Declaring Independence Chapter 8-Lesson 1
What is the birth certificate of our country called?
The Declaration of Independence
What does independence mean?
Independence means freedom from being ruled by someone else.
What were colonists who wanted independence called? What were colonists who sided with the British called?
Patriots Loyalists
Who was the Patriot who said “Give me liberty or give me death?
Patrick Henry
Who wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense?
Thomas Paine
What did the pamphlet state?
That King George III treated the colonists unfairly and the only way to stop it was to become independent from Britain.
What were delegates to the Second Continental Congress concerned about regarding independence?
They worried that Britain was too strong to fight against and that not enough colonists wanted independence.
What delegate argued strongly for independence?
John Adams
What delegate from Virginia asked Congress to officially declare independence?
Richard Henry Lee
What is a declaration?
A declaration is a statement that declares, or announces an idea.
Who wrote much of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson
What are rights?
Rights are freedoms that are protected by a government’s laws.
What did the Declaration of Independence say?
People have the right to live, the right to be free, and the right to seek happiness.
What does Jefferson mean when he writes, “All men are created equal”?
All people are the same, and no one is better than anyone else.
What are some reasons, Jefferson believed, that gave colonists the right to separate for Britain and create their own government?
King George had tried to take away rights. He forced taxes on the colonists. He sent soldiers to control them.
Who was hired to print an official copy of the Declaration of Independence?
Mary Katherine Goddard
Who was president of Congress?
John Hancock
On what date did the Second Continental Congress vote to accept the Declaration?
July 4, 1776 Independence Day
Why did the delegates know that signing the Declaration was dangerous?
It was dangerous because Britain would call it treason.
What is treason?
Treason is the crime of fighting against one’s own government.
Why do you think that the delegates signed it anyway?
They believed strongly that what they were doing was right.
Why was it so remarkable that the colonists decided to “rule themselves”?
They were no longer relying on a king to lead them.
What did Abigail Adams want Congress to do?
She wanted Congress to give women more rights.
Why is the Declaration of Independence important?
It states that the people of the United States believe in equal rights for all.