Ch. 6.1 A Nation Declares Independence By the year 1776 no one could have predicted what lay ahead most were still hoping for a peaceful end to it all

A. Colonies Divided Both patriots and loyalists were in the minority in 1776 To many were confused which way to go, the Colonists or the British??

B. Common Sense In Jan 1776 a 50 page pamphlet named “common sense” was published in Philadelphia The Author Thomas Paine called the King a “royal brute” over 500,000 copies of this were made and it inspired the colonists

C. Virginia’s Resolution Richard Henry Lee also inspired the colonists by writing a resolution or formal statement labeling the colonies “free” He had Thomas Jefferson and John Adams look this over and add to it to make it sound more professional

II. Declaration of Independence The final outcome of this resolution or declaration became what we call THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

A. Natural Rights The Declaration was split into 3 main sections First was general ideas about society and government “we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal”

Jefferson also goes into ideas about unalienable rights granted by god to man These were called natural rights which had been taken by the British and will be taken back now

B. List of Grievances Jefferson’s next task was to prove that the British had violated the rights of the colonists So section 2 became a long list of grievances and complaints many of which accuse the king of ignoring their rights (taxes)

C. Dissolving the Bonds Finally they “the colonists” considered themselves free and independent states the last part of the Declaration was idea of dissolving any and all relationship with the British

III Impact of the Declaration July 4, 1776 Congress approved the Declaration and celebrated Those who signed the Declaration knew the risk was high it all fell on their shoulders They now were fighting as a separate nation

Those who signed it The first, and most famous signature is that of John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress. The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge (age 26). Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest. Two future presidents signed: John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third President). As well as representatives of each state