breaking down the declaration of independence assignment

Resources: Discussions and Assignments

Module 5 assignment: my declaration of independence.

For this assignment, you’ll create your own, modern-day example of a Declaration of Independence.

Instructions:

Step 1 : Pick FIVE of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence and rewrite them in your own words and with enough of an explanation that they make sense.

For example, “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” could be rewritten as, “The King did not allow laws to be passed that benefited the colonies.” Include both the actual text and your example.

Step 2 :  Following the template laid out in the Declaration of Independence, write your own declaration about any injustices your notice in your life or those around you (it could be related to school, work, study groups, relationships, political issues, etc.) Although not required, you could use the following outline to write your own declaration (add information to each of the four paragraphs):

• (1) When in the course of human events it becomes necessary…
• (2) We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all _______ are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are…
• (3) To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world…(Here you must list at LEAST five grievances, or complaints, in support of your argument)
• (4) We, therefore, solemnly publish and declare…

Step 3 : Share your declaration in a visually appealing way, either in the form of an infographic, presentation, or video. Share your declaration in the discussion forum.

Worked Examples

Sample 1 (showing the text only):

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one person to demand assistance in the regular maintenance of the bathroom cleanliness, decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are the rights to cleanliness, public sanitation, leisure time, and peace. Over the past several years, my family has repeatedly ignored my requests to assist in cleaning the toilets.

To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world…Instead of lending a helping hand, her requests have been blatantly ignored and denied. While she works endlessly to maintain the porcelain glow of the toilet, the brass shine on the faucets, and the impeccable whiteness of the shower tub, her family members seem dead set on creating as much possible filth within the bathroom quarters.

In over 5 years of family life, she has never once seen an unexpectedly clean bathroom. She wipes the counters and mirrors at least thrice weekly with a Clorox wipe, which goes unnoticed by all. She vacuums and cleans the bathroom floor at least weekly. She uses a bathmat instead of dripping wetness all over the clean bathroom carpets while no one else does so. She was once asked if they own a toilet brush cleaner. Yes, yes they do. Others claim to not know the location of the bathroom cleaning supplies, although they remain faithfully under the bathroom sink.

I, therefore, solemnly publish and declare that the time has come for me to step down from her bathroom duties and relinquish them entirely to the fate of her family. She will not mop, vacuum, clean, wipe, or brush any portion of the bathroom and will wait to see just how filthy it becomes before her family members realize she has retired from these duties.

Watch a video example created using Adobe Spark .

Assignment Grading Rubric:

• Assignment: My Declaration of Independence. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• A Tenant's Declaration of Independence. Authored by : Jacey Anderson. Located at : https://spark.adobe.com/video/xrhCk4Zg8CFKS . License : All Rights Reserved

• Lesson Plans
• Teacher's Guides
• Media Resources

Declare the Causes: The Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence: July 4th 1776.

Library of Congress

Complaints! Complaints! Students have been known to complain at times. (So have their teachers.) Even the Founding Fathers of our country indulged in gripe sessions. In fact, a list of grievances comprises the longest section of the Declaration of Independence; however, the source of the document's power is its firm philosophic foundation. Through the lens of the human propensity to complain, you can encourage students to recognize the principles, motivations, and precedents that underlie the Declaration of Independence. Help your students understand the development of the Declaration as both a historical process and a compositional process through role play, creative writing, an introduction to important documents and a review of historic events.

Guiding Questions

What precedents exist for specific elements in the Declaration of Independence, both in previous documents and in historical events?

How is the Declaration structured?

Learning Objectives

Describe and list the sections of the Declaration of Independence and explain the purpose of each.

Give an example of a document that served as a precedent for the Declaration of Independence.

Identify and explain one or more of the colonists' complaints included in the Declaration of Independence.

Demonstrate an awareness of the Declaration of Independence as a historical process developed in protest of unfair conditions.

Lesson Plan Details

Opponents of the Stamp Act of 1765 declared that the act—which was designed to raise money to support the British army stationed in America after 1763 by requiring Americans to buy stamps for newspapers, legal documents, mortgages, liquor licenses, even playing cards and almanacs—was illegal and unjust because it taxed Americans without their consent. In protesting the act, they cited the following prohibition against taxation without consent:

"No scutage [tax] ... shall be imposed..., unless by common counsel..."

The source? The Magna Carta , written in 1215, 550 years earlier. American resistance forced the British Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act in 1766. In the succeeding years, similar taxes were levied by British Parliament and protested by many Americans. The American Revolution brewed in a context of Americans' concern over contemporary events as well as awareness of historic precedents. Mindful of both, the framers created the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in which the colonies declared their freedom from British rule.

NCSS.D2.Civ.1.3-5. Distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.

NCSS.D2.Civ.2.3-5. Explain how a democracy relies on people’s responsible participation, and draw implications for how individuals should participate.

NCSS.D2.His.3.3-5. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.

NCSS.D2.His.4.3-5. Explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.

Review the lesson plans. Bookmark or download and print out any materials you will use. Make copies of a transcript of the Declaration for every student. You may wish to provide students with a copy of the Written Document Analysis Worksheet , available through the Educator Resources section of the National Archives website, to guide them as they review primary source documents.

Activity 1. Complaints, Complaints...

Discuss with students that you have overheard them, at times, make various complaints about the treatment of young people. Complaints not unlike those motivated the Founding Fathers at the time of the American Revolution. Give the students a short time in small groups to list complaints they have about the treatment of young people. The complaints should be of a general nature (for example: recess should be longer, fourth graders should be able to see PG videos, etc.). Collect the list. Choose complaints to share with the class, so you can guide the discussion to follow. Save the lists for future reference.

There are moments when all of us are more eager to express what's wrong than we are to think critically about the problem and possible solutions. There is no reason to think people were any different in 1776. It's important to understand the complaints of the colonists as one step in a process involving careful deliberation and attempts to redress grievances. Ask questions to help your students consider their concerns in a deliberate way. WHO makes the rules they don't like, WHO decides if they are fair or not, HOW does one get them changed, WHAT does it mean to be independent from the rules, and finally, HOW does a group of people declare that they will no longer follow the rules?

Activity 2. So, What are You Going to Do About It?

Ask the students to imagine that, in hopes of effecting some changes, they are going to compose a document based on their complaints to be sent to the appropriate audience. As they begin to compose their document, they should consider the following questions. (Note to the teacher: The following questions correspond to the sections of the Declaration, as noted in parentheses, which will be discussed later. This discussion serves as a prewriting activity for the writing assignment.)

• To whom would you send your complaints? Why? What reasons would you give for your decision to write out your complaints? (Preamble)  
• What makes you think your complaints are worthwhile? Aren't there good reasons why things are the way they are? Why should things as they are be changed? Would it be possible to summarize the thinking behind your desire for change in a single sentence? (statement of beliefs, or the thinking behind the complaints)  
• Is there anything in particular the reader should notice about your complaints? Is there anything you need to keep in mind to make sure your audience understands and appreciates your complaints? What kinds of events inspired your complaints? (the list of complaints)  
• Have you already tried to make any changes in the treatment of young people? In what way? (prior attempts to redress grievances)  
• Is it possible to say in a single sentence what it is you really want to happen? It would take time to change the system to accommodate all of your complaints. What should happen right away? (Declaration of Independence)  
• Who would be willing to sign his/her name to this list of complaints even if it were going to be seen and read by many people? (the signatures)

Activity 3. The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

The Declaration of Independence was created in an atmosphere of complaints about the treatment of the colonies under British rule. In this unit, students will be given the opportunity to compose a document based on their own complaints; however, the resulting "declarations" might be more convincing if based on some models already proven effective.

The above video from Schoolhouse Rock  is entitled "Fireworks" and focuses on the Declaration of Independence.  Provide every student with a transcript of the Declaration . There is no need to do a close reading of the entire document at this point. The immediate goal is to understand the structure of the document and the basic intent of each section. Discuss the Declaration with students, using the following section-by-section questions help students relate this overview of the Declaration to the previous discussion.

• Preamble: the reasons for writing down the Declaration (from "WHEN, in the Course of human Events" to "declare the Causes which impel them to the Separation."). What reason(s) did the Founding Fathers give for their decision to write out a declaration?
• Statement of beliefs: specifying what the undersigned believed, the philosophy behind the document (from "We hold these Truths to be self-evident" to "an absolute Tyranny over these States"). What beliefs did the Founding Fathers declare they held?
• List of complaints: the offenses that impelled the declaration (from "To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World" to "unfit to be the ruler of a free people"). What are a few of the complaints? Are any specific events mentioned? If not, is the information given sometimes sufficient to figure out to which events the complaints refer?
• Statement of prior attempts to redress grievances: (From "Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren," to "Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.") In what way(s) did the framers claim to have already tried in addressing the complaints?
• Declaration of independence: (From "WE, therefore" to "and our sacred Honour.") What will change in the colonies as a result of the Declaration?
• The signatures: Which signers do students recognize?

Activity 4. When, in the Course of Human Events ...

Working alone or in small groups, students draft their own declarations. The transcript of the Declaration of Independence will serve as a model; student documents should contain the same sections. They should start with their reasons for writing (preamble), as discussed above. Tell students they can model their statement after the Preamble to the Declaration. For example, they can begin with the words "When, in the course of human events ..."

Activity 5. What Experience Hath Shown

After a session of work on their declarations, introduce to students the idea of earlier documents that set a precedent for the Declaration. Let students know that the committee members who drafted our Declaration (John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia) were aware of documents from earlier years. Some of these documents served as models as the committee members wrote the Declaration. Perhaps seeing precedents for the Declaration will help students in composing theirs. Ask students to work in small groups to review some of the earlier documents and find common features between the historical documents and the Declaration. If desired and appropriate for your class, this would be a good time to read the entire Declaration. Students should look at the historical documents for similar structures (the document has a preamble, for instance) or phrases or passages that relate to the Declaration. As they read the excerpts, students should refer back to their transcript of the Declaration of Independence. Students should not attempt close readings of the documents. Instead, they scan key passages for similarities. (If you wish, you could have students locate documents on their own, using The Avalon Project At The Yale Law School website, accessible through EDSITEment.) The following documents are available through The Avalon Project unless otherwise noted.

• The Magna Carta (June 1215). Of structural interest is the preamble and the last section (#63). What differences and similarities do the students notice? Section 1 and Section 12 also have relevant content. The National Archives website features a translation of its 1297 copy of the Magna Carta and videos about the document's conservation  and  encasement .  
• The First Charter of Virginia  (April 10, 1606). A relevant section begins "And we do also ordain, establish, and agree, for Us, our Heirs, and Successors, that each of the said Colonies shall have a Council" and ends "pass under the Privy Seal of our Realm of England;" a statement of the colonists' ability to pass laws. Also of interest is the section beginning, "Also we do, for Us, our Heirs, and Successors, DECLARE" to "any other of our said Dominions."
• The Mayflower Compact (November, 1621).
• English Bill of Rights (1689) for comparison to the list of grievances (such as quartering troops, a standing army, suspending of laws).
• The Royal Proclamation (October 7, 1763) issued at the conclusion of the French and Indian War. Look at the section beginning with "for the security of the Liberties and Properties" and ending with "and call General Assemblies."
• The Resolutions of the Continental Congress , also known as The Stamp Act Congress (October 19, 1765). Especially relevant is the list of complaints (such as the complaint beginning "That the only representatives of the people of these colonies...").
• The Articles of Association (October 20, 1774). For comparison to the list of grievances, look at the passage from "the present unhappy situation of our affairs is occasioned by a ruinous system of colony administration" to "whenever a wicked ministry shall chuse so to direct them." Students should also look at the statement beginning "To obtain redress of these grievances."
• The Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 12, 1776), written by George Mason. Especially pertinent are the first three sections.

Guide to Independent Searches for Precedent Setting Documents The Avalon Project contains many relevant documents and is fully searchable. Students can search for terms such as "rights" or "taxes" or "standing armies" within the Colonial Charters, Grants, and Early Constitution collection listed in the pull-down menu on the search page. Students should be aware that search results will include documents created after 1776, which are irrelevant to the task at hand. The Avalon Project website has amassed a list of documents under the title The American Constitution: A Documentary Record , including forerunners to the United States Constitution. There you may find additional relevant documents. Of special interest are the sections "The Roots of the Constitution" and "Revolution and Independence."

Activity 6. Share and Declare

Once student groups have analyzed the historical documents that preceded the Declaration of Independence, ask them to share their findings with the rest of the class. In what ways were the earlier documents similar to the Declaration? You may wish to create a display of the information students have uncovered. For example, on a large bulletin board, center the text of the Declaration. Highlight relevant excerpts. Use a colored strand of yarn to lead from each Declaration excerpt to a posting of the name and date of a related document. Classes with the necessary technology, skill, and computer access can do this same exercise on the computer, creating hyperlinks to the precedents. Students should continue to work on their declarations, either during class or as a homework assignment. They can use what they learned through the study of relevant documents created before the Declaration as a guide for the information they wish to include in their documents. By this time, students should be working on the statement of beliefs and the complaints section of their declarations.

Activity 7. Eighty-Six It: Changes to Jefferson's Draft

Now students can look at some drafts of the Declaration. Every class should view actual images of these drafts with corrections written in Jefferson's handwriting. Some classes might benefit from a closer look at the kinds of changes that occurred. The committee and Continental Congress are said to have made a total of 86 changes to the document. American Memory has a collection of Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789, containing many historic documents, including images and transcripts of original copies of various drafts of the Declaration. Students may be especially interested to view an image of a fragment of the Declaration and a transcript of the earliest known draft of the Declaration . You can also access an image and transcript of a later draft of the Declaration via this page at the Founding Documents section of the National Archives website. Reading just a small portion of the later draft will demonstrate the significant changes that took place as the Congress worked on the Declaration. Did the final version improve on the draft? If so, how? Students should continue to work on their declarations. They should be nearing completion of a first draft, including a statement of prior attempts to redress grievances, and a declaration of independence. Take some time to discuss the writing process within the student groups. How did they proceed? Did they ever go back and make changes? What kinds of changes? Did more than one person have input?

Activity 8. Publish and Declare

Now, the student groups should complete and present their "declarations." If typed on a computer, these can be printed out in an appropriately ornate font. The paper can be stained using tea to give the appearance of age. Students should sign the document on which they worked. If students have access to the necessary technology, they can create hyperlinks from sections of their computerized declaration to specific precedents in the Declaration. Students should now reflect on their experience writing a declaration and the process that created it. What part of their own declaration would they say most resembles the 1776 Declaration of Independence? Which complaint? Which part of their beliefs? What changes did they make in the course of writing their documents? How did the group decide how to proceed? Student declarations should be posted and, if practical, sent to the intended audience (parents, principal). For a culminating activity, the documents can be read in class in ceremonial fashion. The documents' reflection of the structure of the Declaration will help the teacher assess the success of the activity.

• Have students conduct research into the historical events that led to the colonists' complaints and dissatisfaction with British rule. What were some of the specific complaints? After reviewing the complaints, the students look for specific events related to the grievances listed. They can use their own textbooks and other sources available at school. The historical events students choose could also be added to the bulletin board by connecting an excerpt of a particular complaint to a brief, dated summary of an event. The complaints relate to actual events, but the precise events were not discussed in the Declaration. Why do the students think the framers decided to do that? (Someone might notice that, in the fragment of the early draft discussed below, the complaint referred to a specific event.) Would the student declarations also be more effective without specific events tied to the complaints?
• This unit can serve as a model for studying any of our nation's important historical documents. A study of the Constitution could begin with a role-play in which students imagine themselves marooned on a desert island, with little hope of rescue. Working in groups, students should come up with the 10 most important concepts for ensuring harmonious living in the new community and write them down in a list. After the initial round of listing, ask some "what if," "what about" and "what would happen" questions to help cover their omissions. Then post the revised lists on the classroom bulletin board or, if you have a computer in your classroom, post them electronically. At this point, you could introduce students to the Constitution, relating the concepts the students have come up with on their own to articles in the Constitution and talking about why a particular tenet is as important now as it was then. You could then compare your "living classroom constitution(s)" with the U.S. Constitution (especially the Bill of Rights) and selections from the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, etc, depending on the age and sophistication level of your students. The Avalon Project's The American Constitution - A Documentary Record contains many relevant documents for this type of study.
• Students can now look at the American Declaration as a precedent for documents that came after it. Fruitful comparison can be made with the French Declaration of the Rights of Man—1789 , available through The Avalon Project. This declaration is also known as the French Declaration of Independence.
• Students could attempt to conduct a Declaration Convention in which they use the small group declarations as the basis of a single document representing the entire class.
• Volunteers could stage a dramatic reading of the entire Declaration.
• Students may be interested in seeing an image of the original Declaration , now exhibited in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, this version has faded badly. The most frequently reproduced version of the Declaration is taken from the engraving made by printer William J. Stone in 1823 . This image also is available online and has not faded as much as the original Declaration.

Additional Resources

• Here is an annotated version of the final draft of the Declaration , with links to an earlier draft and other materials such as Jefferson's letters. Passages in parentheses in the draft surround items that were crossed out; it is believed that some of those changes were made by John Adams.
• The Continental Congress made important changes to the Declaration in two places. An analysis of these changes is accessible through the EDSITEment resource American Memory at the Library of Congress site.
• American Memory's special collection A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation contains an annotated version of the Declaration with notes from Jefferson as to which committee member made specific changes (with which he apparently did not wholeheartedly agree) on pp. 491-502 of volume five of the Journals of the Continental Congress , 1774-1789, the record for Friday, June 28, 1776.
• The Articles of Confederation of the United Colonies of New England (May 19, 1643). A precursor of the Constitution's requirement for a census is found here in Article 4, "that the Commissioners for each Jurisdiction from time to time, as there shall be occasion, bring a true account and number of all their males in every Plantation."
• Ordinances for Virginia July 24-August 3, 1621, including article IV with its discussion of a representative assembly.
• Articles of Confederation  (March 1, 1781)
• The Madison Debates , James Madison's notes taken during the Federal Convention of 1787. 
• Image of the original Declaration
• Engraving of the Declaration made by William J. Stone, 1823

Related on EDSITEment

Mission us: for crown or colony the game, frederick douglass's, “what to the slave is the fourth of july”.

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History Resources

The Declaration of Independence

By tim bailey, view the declaration in the gilder lehrman collection by clicking here and here . for additional primary resources click here  and here ., unit objective.

This unit is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core State Standards–based teaching resources. These units were written to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original texts of historical significance. Students will demonstrate this knowledge by writing summaries of selections from the original document and, by the end of the unit, articulating their understanding of the complete document by answering questions in an argumentative writing style to fulfill the Common Core State Standards. Through this step-by-step process, students will acquire the skills to analyze any primary or secondary source material.

While the unit is intended to flow over a five-day period, it is possible to present and complete the material within a shorter time frame. For example, the first two days can be used to ensure an understanding of the process with all of the activity completed in class. The teacher can then assign lessons three and four as homework. The argumentative essay is then written in class on day three.

Students will be asked to "read like a detective" and gain a clear understanding of the Declaration of Independence. Through reading and analyzing the original text, the students will know what is explicitly stated, draw logical inferences, and demonstrate these skills by writing a succinct summary and then restating that summary in the student’s own words. In the first lesson this will be facilitated by the teacher and done as a whole-class lesson.

Introduction

Tell the students that they will be learning what Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1776 that served to announce the creation of a new nation by reading and understanding Jefferson’s own words. Resist the temptation to put the Declaration into too much context. Remember, we are trying to let the students discover what Jefferson and the Continental Congress had to say and then develop ideas based solely on the original text.

• The Declaration of Independence, abridged  (PDF)
• Teacher Resource:  Complete text of the Declaration of Independence  (PDF). This transcript of the Declaration of Independence is from the National Archives online resource The Charters of Freedom .
• Summary Organizer #1  (PDF)
• All students are given an abridged copy of the Declaration of Independence and are asked to read it silently to themselves.
• The teacher then "share reads" the text with the students. This is done by having the students follow along silently while the teacher begins reading aloud. The teacher models prosody, inflection, and punctuation. The teacher then asks the class to join in with the reading after a few sentences while the teacher continues to read along with the students, still serving as the model for the class. This technique will support struggling readers as well as English Language Learners (ELL).
• The teacher explains that the students will be analyzing the first part of the text today and that they will be learning how to do in-depth analysis for themselves. All students are given a copy of Summary Organizer #1. This contains the first selection from the Declaration of Independence.
• The teacher puts a copy of Summary Organizer #1 on display in a format large enough for all of the class to see (an overhead projector, Elmo projector, or similar device). Explain that today the whole class will be going through this process together.
• Explain that the objective is to select "Key Words" from the first section and then use those words to create a summary sentence that demonstrates an understanding of what Jefferson was saying in the first paragraph.
• Guidelines for selecting the Key Words: Key Words are very important contributors to understanding the text. Without them the selection would not make sense. These words are usually nouns or verbs. Don’t pick "connector" words (are, is, the, and, so, etc.). The number of Key Words depends on the length of the original selection. This selection is 181 words so we can pick ten Key Words. The other Key Words rule is that we cannot pick words if we don’t know what they mean.
• Students will now select ten words from the text that they believe are Key Words and write them in the box to the right of the text on their organizers.
• The teacher surveys the class to find out what the most popular choices were. The teacher can either tally this or just survey by a show of hands. Using this vote and some discussion the class should, with guidance from the teacher, decide on ten Key Words. For example, let’s say that the class decides on the following words: necessary, dissolve, political bonds (yes, technically these are two words, but you can allow such things if it makes sense to do so; just don’t let whole phrases get by), declare, separation, self-evident, created equal, liberty, abolish, and government. Now, no matter which words the students had previously selected, have them write the words agreed upon by the class or chosen by you into the Key Words box in their organizers.
• The teacher now explains that, using these Key Words, the class will write a sentence that restates or summarizes what was stated in the Declaration. This should be a whole-class discussion-and-negotiation process. For example, "It is necessary for us to dissolve our political bonds and declare a separation; it is self-evident that we are created equal and should have liberty, so we need to abolish our current government." You might find that the class decides they don’t need the some of the words to make it even more streamlined. This is part of the negotiation process. The final negotiated sentence is copied into the organizer in the third section under the original text and Key Words sections.
• The teacher explains that students will now be putting their summary sentence into their own words, not having to use Jefferson’s words. Again, this is a class discussion-and-negotiation process. For example, "We need to get rid of our old government so we can be free."
• Wrap up: Discuss vocabulary that the students found confusing or difficult. If you choose, you could have students use the back of their organizers to make a note of these words and their meanings.

Students will be asked to "read like a detective" and gain a clear understanding of what Thomas Jefferson was writing about in the Declaration of Independence. Through reading and analyzing the original text, the students will know what is explicitly stated, draw logical inferences, and demonstrate these skills by writing a succinct summary and then restating that summary in the student’s own words. In the second lesson the students will work with partners and in small groups.

Tell the students that they will be further exploring the meaning of the Declaration of Independence by reading and understanding Jefferson’s text and then being able to tell, in their own words, what he said. Today they will be working with partners and in small groups.

• Summary Organizer #2  (PDF)
• All students are given the abridged copy of the Declaration of Independence and are asked to read it silently to themselves.
• The students and teacher discuss what they did yesterday and what they decided was the meaning of the first selection.
• The teacher then "share reads" the second selection with the students. This is done by having the students follow along silently while the teacher begins reading aloud. The teacher models prosody, inflection, and punctuation. The teacher then asks the class to join in with the reading after a couple of sentences while the teacher continues to read along with the students, still serving as the model for the class. This technique will support struggling readers as well as English Language Learners (ELL).
• The teacher explains that the class will be analyzing the second selection from the Declaration of Independence today. All students are given a copy of Summary Organizer #2. This contains the second selection from the Declaration.
• The teacher puts a copy of Summary Organizer #2 on display in a format large enough for all of the class to see (an overhead projector, Elmo projector, or similar device). Explain that today they will be going through the same process as yesterday but with partners and in small groups.
• Explain that the objective is still to select "Key Words" from the second selection and then use those words to create a summary sentence that demonstrates an understanding of what Jefferson was saying in that selection.
• Guidelines for selecting the Key Words: The guidelines for selecting Key Words are the same as they were yesterday. However, because this paragraph is shorter than the last one at 148 words, they can pick only seven or eight Key Words.
• Pair the students up and have them negotiate which Key Words to select. After they have decided on their words both students will write them in the Key Words box of their organizers.
• The teacher now puts two pairs together. These two pairs go through the same negotiation-and-discussion process to come up with their Key Words. Be strategic in how you make your groups to ensure the most participation by all group members.
• The teacher now explains that by using these Key Words the group will build a sentence that restates or summarizes what Thomas Jefferson was saying. This is done by the group negotiating with its members on how best to build that sentence. Try to make sure that everyone is contributing to the process. It is very easy for one student to take control of the entire process and for the other students to let them do so. All of the students should write their negotiated sentence into their organizers.
• The teacher asks for the groups to share out the summary sentences they have created. This should start a teacher-led discussion that points out the qualities of the various attempts. How successful were the groups at understanding the Declaration and were they careful to only use Jefferson’s Key Words in doing so?
• The teacher explains that the group will now be putting their summary sentence into their own words, not having to use Jefferson’s words. Again, this is a group discussion-and-negotiation process. After they have decided on a sentence it should be written into their organizers. Again, the teacher should have the groups share out and discuss the clarity and quality of the groups’ attempts.

Students will be asked to "read like a detective" and gain a clear understanding of the meaning of the Declaration of Indpendence. Through reading and analyzing the original text, the students will know what is explicitly stated, draw logical inferences, and demonstrate these skills by writing a succinct summary and then restating that summary in the student’s own words. In this lesson the students will be working individually.

Tell the students that they will be further exploring what Thomas Jefferson was saying in the third selection from the Declaration of Independence by reading and understanding Jefferson’s words and then being able to tell, in their own words, what he said. Today they will be working by themselves on their summaries.

• Summary Organizer #3  (PDF)
• The students and teacher discuss what they did yesterday and what they decided was the meaning of the first two selections.
• The teacher then "share reads" the third selection with the students. This is done by having the students follow along silently while the teacher begins reading aloud. The teacher models prosody, inflection, and punctuation. The teacher then asks the class to join in with the reading after a couple of sentences while the teacher continues to read along with the students, still serving as the model for the class. This technique will support struggling readers as well as English Language Learners (ELL).
• The teacher explains that the class will be analyzing the third selection from the Declaration of Independence today. All students are given a copy of Summary Organizer #3. This contains the third selection from the Declaration.
• The teacher puts a copy of Summary Organizer #3 on display in a format large enough for all of the class to see (an overhead projector, Elmo projector, or similar device). Explain that today they will be going through the same process as yesterday, but they will be working by themselves.
• Explain that the objective is still to select "Key Words" from the third paragraph and then use those words to create a summary sentence that demonstrates an understanding of what Jefferson was saying in that selection.
• Guidelines for selecting the Key Words: The guidelines for selecting Key Words are the same as they were yesterday. However, because this paragraph is longer (208 words) they can pick ten Key Words.
• Have the students decide which Key Words to select. After they have chosen their words they will write them in the Key Words box of their organizers.
• The teacher explains that, using these Key Words, each student will build a sentence that restates or summarizes what Jefferson was saying. They should write their summary sentences into their organizers.
• The teacher explains that they will be putting their summary sentence into their own words, not having to use Jefferson’s words. This should be added to their organizers.
• The teacher asks for students to share out the summary sentences they have created. This should start a teacher-led discussion that points out the qualities of the various attempts. How successful were the students at understanding what Jefferson was writing about?

Tell the students that they will be further exploring what Thomas Jefferson was saying in the fourth selection from the Declaration of Independence by reading and understanding Jefferson’s words and then being able to tell, in their own words, what he said. Today they will be working by themselves on their summaries.

• Summary Organizer #4  (PDF)
• The students and teacher discuss what they did yesterday and what they decided was the meaning of the first three selections.
• The teacher then "share reads" the fourth selection with the students. This is done by having the students follow along silently while the teacher begins reading aloud. The teacher models prosody, inflection, and punctuation. The teacher then asks the class to join in with the reading after a couple of sentences while the teacher continues to read along with the students, still serving as the model for the class. This technique will support struggling readers as well as English Language Learners (ELL).
• The teacher explains that the class will be analyzing the fourth selection from the Declaration of Independence today. All students are given a copy of Summary Organizer #4. This contains the fourth selection from the Declaration.
• The teacher puts a copy of Summary Organizer #4 on display in a format large enough for all of the class to see (an overhead projector, Elmo projector, or similar device). Explain that today they will be going through the same process as yesterday, but they will be working by themselves.
• Explain that the objective is still to select "Key Words" from the fourth paragraph and then use those words to create a summary sentence that demonstrates an understanding of what Jefferson was saying in that selection.
• Guidelines for selecting the Key Words: The guidelines for selecting Key Words are the same as they were yesterday. Because this paragraph is the longest (more than 219 words) it will be challenging for them to select only ten Key Words. However, the purpose of this exercise is for the students to get at the most important content of the selection.
• The teacher explains that now they will be putting their summary sentence into their own words, not having to use Jefferson’s words. This should be added to their organizers.

This lesson has two objectives. First, the students will synthesize the work of the last four days and demonstrate that they understand what Jefferson was saying in the Declaration of Independence. Second, the teacher will ask questions of the students that require them to make inferences from the text and also require them to support their conclusions in a short essay with explicit information from the text.

Tell the students that they will be reviewing what Thomas Jefferson was saying in the Declaration of Independence. Second, you will be asking them to write a short argumentative essay about the Declaration; explain that their conclusions must be backed up by evidence taken directly from the text.

• All students are given the abridged copy of the Declaration of Independence and then are asked to read it silently to themselves.
• The teacher asks the students for their best personal summary of selection one. This is done as a negotiation or discussion. The teacher may write this short sentence on the overhead or similar device. The same procedure is used for selections two, three, and four. When they are finished the class should have a summary, either written or oral, of the Declaration in only a few sentences. This should give the students a way to state what the general purpose or purposes of the document were.
• The teacher can have the students write a short essay now addressing one of the following prompts or do a short lesson on constructing an argumentative essay. If the latter is the case, save the essay writing until the next class period or assign it for homework. Remind the students that any arguments they make must be backed up with words taken directly from the Declaration of Independence. The first prompt is designed to be the easiest.
• What are the key arguments that Thomas Jefferson makes for the colonies’ separation from Great Britain?
• Can the Declaration of Independence be considered a declaration of war? Using evidence from the text argue whether this is or is not true.
• Thomas Jefferson defines what the role of government should and should not be. How does he make these arguments?

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Writing of Declaration of Independence

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 22, 2023 | Original: February 22, 2010

At the Second Continental Congress during the summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was charged with drafting a formal statement justifying the 13 North American colonies’ break with Great Britain. A member of a committee of five that also included John Adams  of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert Livingston of New York and Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Jefferson drew up a draft and included Franklin’s and Adams’ corrections. At the time, the Declaration of Independence was regarded as a collective effort of the Continental Congress ; Jefferson was not recognized as its principal author until the 1790s.

Jefferson’s Early Career

Born into one of the most prominent families in Virginia (on his mother’s side), Jefferson studied at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and began practicing law in 1767. In 1768, Jefferson stood as a candidate for the Virginia House of Burgesses; he entered the legislature just as opposition was building to the taxation policies of the British government. That same year, Jefferson began building Monticello , his hilltop estate in Albemarle County; he would later greatly expand his holdings in land and slaves through his marriage to Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772.

Did you know? After leaving Washington, Thomas Jefferson spent the last two decades of his life at Monticello. He died on July 4, 1826—hours before his good friend and former political rival John Adams—on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1774, Jefferson wrote “A Summary View of the Rights of British America,” in which he claimed that the colonies were tied to the king only by voluntary bonds of loyalty. Published as a political pamphlet without Jefferson’s permission, this document extended Jefferson’s reputation beyond Virginia, and he became known as an eloquent voice for the cause of American independence from Britain. In the spring of 1775, shortly after skirmishes broke out between colonial militiamen and British soldiers at Lexington and Concord, the Virginia legislature sent Jefferson as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

At the Second Continental Congress

The 33-year-old Jefferson may have been a shy, awkward public speaker in Congressional debates, but he used his skills as a writer and correspondent to support the patriotic cause. By the late spring of 1776, more and more colonists favored an official and permanent break from Great Britain; in mid-May, eight of the 13 colonies said they would support independence.

On June 7, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia formally presented a resolution before the Congress, stating that “[T]hese United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” It became known as the Lee Resolution, or the resolution for independence. 

On June 11, Jefferson was appointed to a five-man committee–alongside John Adams of Massachusetts , Roger Sherman of Connecticut , Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York–that was charged with drafting a formal statement justifying the break with Great Britain. Jefferson was the only southerner on the committee and had arrived in Philadelphia accompanied by three of his many slaves. Still, it was he who was given the task of drafting the Declaration of Independence , which would become the foremost statement of human liberty and equality ever written.

According to an account Jefferson wrote in 1823, the other members of the committee “unanimously pressed on myself alone to undertake the draught [sic]. I consented; I drew it; but before I reported it to the committee I communicated it separately to Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams requesting their corrections…I then wrote a fair copy, reported it to the committee, and from them, unaltered to the Congress.”

“We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident…”

The body of Jefferson’s draft contained a list of grievances against the British crown, but it was its preamble to the Constitution that would strike the deepest chords in the minds and hearts of future Americans: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 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.”

The Continental Congress reconvened on July 1, and the following day 12 of the 13 colonies adopted Lee’s resolution for independence. The process of consideration and revision of Jefferson’s declaration (including Adams’ and Franklin’s corrections) continued on July 3 and into the late morning of July 4, during which Congress deleted and revised some one-fifth of its text.

The delegates made no changes to that key preamble, however, and the basic document remained Jefferson’s words. Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence later on the Fourth of July (though most historians now accept that the document was not signed until August 2).

The Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence

Delegates from all 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. All were male, white landowners. Two would go on to be president of the United States. One signed his name so large that he became an idiomatic expression. When someone asks you to sign something by telling you to “put your John Hancock here,” they are referencing John Hancock’s outsized signature on the Declaration of I ndependence. Below are the document's signees:

Connecticut : Samuel Huntington, Roger Sherman, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

Delaware : George Read, Caesar Rodney, Thomas McKean

Georgia : Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Maryland : Charles Carroll, Samuel Chase, Thomas Stone, William Paca

Massachusetts : John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

New Hampshire : Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

New Jersey : Abraham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton. John Witherspoon

New York : Lewis Morris, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, William Floyd

North Carolina : William Hooper, John Penn. Joseph Hewes

Pennsylvania : George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, John Morton, Benjamin Rush, George Ross, James Smith, James Wilson, George Taylor

Rhode Island : Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

South Carolina : Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, Thomas Lynch, Jr., Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Virginia : Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Jefferson, George Wythe, Thomas Nelson, Jr.

A Complicated Legacy

Thomas Jefferson wasn’t recognized as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence until the 1790s; the document was originally presented as a collective effort by the entire Continental Congress. Jefferson had returned to the Virginia legislature in the late summer of 1776 and in 1785 had succeeded Franklin as minister to France. He served as Secretary of State in the cabinet of President George Washington and later emerged as a leader of a Republican party that championed state’s rights and opposed the strong centralized government favored by Alexander Hamilton’s Federalists.

Elected as the nation’s third president in 1800, Jefferson would serve two terms, during which the young nation doubled its territory through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and struggled to maintain neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars between England and France.

Despite his many later accomplishments, Jefferson’s principal legacy to the United States arguably remains the Declaration of Independence, the eloquent expression of liberty, equality and democracy upon which the country was founded. His critics, however, point to Jefferson’s admitted racism, and the negative views (common to wealthy Virginia planters of the time) that he expressed about African Americans during his lifetime. 

Meanwhile, recent DNA evidence seems to support much-disputed claims that Jefferson had a longstanding intimate relationship with one of his enslaved women, Sally Hemings and that the couple had several children together. Given these circumstances, Jefferson’s legacy as history’s most eloquent proponent of human freedom and equality–justly earned by his words in the Declaration of Independence–remains complicated by the inconsistencies of his life as a slave owner.

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Tips for Teaching the Declaration of Independence

Studying this historic document helps students understand our government and our history, and the role of citizens in public life.

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It provides the political and legal foundations for the United States, as well the philosophy of government intended to guide our elected representatives. Teachers thus understandably focus more on the Constitution than on the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The Declaration, however, is important in its own right and presents many important learning opportunities for students.

The Declaration of Independence is more than a legal document justifying the colonies’ rebellion against Great Britain. Written principally by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, it’s a document that taps into deep questions regarding egalitarianism, natural law, and social contract theory.

The Declaration informs our relationship with government

Jefferson applied the words and thoughts of Enlightenment thinker John Locke to build his case against the British Crown, in addition to exploring questions about the role of government and the rights of citizenship.

Two main themes emerge in the Declaration: natural rights, and the concept that the function of government is to uphold and safeguard those rights. 

Understanding these theories can help students better appreciate their relationship with the government. 

Ask students these questions: 

• What are some rights that all people have?
• How does the government protect these rights? 
• Is the government doing enough to protect our rights?
• What are some ways the government might better protect our rights?

Jefferson writes that it’s the right of the people to “alter or to abolish” tyrannical government. With this in mind, citizens must also be watchdogs of the government, keeping informed of current events and abreast of issues.

I like to ask my students how we can keep our government in check these days.

The Declaration of Independence as inspirational text

The stirring language of the Declaration has inspired people throughout history. Abolitionists turned to the Declaration to make their case that slavery should be abolished. William Lloyd Garrison extolled the philosophy of the Declaration, but he burned a copy of the U.S. Constitution. John Brown reworked the Declaration to write his Declaration of Liberty.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton referenced Jefferson’s words when advocating for the rights and suffrage of American women. More than 100 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. called the Declaration a “promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.”

One way to underscore the importance of the Declaration is to make connections to the documents in which the Declaration’s words or ideas have been used.

Have students compare the Declaration of Independence with Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 1848 Declaration of Sentiments or John Brown’s Declaration of Liberty . Note the manner in which Stanton and Brown emulate Jefferson’s words (“When in the course of human events…”) and style (the inclusion of a declaration of natural rights, a list of grievances, and a petition of redress). Students can highlight or simply list similarities.

The National Women’s History Museum provides a lesson plan that compares Stanton’s declaration with Jefferson’s. Bill of Rights Institute, moreover, offers a handout with critical thinking questions called “The Declaration and Martin Luther King, Jr.”

The Declaration of Independence didn’t just make an impact on U.S. history. The Marquis de Lafayette, who fought alongside the colonial rebels during the American Revolution, was inspired by his friend Thomas Jefferson. Lafayette drew upon the theories of John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu when the Frenchman helped author an early version of France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Perhaps more surprisingly, Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh mirrors Jefferson’s language almost identically in his Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam . He began by writing, “All men are created equal,” before listing the grievances Vietnam had against France. 

Teachers should consider utilizing these or other world documents inspired by the Declaration to demonstrate how Jefferson’s words transcended the plight of Britain’s American colonials and roused diverse people across space and time. 

Comparing the Declaration of Independence with other primary sources is a way for students to practice textual analysis while simultaneously learning more about history and one of our most important founding documents. 

Complexities of the Declaration

In the summer of 1776, when Jefferson penned the document that revolutionized humankind’s conception of freedom, his slave Robert Hemings “ would have helped Jefferson dress, provided tea or a light meal, and coordinated his barber’s visits .”

What can students deduce from this tragic irony? 

First, such a fact can help them recognize that history is made by flesh-and-blood people—complicated, contradictory, and deeply flawed.

Second, it’s important for students to understand that slavery was practiced by many societies for centuries. People of nearly every background and across the world would have largely accepted the ownership of other human beings as customary and unremarkable. 

Thirdly, the topic of slavery at the time of America’s birth can open classrooms up to compelling discussions about the diversity of opinions that the founders had on the subject. Jefferson, for example, owned slaves, and he yet condemned the institution and authored anti-slavery legislation . Some revolutionaries, like Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, were abolitionists, while other founders unapologetically defended slavery.

The Declaration of Independence can help students reach important conclusions about the origins and influence of American political theory, the role of the citizen in public life, and the complexity of history.

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Breaking Down the Declaration of Independence

Author: Amy Crockett

Working in small groups, students will answer questions to help them break down the language and content of the Constitution.  Students consider the validity of the grievances and how the structure of the Declaration creates an argument for Independence.

Objectives:

• The student will know the three parts of the Declaration of Independence.
• The student will know what the founding fathers believed regarding rights.
• The student will understand the grievances.
• The student will know the basic reasons the Colonists felt the Declaration was necessary.

Source: Breaking down the Declaration of Independence

In PDF    Breaking-down-the-Declaration-of-Independence

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America's Founding Documents

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum .)  The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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 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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Button Gwinnett

George Walton

North Carolina

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts

John Hancock

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

George Wythe

Richard Henry Lee

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Francis Lightfoot Lee

Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania

Robert Morris

Benjamin Rush

Benjamin Franklin

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

Abraham Clark

New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett

William Whipple

Samuel Adams

Robert Treat Paine

Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins

William Ellery

Connecticut

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott

Matthew Thornton

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No Series: Making the Declaration of Independence Come Alive

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Making the Declaration of Independence Come Alive

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

• Supporting Materials

Thought starters

• Why is the break up letter an effective way to engage students?
• What strategies do Ms. Katznelson and Mr. David use to support students in constructing their own knowledge?
• How are the four themes developed throughout the lesson?

79 Comments

Diana Tull Feb 10, 2021 2:53pm

What an excellent approach used to get students engaged immediately.  The look on their faces was priceless as Ms. Katz-Nelson read the letter.  I especially like how the letter connected to the document.  It really allowed students to relate to the break up and made the topic interesting.

Sharon Baldwin Nov 8, 2019 10:11am

Where can I find the timeline?

David Fitzpatrick Jul 6, 2018 7:16pm

Gretchen Vierstra Jun 29, 2018 1:15pm

David Fitzpatrick Jun 29, 2018 10:22am

• Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan
• Transcript: Making the Declaration of Independence Come Alive
• Declaration of Independence Lesson: Student Example Letter

Transcripts

1:00:00 Great Lesson Ideas – Declaration of Independence

Emma (VO) EMMA: Any time you can get the students helping to construct their own knowledge the more engaged they’re going to be. If I was just standing in front of the classroom lecturing them about what the Declaration of Independence said, I’d probably have 95 percent of them asleep by the end of the classes, scintillating as I like to think I am. That’s a great challenge. It’s sort of making it come alive, making them care about it. Like why should they even care about something dead men wrote years ago? TOUGH TO TEACH [music] Emma (INTV) EMMA EMMA: I’m Emma Katznelson, and I teach 9th and 10th grade Humanities at Wildwood School. Jason (INTV) JASON JASON: My name is Jason David. I teach 9th and 10th grade with Emma Katz Nelson. Emma (VO) Review EMMA: In the lesson, we will ask students to spend some time journaling and responding to the question, what do you know about the Declaration of Independence? Jason will walk them through an historic overview, 100 years or so, leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and students will work in their table groups to collectively go deeper into one particular section in the preamble so that they’re sort of all sharing ideas and building off of one another. 01:01:09 Jason (VO) JASON: With the group that’s just coming in after lunch, we know we need a fast start, or else we’ll lose them. Emma (VO) EMMA: We’re going to make it appear like we are not ready to dive into the lesson. Emma, Jason, Students EMMA: So, Jason and I want to talk to you about something that, um, kind of is bothering us a little bit. Now this feels really awkward to do in front of television cameras but, um, when we finished class yesterday we found a note on the ground that a student was passing to somebody else during our lesson. This is like a serious pet peeve of mine. Emma (VO) EMMA: Being able to figure out how to make learning about a document that’s 300 years old exciting to a 15-year-old who would rather be texting can be challenging. The letter in the beginning is a big hook. Emma, Students EMMA: I’m not sure how to start this letter, but I feel that we need to talk. I’ve been thinking about us a lot lately. I really thought we would be together forever, but then things changed. Jason (VO) JASON: We use this as a little bit of an invisible theatre to get our students sort of jumped up, to get them going, and that’s our launching point. Emma, Students EMMA: I feel like you started to take me for granted, misspelled, on a side note, but that’s okay. You just started to do whatever you wanted and never asked me about anything or how I felt. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I don’t want to hurt you, but I think it’s time we broke up. Jason (VO) JASON: We know that we are getting at the theme of the Declaration of Independence of people breaking up with a former governmental power. Emma, Jason, Students EMMA: I need some time by myself to see what it is like on my own. Sorry, but us is over, and now I feel… I mean, I guess we can say who wrote it. Is that like…? JASON: Let me see it again. EMMA: Okay, don’t hate me forever, but I’m going to tell you who wrote it. It’s signed the 13 colonies. This is a breakup letter, is it not? Yes? And we’re about to study the greatest breakup letter in the history of mankind. Are you ready? 01:03:10 Jason (INTV) JASON: From there, we then had them move back into a routine that we’re used to. So, a journal entry. Emma, Students EMMA: We would like you to spend some time in your journals writing about what you know about the Declaration of Independence. So, you’re just going to write for two or three minutes, and then we’re going to give you an opportunity to share first in your table groups, and then with the whole class. Emma (VO) Then they’ll have an opportunity to share with a partner. Students STUDENT: Philosophy. Liberty and justice for all. STUDENT: They drew on ideas from John Locke. That was like a main thing. I know that. Emma (VO) EMMA: They’ll share that out with the whole class, and Jason and I will take turns fielding the responses from the students. Jason, Students JASON: Griffin? GRIFFIN: The majority of it was written by Thomas Jefferson. STUDENT: He based, ah, based a lot of his ideas about writing it off the Enlightenment, which I think had to do with, ah, John Locke. Yesterday in class we learned about him, so all the philosophies and his beliefs I guess all are sort of incorporated into the Declaration. 01:04:05 Students JASON: We’re really going to study this document from a place of looking at the ideals and the principles and the values that it represents, but we got to look at it in a historical context. Emma (VO) EMMA: Jason will walk them through a historic overview, 100 years or so, leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, provide students with some prior knowledge about the historical context that the document was written in so they don’t just get it all of a sudden and not understand what was going on in the world when it was created. Jason, Students JASON: I know for me it’s really helpful when I’m reading history to have some visual aid, to sort of understand how much time passes. So, what you’re looking at is a really rough timeline of events, starting in 1607. All of a sudden, salutary neglect is over. Now, England is calling upon the colonists to pay heavy taxes, to put soldiers in their homes. They’re sort of imposing on them while the colonists are feeling like we have no representation in this government to decide these things. And then you really get the first Continental Congress. And what’s the first Continental Congress? 01:05:00 Students STUDENT: It was just a congress, um, all 13 colonies were present except for Georgia. Georgia came with the second. They all came together so that they could draft a declaration claiming that the intolerable acts were, um, unconstitutional. Jason, Emma, Students JASON: I want to ask a follow-up question. Who didn’t write it? Who wasn’t present? STUDENT: They were all white. EMMA: Thank you. STUDENT: Yeah, there were no women either. EMMA: Thank you. Emma (VO)

SOCIAL CONTRACT RIGHT TO REVOLUTION POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY NATURAL RIGHTS EMMA: Then we will hand out the Declaration of Independence itself and remind students of the themes that we want them to be thinking about by looking at the graphic organizer that we’re going to hand out with the Declaration of Independence. That highlights four themes in particular, the social contract, the right to revolution, popular sovereignty and natural rights. 01:05:44 Jason (VO) JASON: And then as a class we model how do you read and annotate one part of this document? Students STUDENT: Hobbes said that men are all created equal but they make their own differences. Laying its foundation on such principles. Jason, Students JASON: Just in this one sentence, point out some really specific words, passages, phrases and what connections you’re making to them? Paige? PAIGE: It becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another. Ah, it’s, that connects to the right to revolt. STUDENT: I’d circle where it says just the first time when it says the course of human events because it makes it sound like it’s going to happen no matter what. Like there’s no way of avoiding it. It’s just a way to, how like human nature is. Emma (INTV) EMMA: I think the lesson really works is because the students, almost the whole class, are actually the ones that are, um, constructing their own knowledge and sharing what they know and teaching one another. Emma, Jason, Students STUDENT: They’re asking for their independence that’s, you know, no walk in the park. I’ve, you know, written uh, an email to someone before to apologize. I don’t just say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I hope you’ll forgive me.” You’re… You know, you’re spelling everything out. You want to show your sincerity, and I will, in that letter, in my email, I showed my sincerity in a sad way. But they’re showing their sincerity that they really, they mean business. 01:07:03 Student STUDENT: I don’t like it any more. I don’t want to be involved like another second. I don’t like you because you did this, this, this, and so I don’t want to be affiliated with you anymore. Emma, Jason, Students EMMA: They’re severing their ties to them completely so that they can, as you were saying, like so they actually can create their own forms of government, their own political bands, their own political ties. So, this is basically them saying we want to break our reliance on you as our government. You, meaning Great Britain. We’re breaking up with you. STUDENT: Okay. EMMA: I can’t think of a better way to say it. STUDENT: Got it. EMMA: We’re breaking up with you, okay, that’s what they’re saying here, right. 01:07:38 Emma (VO) EMMA: I absolutely think giving them small pieces and really guiding them, especially through the introduction, through the complex language, so they start to feel like they’re understanding what is happening thematically and, um, linguistically in the piece, so they’re actually understanding the vocabulary in it, ah, is important. I think the way, um, the lesson, such as the one that we did, really works is because the students, almost the whole class, are actually the ones that are um, constructing their own knowledge and-and sharing what they know and teaching one another. Emma EMMA: So this is a remarkable document, a momentous occasion in history, and at the same time not entirely just, because it’s leaving out some voices. Emma, Students EMMA: We’re hoping how we can extend the lesson that we did today is to invite students either to write a response from England; also to add to the letter to include the actual grievances but make them, you know, modernized. Jason, Students JASON: We would like you to just very briefly write how did today’s examination of the Declaration of Independence influence your thoughts, inspire any thoughts about our essential question? 01:08:44 Emma (VO) EMMA: By talking about what does it mean to be an American, I think that helps connect to this document. Jason (VO) JASON: When you get at the themes, when you get at the content they’re able to make those connections pretty quickly. Emma (VO) EMMA: And so I think that really makes the lesson successful and keeps them engaged. 01:09:00 With special thanks Emma Katznelson, Jason David and the staff and students at Wildwood School CREDITS Wingspan Pictures Logo [music] 01:09:10 Fade to black

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Breaking Down the Breakup Letter: The Declaration of Independence

Description

This assignment takes students through a guided reading of the Declaration of Independence. This is meant for on-level students.

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The Declaration of Independence

In this activity, activity overview, template and class instructions, more storyboard that activities.

• This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides

For this activity, students will analyze and explain the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This activity is a good way to wrap up the causes and effects of events leading up to the American Revolution. Although it does take place in the midst of the revolution, it encapsulates the major ideas, problems, and tensions between colonists and the British while also providing context for how the American colonies finally and fully separated from Britain. The activity will also allow students to analyze a major primary source, the Declaration of Independence !

Students will complete a 5Ws analysis ( Who, What, When, Where, and Why ) to explain and break down the important details of the Declaration of Independence. This will provide a clear context of what the document means, the basics of its signing, and what the document's key messages are. It allows students to be creative when making their storyboards because they can design what they believe the signing of this major American document looked like.

Have students read and analyze 5-10 specific grievances located within the Declaration of Independence . Give them the actual text, but then have them break it down into their own words. First, they should examine words they see as most important to the document's key messages. Then, have them put the text into their own ‘modern-day' words on a storyboard with a visualization. This will allow the teacher to see who understands the messages, and to get a sense of what vocabulary the students know and understand.

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard outlining the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) for the Declaration of Independence.

• Click "Start Assignment".
• In the title of each cell, ask one of the 5 Ws.
• In the description boxes, answer the question.
• Create an illustration that demonstrates or explains each of the 5 Ws using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-10

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Group

Type of Activity: 5 Ws of Social Studies and History

• [ELA-Literacy/RH/11-12/1] Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
• [ELA-Literacy/RH/11-12/2] Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
• [ELA-Literacy/RI/11-12/9] Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.

(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric .)

How To Analyze and Discuss “The Declaration of Independence” in Class

Read the text, discuss complex and unfamiliar terms, link to the present, engage in activities, reflect and discuss, frequently asked questions about the declaration of independence, who was the writer of the declaration of independence, when was this declaration adopted, what is the significance of the declaration of independence for the american revolution, can the declaration of independence be changed, events leading up to the american revolution.

• Dunlap Broadside [Declaration of Independence] • The U.S. National Archives • License No known copyright restrictions (http://flickr.com/commons/usage/)

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