1. U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 1 Concept Development: The Declaration 1 of Independence was the ________________written in 1776, in which the thirteen British colonies in America said that they were an independent 2 nation and would ____________________________________________________. Other key facts: This was written by ____________ ____________ at the meeting of a second Continental Congress after fighting with Britain had begun. The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons why the colonists wanted independence. Patriots who signed this document knew they were committing __________ 3 against Great Britain, but were willing to take the risk. In fact, Patrick Henry said, “Give me _________ or give me ________.” Many did in fact die or lose everything in the Revolutionary ________ against Britain. Every fourth of July we celebrate the signing of this document on July 4, _________. 1 Declaration: a statement; to declare is to say. 2 independent: not relying on or controlled by anyone else, free 3 treason: crime of being against your government, often punished by death. LO: We will be able to explain the reasons for the Declaration of Independence. APK: If you had to break up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend in a letter, you might include the reasons that you no longer wanted to be with that person. Connect APK to LO: In much the same way that you might write a break-up letter, the colonists in 1776 wrote their own break-up letter to the King of England and to the world explaining the reasons why they should no longer be together as one country.

2. U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 2 Skill Development/Guided Practice: We are going to read parts of the Declaration of Independence that explain the evidence the colonists gave for “breaking up” with England. 1. Read the Central idea. 2. Read the excerpts (parts) of the Declaration of Independence carefully. [ ] =meaning of difficult words 3. Underline key words in each piece of evidence to shorten the idea. 4. Fill in the graphic organizer. Central Idea: The colonists had many reasons to be angry with the King of England making soldiers live in their houses _____________________________ To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. Below is the second half of the list of evidence the colonists gave in the Declaration of Independence for breaking up with England. “To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid [open] world…” “…For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock [fake] Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent [permission]: For depriving [taking from] us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury...” protecting the soldiers in _________trials

3. U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 3 1. Read the Central idea. 2. Read the excerpts (parts) of the Declaration of Independence carefully. [ ] =meaning of difficult words 3. Underline key words in each piece of evidence to shorten the idea. 4. Fill in the graphic organizer. _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. “….For taking away our Charters, abolishing [getting rid of] our most valuable Laws, and altering [changing] fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures [groups that make laws], and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate [make laws] for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated [given up on] Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us….”

4. U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 4 1. Read the Central idea. 2. Read the excerpts (parts) of the Declaration of Independence carefully. [ ] =meaning of difficult words 3. Underline key words in each piece of evidence to shorten the idea. 4. Fill in the graphic organizer. _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ He captured people on the ocean and made them fight against their own country. _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. “…He has plundered our seas, ravaged [damaged] our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries [paid fighters] to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy [lack of trust] scarcely paralleled [not even seen] in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained [forced] our fellow Citizens taken Captive [prisoner] on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections [fighting inside our country] amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction [destroying of all] ages, sexes and conditions….” ________________________

5. U.S. History 8 Liberty Middle School l 5 Independent Practice/Closure: Use your notes to complete the following. 1. What was the Declaration of Independence? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _________ 2. Explain why it was written. Give at least two examples. ________________________________________________________________ Further Reading/Enrichment: For the entire text of the Declaration of Independence go to: (note the underscore between declaration_transcript) http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcri pt.html http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcri pt.html Relevance: 1. Understanding the risks the Patriots took can help us to better appreciate the freedom we enjoy today. 2. Our declaration that we were a free country has inspired many other countries to declare their independence, and continues to inspire people around the world. 3. The Declaration of Independence will affect much of what we will study in U.S. History this year.