Preview

2.02 Docent Script Declaration Of Independence

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
454 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
2.02 Docent Script Declaration Of Independence
A call for independence 2.02 docent script

Hello, my name is , and I will be taking you through the first portion of the Declaration of Independence, which is the grievances against King George III. Raise your hand if you have heard of the Declaration of Independence before? (Wait for responses) Ok, great- Well what a lot of people don’t know about the Declaration of Independence is that it is really a letter of grievances against King George III.

The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Written mainly by Thomas Jefferson,
…show more content…

• The colonists were unable to sell products to any country except Britain. • To force colonists to buy English products, Parliament placed high taxes on French and Dutch goods. • Parliament expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian War.

In 1774 before the Declaration of Independence was written, 12 of the 13 original colonies were represented in the first continental congress to ask for more power from the king. The king rejected them and considered traitors. Rejection was the last thing these colonies could handle.

in 1775 the first battles between the British and the Colonists occur at Lexington and Concord. Also later in 1775 the second continental congress meets to discuss their next move, but some are still not ready to declare independence.

In January 1776, Thomas Paine releases his pamphlet Common Sense which states that it just “makes sense” to break away from England since the colonies got nothing out of the relationship.
The pamphlet won over many colonies and the second continental congress decided to declare their freedom.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence, which had three main


You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Declaration of Independence was written and created with the purpose of the colonists gaining freedom from Great Britain. The colonists were tired of being taken advantage of with strict laws and crazy taxes. This document was approved on July 4th, 1776. It was hand-written by Thomas Jefferson. The first part explains why it was written, the second part contains how King George has failed as a King and how he has violated them, and finally the third and last part of the Declaration of Independence is the actual Declaration and all of the colonies are said to be the United States of America.…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Thomas Jefferson spent about two weeks writing & rewriting this document. The first part of the Declaration explains why the colonies had the right to separate from Britain. The second part listed violations that Britain had committed against the colonies and the third and final part stated that the colonists’ only choice was to be free from Britain.…

    • 148 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    On May 15, 1776, the Virginia House of Burgesses resolved that "the delegates appointed to represent this colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the united Colonies free and independent states. “On June 7, 1776, the Continental Congress received a resolution for declaring independence from Richard Henry Lee, leader of the Virginia delegation. Voting on the Lee Resolution was postponed so that the delegates from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and South Carolina would have time to deliberate on the matter. On June 11, the Committee of Five: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman were appointed to draft a declaration. Though there were still rifts between everything and everyone the Patriots still remained strong. The Patriots would band together and fight to the death if they were ever given the chance. They proved themselves stronger than what most believed when they fought back at “Lexington on the Green”. Though they were small in numbers they came out on the top in the end. Not always from start to finish but from end to finish all because they believed in fighting for what they believe in. the Patriots seemed to be the main problem for the revolution though it was the British who made things harder than they had to be.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When the Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4th 1776, the men signing it understood that it was not merely an empty dramatic gesture but in practice amounted to a declaration of war against Britain. The Continental Congress, needing some form of legitimacy to conduct a war, especially a war on such a global scale as the Revolutionary War was about to become, drafted the Articles on the premise that all thirteen states held common interests when it came to foreign policy and diplomacy. Congress would run matters of war and peace, negotiate treaties, settle disputes between states, operate a national post office, print…

    • 2487 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the push for independence from the British in the late 1770s became more evident prior and post the revolutionary war, the true seed of the American identity was planted with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress at the Pennsylvania State House on July 4, 1776. The colonies soon began taking their first steps as a nation as they took on the enlightened views of John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton, evidently leading to the establishment of the 10 amendments that would act as the fundamental principles of the blooming nation, and establish a foreground for the coming ones which define the United States today. Unended for and in a fragile state, the now independent colonies were strong patriotically…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The call for the independence of America was boosted in 1776 January when Thomas Paine returned from England to publish his pamphlet Common Sense whose main theme was a call for independence (Atwood, 2010). In his pamphlet, Thomas Paine argued for the need for the Americans to choose between liberty and monarchy and thereby establish a government in which every citizen had a right to be heard and the opportunity to succeed without being discriminated against. This set the movement for independence in motion and with time, the colonial legislatures distributed across America were transformed into State governments agitating for their independence to be recognised. By June 1776, the continental congress had set up a committee to draft the declaration for independence with members being Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin as the members (Janis, 2010). This declaration was adopted in July 4, 1776 sparking the beginning of the American War.…

    • 2011 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The declaration of Independence was put in place on July 4th, 1776. The declaration came more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. It made the thirteen American…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Declaration of Independence” paved the way for freedom in the United States. It rejected ruling from Great Britain, and made America its own country. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson, a delegate of the Second Continental Congress. The cause was the colonists being tired of the King taking their rights away, so they decided to withdraw from Great Britain and become their own free country. Their feelings are expressed in The Declaration when the tone portrayed was critical and straightforward. The Declaration was important in the style it contained which is the reason it was successful.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Jefferson’s hands the rhythm and building pressure to the revelation of its three central human rights elevate the political necessities to heroic ideals. In fact the Declaration proved so stirring that Washington ordered it read to the American troops. Stephen E Lucas, in his essay “The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence”(3) notes that Jefferson turned to the writing of Milton, Pope, and Shakespeare, among others, and that he wrote “for the ear as well as for the…

    • 1656 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thomas Jefferson was the main creator of the Declaration but he wasn’t the only one to come up with Ideas. Congress appointed a five person committee to create it, although Jefferson did come up with the first draft. He used his own work and the work of George Mason to bring it to fruition. He was also influenced by Philosopher John Locke “Thomas Jefferson restated Locke’s contract theory of government when he wrote in the Declaration that governments derived “their just Powers from the consent of the people.””…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 and was written to give the colonies independence from England. The DOI explained to American colonists and to the rest of the world why the colonies were declaring their independence. The 13 colonies were upset British control due to the Parliament control, unable to sell products to other countries and the taxes placed on goods along with other expenses they were told to pay for. Because of such mistreatment the colonies decided to form their own identity, in which they formed the First Continental Congress in order to be represented in front of the King. King George did not agree with the colonies beliefs and deemed them as traitors to the British country. One man by the name of Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet, Common Sense, which focused on the colonists’ frustrations with King George III; he also expressed that it makes sense…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    By the end of the French and Indian War Great Britain’s national debt had grown exponentially. As a result, Parliament began to press the issue of mercantilism (taxation) in order to compensate for the budget deficit. According to America: A Narrative History Brief Ninth Edition, the average Briton paid twenty-six times the median yearly taxes paid by Americans, so Parliament reasoned that they should share the greater portion of the cost of the British troops providing their defense. Many Americans also disregarded British trade regulations by smuggling goods frequently, so to combat this, colonial officials were ordered to tightly enforce the Navigation Acts. Under the Navigation Acts European goods that were delivered to America had to go…

    • 1926 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Declaration of Independence, in 1776, written by Thomas Jefferson was the document that declared America wanted nothing to do with Great Britain and desired to be their own country. In the video, Jefferson includes key arguments about why the colonies needed to separate from the British. Jefferson believes that all people are born with the unalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He says that when these rights are not given, the people have the right to abolish the government, and institute a new one. Also, it is a right of the people to provide new guards for future security if the unalienable rights are to be broken.…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Us History

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and was approved in spring 1776. This document made America officially free from Great Britain’s rule. The document gave “natural rights,” something inspired by early Enlightenment. The plans for the government weren’t official until 1787 by something called The Great Compromise. It gave the government three branches of power: Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and the Judiciary Branch.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    American political glossary

    • 3504 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Declaration of Independence, 1776, Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence is the usual name of a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as 13 newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they formed a new nation—the United States of America. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, which was unanimously approved on July 2. A committee had already drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when Congress voted on independence. The term "Declaration of Independence" is not used in the document itself. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [O.S. April 2] 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801–1809). He was a spokesman for democracy, embraced the principles of republicanism and the rights of man with worldwide influence. At the beginning of the American Revolution, he served in the Continental Congress, representing Virginia and then served as a wartime Governor of Virginia (1779–1781). Just after the war ended, from mid-1784 Jefferson served as a diplomat, stationed in Paris. In May 1785, he became the United States…

    • 3504 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays