Important Questions For Today’s Lecture Write these down in your notebook and answer them as you listen. Notes will be available online. What was significant about the meeting of the first and second continental congress? What was the olive branch petition and why did it say about what the colonists intentions at that time? What is the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense? What are the contributions of John Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau

Declaring Independence Brinkley pgs. 126-131 Declaring Independence

1st and 2nd Continental Congress First Continental Congress (September 5, 1774) Second Continental Congress (May 1775) Signs of political unity. Establishes rights of the colonists. Signs of Government - republicanism

Olive Branch Petition Sent to king asking him to stop Parliament’s actions. Affirms loyalty to the King Ideas and beginning motivations for independence but no cooperative action. Americans still want to go back to a period of Salutary neglect.

Thomas Paine, “Common Sense” January 15, 1776 Written by Thomas Paine Made the argument why America should be independent Became extremely popular He wrote, He could not see a “single advantage” in “being connected with Great Britain.” Argued against the logic of the Olive Branch Petition.

Decision for Independence New wave of Independence movements inspired by Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” Influenced by John Locke and Enlightenment – Political Thinking and Great Awakening – Protestant Evangelism

Declaration of Independence Ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

John Locke, Enlightenment Second Treatise of Government 1689 Ruler gains legitimacy through the consent of the governed. Responsibility of the government to protect the natural rights of the people. If government fails to protect these rights, it is the right of the citizens to overthrow the government. Power to govern comes from the people. Main intellectual influence in writing the Declaration.

Volaite, Enlightenment His major contribution to our founding fathers was probably his indefatigable quest for civil rights. He was an especially strong supporter of fair trials and the freedom of religion. These rights were also held in high esteem by the founding fathers. "All sects are different, because they come from men; morality is everywhere the same, because it comes from God."  "All men have equal rights to liberty, to their property, and to the protection of the laws." http://glb-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/06/thinking-about-american-revolution_25.html

Rousseau, Enlightenment "To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties. For he who renounces everything no indemnity is possible. Such a renunciation is incompatible with man's nature; to remove all liberty from his will is to remove all morality from his acts."  http://glb-thoughts.blogspot.com/2009/06/thinking-about-american-revolution_25.html

Impacts of the Declaration of Independence Contextualization “Haitian Declaration of Independence” “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, 1789” What is the historical Impact of the Declaration of Independence?