2. Declaration Of Independence Revolutionary War?
What led
to the writing of the
Declaration Of
Independence
and the
Revolutionary
War? 2

3. French and Indian War Britain helped colonists defeat French in war
Britain needed money to pay for war expenses
Taxed colonists and limited self- government 3

4. Stamp Act
British imposed taxes upon all paper products and stamped the item once the tax had been paid
British placed a tariff on many of the goods coming into the colonies
Stamp Act Congress was formed. They sent a petition to King George III, and declared a boycott on British goods. The Stamp Act gets repealed. 4

5. “No taxation without representation!”
Colonists react…

6. Various protests:
Patrick Henry’s speech- “Give me liberty or give me death.”
Benjamin Franklin’s visit to Parliament
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Boston Massacre 6

7. Tea Act
Colonists were already paying a tax on tea from the Townshend Act.
The British business British East India Company got exclusive rights to sell tea in the colonies
Parliament was trying to help out the company to avoid bankruptcy

8. Boston Tea Party Boycotted British tea
Sons of Liberty dressed in disguise and dumped British tea overboard
“Rally Mohawks, and bring your axes
And tell King George we’ll pay no taxes” 8

9. King George III passes the Coercive Acts
The Royal Navy blockades the Boston Harbor so no colonial goods could be sent out until tea was paid for
Colonists had to quarter British soldiers
The King assigned British General Gage to be Massachusetts governor
The colonists call these acts the Intolerable Acts 9

10. First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia
Representatives from the colonies meet in Philadelphia to address the problem of the Intolerable Acts. 10

11. First Continental Congress
Established a boycott on all trade with Great Britain
Sent a petition to King George III
Advised American colonists to arm themselves and form militias
Agreed to meet in 1 year if things did not improve

12. Lexington and Concord
Paul Revere and William Dawes make midnight ride to warn Minutemen of approaching British soldiers
British General Gage learns the hideouts of John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Lexington and of hidden weapons in Concord
He decides to march the redcoats to Lexington and Concord to capture the men and destroy the military supplies 12

13. Shot Hear Round the World
Minutemen were ready when the British Redcoats arrived
Someone fired a shot and the battle began
The British win and move onto Lexington when they met many minutemen and were forced to retreat back to Boston

14. Second Continental Congress
Representatives vote for George Washington to head the Continental Army.
Representatives send King George one last petition to ask for peace.
A committee is formed to write an official statement for freedom to self-govern. 14

15. Common Sense
Written anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776, Common Sense was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.
“I am certain that when opinions are free, either in matters of government or religion, truth will finally and powerfully prevail.” 15

16. Who was involved? Benjamin Franklin John Adams Robert R. Livingston
Roger Sherman
Thomas Jefferson 16

17. Who wrote the first draft?
What did it look like?
Who wrote the first draft? 17

18. John Trumbull’s Painting of The Signing of the Declaration of Independence18

19. Four Parts of the Declaration
Part 1- stated why the Declaration was needed
Part 2- Listed the colonists’ main ideas about government
Part 3- Listed the colonists’ grievances
Part 4- declared the colonists’ independence from England 19

20. Major Ideas from the Declaration of Independence
“All men are created equal…”
Does not recognize African Americans, women, and some other men, this phrase is the basic idea of our government
“…they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
Rights are not given to men by the government, but are inherent and undeniable.

21. Major Ideas from the Declaration of Independence
“to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”
The purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people
“whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it”
If the government does not protect these rights the people can change their government

22. What Kind of Men Signed the Declaration?
Twenty-four were lawyers and judges.
Eleven were merchants
Nine were farmers and large plantation owners. 22

23. What happened to the men who risked their lives to sign?
5 signers were captured by the British as traitors
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. 23

24. THE END
Or is it the beginning? 24