquest/
WebQuest - Based on the motivation of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, students will discover what could motivate them to become politically active.

Flashcards - The Age of Jefferson
http://www.quia.com/jfc/66968.html
Terms and events associated with the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Click on the flashcard to flip it over. Press Other Side on Top to start showing the reverse sides of the flashcards first. Press Remove Card to remove the current card from the deck. Press Try Again Later to keep the current card in the deck and try it again later. Press Restart to put all the cards back in the deck.

History of the Holidays
http://www.history.com/topics/july-4th/videos#history-of-independence-day
Video (4:53) - Independence Day, commonly known as July 4th or the Fourth of July, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Discover the origin of the 4th of July and its traditional celebrations by watching the History of the Holidays video. Although twelve American colonies declared their independence from Britain on July 2nd, 1976, the 4th of July is the day most remembered.

Jefferson Writes Declaration of Independence
http://www.history.com/topics/declaration-of-independence/videos#jefferson-writes-declaration-of-independence
Video (3:43) -- In this Founding Fathers video, discover that from the moment Thomas Jefferson entered the second Continental Congress, he was part of the radical side, which John Adams loved; this seemed to be the fundamental source of their bonding.

Matching Activity - The Origins of American Government http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/lessons/vocabch2qz.htm
Match each of the fifteen terms (including The Declaration of Independence) with its correct definition.

Matching - The Age of Jefferson
 http://www.quia.com/mc/66968.html
Terms and events associated with the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Find the matching squares.

Word Search - The Age of Jefferson
http://www.quia.com/ws/66968.html
Terms and events associated with the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Find the hidden words in the grid. The terms below the grid are clues to help you find the hidden words. Words can appear horizontally, vertically, or diagonally; forwards or backwards. Press Answers to see where all the terms are hidden.

Word Search Puzzle
http://www.crpuzzles.com/ws/ws0034.html
Signers of the Declaration of Independence

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The words "United States" cannot be found in the Declaration of Independence.

When the Founding Fathers adopted "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America" [wiki] on July 4, 1776, they didn’t form the nation called "The United States of America."

The United States of America actually came into being on March 1, 1781, when the Second Continental Congress ratified the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (or more commonly known as the Article of Confederation [wiki]).

Surf with Uncle Sam
Surf with Uncle Sam

Word Spy
Word Spy

Projects You Can Do

Pick a partner and work together rewriting the Declaration of Independence in another style of writing. Choose a style from the list below:

· Hillbilly
· Valley Girl
· Mad Scientist
· Romantic
· Robot
· Opera
· …and so on…if you have another idea

Your rewritten Declaration should include the major ideas from the original version. You
are still the colonies in American declaring independence from England; you’re just doing
it a little differently. You must include at least five grievances (complaints) against King George.

Share your Declaration of Independence with your classmates.

 

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