Declaration of Independence: Class Notes
1.Who helped Thomas Jefferson draft the original declaration?
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston
2.When did delegates actually begin to sign the completed document?
August the 2nd
3.What did General George Washington order done with his copy?
Washington orders that the Declaration of Independence be read before the American army in New York -- from his personal copy of the "Dunlap Broadside."
4.Why do you think he gave this order?
To inspire his troops and to remind them of what they are fighting for.
Part 2
In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson listed twenty-seven abuses committed by Great Britain's King George III against the colonies. These alleged abuses formed the main justification for independence.
Read the entire list beginning with "He has refused his Assent to Laws..." and ending with "He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,..."
Decide which ten accusations against the king offer the strongest evidence to back up the colonists' justification for independence. Rewrite them in your own words on the following chart. 1
He has forbidden his governors from doing anything until he has looked at it and approved it .
2
He won't let any one else be elected.
3
He does not like immigrants, and will not let them into his country.
4
He has obstructed justice, by his own foolish ways.
5
Judges must do only as he says because their pay depends on it.
6
He cut off trade to all parts of the world.
7
Only the people who are high in society can bear arms.
8
He sends mercenaries to kill people he doesn't like.
9
He waged war against us because we left Europe.
10
** TAXATION without REPRESENTATION **
Part 3
Answer the Focus Question: What was the strongest grievance against King George III in the Declaration of Independence? Choose one of the items you listed above and write a brief essay that explains why it is the single strongest
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston
2.When did delegates actually begin to sign the completed document?
August the 2nd
3.What did General George Washington order done with his copy?
Washington orders that the Declaration of Independence be read before the American army in New York -- from his personal copy of the "Dunlap Broadside."
4.Why do you think he gave this order?
To inspire his troops and to remind them of what they are fighting for.
Part 2
In the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson listed twenty-seven abuses committed by Great Britain's King George III against the colonies. These alleged abuses formed the main justification for independence.
Read the entire list beginning with "He has refused his Assent to Laws..." and ending with "He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,..."
Decide which ten accusations against the king offer the strongest evidence to back up the colonists' justification for independence. Rewrite them in your own words on the following chart. 1
He has forbidden his governors from doing anything until he has looked at it and approved it .
2
He won't let any one else be elected.
3
He does not like immigrants, and will not let them into his country.
4
He has obstructed justice, by his own foolish ways.
5
Judges must do only as he says because their pay depends on it.
6
He cut off trade to all parts of the world.
7
Only the people who are high in society can bear arms.
8
He sends mercenaries to kill people he doesn't like.
9
He waged war against us because we left Europe.
10
** TAXATION without REPRESENTATION **
Part 3
Answer the Focus Question: What was the strongest grievance against King George III in the Declaration of Independence? Choose one of the items you listed above and write a brief essay that explains why it is the single strongest