U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 1 LO: We will be able to explain the reasons for the Declaration of Independence. Connect APK to LO: In much the same way that you might write a break-up letter, the colonists in 1776 wrote their own break-up letter to the King of England and to the world explaining the reasons why they should no longer be together as one country. APK: If you had to break up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend in a letter, you might include the reasons that you no longer wanted to be with that person.

U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 2 Concept Development: The Declaration 1 of Independence was the document written in 1776, in which the thirteen British colonies in America said that they were an independent 2 nation and would no longer agree to be ruled by Britain. Other key facts: This was written by Thomas Jefferson at the meeting of a second Continental Congress after fighting with Britain had begun. The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons why the colonists wanted independence. Patriots who signed this document knew they were committing treason 3 against Great Britain, but were willing to take the risk. In fact, Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Many did in fact die or lose everything in the Revolutionary War against Britain. Every fourth of July we celebrate the signing of this document on July 4, Declaration: a statement; to declare is to say. 2 independent: not relying on or controlled by anyone else, free 3 treason: crime of being against your government, often punished by death. Pair-Share: Predict how you think England (Britain) might react to this break up letter. Pair-Share: What was the Declaration of Independence about? Pair-Share: Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and when was it signed?

U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 3 Skill Development/Guided Practice: We are going to read parts of the Declaration of Independence that explain the evidence the colonists gave for “breaking up” with England. 1. Read the Central idea. 2. Read the excerpts (parts) of the Declaration of Independence carefully. [ ] =meaning of difficult words 3. Underline key words in each piece of evidence to shorten the idea. 4. Fill in the graphic organizer. Central Idea: The colonists had many reasons to be angry with the King of England making soldiers live in their houses To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. Below is the second half of the list of evidence the colonists gave in the Declaration of Independence for breaking up with England. “To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid [open] world…” “…For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock [fake] 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 [permission]: For depriving [taking from] us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury...” protecting the soldiers in _________trials Pair-Share: A’s explain to B’s one of the reasons the colonists had to be angry with the King. B’s explain to A’s another reason.

U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 4 1. Read the Central idea. 2. Read the excerpts (parts) of the Declaration of Independence carefully. [ ] =meaning of difficult words 3. Underline key words in each piece of evidence to shorten the idea. 4. Fill in the graphic organizer. Central Idea: The colonists had many reasons to be angry with the King of England To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. “….For taking away our Charters, abolishing [getting rid of] our most valuable Laws, and altering [changing] fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures [groups that make laws], and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate [make laws] for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated [given up on] Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us….” Pair-Share: In what way was the king being unfair about how laws were being made in the colonies?

U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 5 1. Read the Central idea. 2. Read the excerpts (parts) of the Declaration of Independence carefully. [ ] =meaning of difficult words 3. Underline key words in each piece of evidence to shorten the idea. 4. Fill in the graphic organizer. He captured people on the ocean and made them fight against their own country. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. “…He has plundered our seas, ravaged [damaged] our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries [paid fighters] to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy [lack of trust] scarcely paralleled [not even seen] in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained [forced] our fellow Citizens taken Captive [prisoner] 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 [fighting inside our country] 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 [destroying of all] ages, sexes and conditions….” Pair-Share: In your opinion, were these reasons worth the risks of being guilty of treason? Why or why not?

U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 6 Independent Practice/Closure: Use your notes to complete the following. 1. What was the Declaration of Independence? ________________________________________________________________ 2. Explain why it was written. Give at least two examples. ________________________________________________________________ Further Reading/Enrichment: For the entire text of the Declaration of Independence go to: (note the underscore between declaration_transcript) Relevance: 1. Understanding the risks the Patriots took can help us to better appreciate the freedom we enjoy today. 2. Our declaration that we were a free country has inspired many other countries to declare their independence, and continues to inspire people around the world. 3. The Declaration of Independence will affect much of what we will study in U.S. History this year.