American Government The Declaration of Independence February 5, 2019 American Government The Declaration of Independence

WARM UP HSA Questions of the Day   According to Thomas Hobbes, whenever and wherever men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, there is: a. negotiation b. war c. democracy d. freedom According to John Locke, a man in the state of nature will relinquish his absolute freedom to the state because: a. he will also enjoy absolute freedom when subject to the state b. in the state of nature the enjoyment of his freedom is very uncertain and vulnerable c. he wants to have absolute power over others d. he rejects the laws of the state of nature

Today’s Key Question: Why did the American colonists feel it was necessary to write the Declaration of Independence?

Types & Forms of Government in America’s History Before the United States of America was created during the American Revolution, we were British colonies which meant the American colonies were under the British Government. The British Government was a monarchy and was ruled by King George III.

13 British Colonies

Life in America Under King George III Colonists were used to governing themselves King George began limiting freedoms (in the colonists’ opinion) and began passing excessive taxes on the colonists. The colonists claimed this was unfair because they did not have representation that voted on these new taxes/laws. This was called “Taxation Without Representation!”

What form of government is this? a) What is the central government? KING or 13 COLONIES b) Who is the local governments? c) Who is strong? CENTRAL or LOCAL d) What form of government is this? UNITARY CONFEDERATE FEDERAL

Colonist Rebellions Colonists tarred and feathered British tax collectors to express their anger and to scare away other tax collectors. Many were killed by doing this. In this picture, they also show the tax collector being forced to drink British tea.

Tarred and Feathered

Used as a poster and a flag, seen throughout the colonies leading up to the Revolution. Shows that the colonies must stick together to win, or else they face defeat.

Boston Tea Party

In 1775, war breaks out - The American Revolution

British Army vs. the American Colonists

THIS IS NOT THE CIVIL WAR Revolutionary War = War for independence from Great Britain Colonists vs. British Patriots King George III George Washington Civil War = War between the North and South Union vs. Confederacy Slavery Lincoln

Declaration of Independence On July 4th, 1776 a document called the Declaration of Independence was passed by Congress It was mainly written by Thomas Jefferson and was a sort of “break up” letter from the colonists to King George III

THOMAS JEFFERSON

Why was the Declaration of Independence written? The 13 colonies were breaking away from the British government (for freedom). They wrote the DOI to explain their reasons for wanting to leave Britain’s rule and become independent. 2. What FORM of government were the British colonies operating under? UNITARY (one national level = strong) 3. What TYPE of government were the British colonies operating under? MONARCHY = AUTHORITARIAN

Declaration of Independence: 3 Principles The Declaration of Independence, passed in 1776, focused on principles like consent of the governed (the people have a say in their government), popular sovereignty (the government gets its power from the people), and natural rights (every human is born with the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”).

Declaration of Independence clearly stated that… 1) Government gets its power from the PEOPLE! Democratic or Authoritarian 2) The British King was abusing the rights of the American colonists 3) The 13 colonies were now 13 independent states free from British rule

Vocabulary Grievance - Complaint

American Colonists Four Main Grievances … 1. The colonists had no representation in British Parliament (so Great Britain was making rules about the colonists without the colonists getting to say anything) 2. Many colonists thought taxation without their consent was unfair (colonists paid taxes on glass, tea and other goods, but the money went back to Great Britain not necessarily back into the colonies)

American Colonists Four Main Grievances … 3. Colonists were not granted fair trials (even though King George III considered colonists citizens, when a colonist was charged with a crime, they were not granted a fair trial like they would have been in Great Britain) 4. King George III cut off trade between colonists and other countries (the King would intercept shipments and increase fees so that he could take more money and the colonists would be left with very little profit)

Today’s Key Question: Why did the American colonists feel it was necessary to write the Declaration of Independence?