Social Studies  Monday October 15, 2012  WARM UP—News Notes  Today’s Learning Goal—I can describe what ideas can be found in the Declaration of Independence.  Write today’s learning goal under your news notes. At the end of today’s lesson we will come back to this and make sure you have achieved today’s goal.  Tape or glue your handout notes onto page

Rebellion Becomes Revolution  The publication of a pamphlet titled Common Sense by Thomas Paine, helped convince many Americans that it was time to fight for independence.  In May of 1776, the Continental Congress, made up of delegates from the 13 colonies, were still undecided about declaring independence from Great Britain.  While the delegates were debating the issue, Congress appointed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence. The committee chose Thomas Jefferson to write the draft.  On July 4, 1776, Congress agreed to adopt the document that proclaimed independence from Britain—the Declaration of Independence.

Rebellion Becomes Revolution  John Hancock, the president of the Congress, was the first to sign the Declaration.  The core idea of the Declaration is that people have natural and unalienable rights, or rights that government cannot take away. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” -Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

Rebellion Becomes Revolution  Jefferson also explains that if a government disregards these rights, it loses its right to govern. The people then have the right to abolish that government, by force if necessary. They can then form a new government that will protect their rights.  When Jefferson spoke of “the people,” however, the meant only free, white, landowning men. Women, the enslaved, and those without property were left out of the Declaration.  The Declaration explained that the colonies were to now be free and independent states.  Americans had declared independence. Now they had to win their freedom on the battlefield.

The Declaration of Independence

Social Studies  Video Clips—The Declaration of Independence