1. Declaration of Independence

3. Writing the Declaration of Independence
At the 2nd Continental Congress the colonists appointed a committee to write the Declaration of Independence to officially announce they were no longer part of Britain
Thomas Jefferson was the main author
The document has 4 parts
Ideals (opinions)
Arguments (reasons why)
Complaints (what the British had done)
Conclusion (they could no longer be part of Britain)

4. Preamble of the Declaration of Independence
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
What does this mean?
Sometimes one party has to leave the group to take back the rights they are given by God.
The laws of society say they should declare the reasons why they want to separate.

5. Principles and Ideals Equality Popular sovereignty Natural Rights
“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal
Popular sovereignty
“Governments are instituted
among men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the
governed
Government gets its power from the people
Natural Rights
“they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

6. Arguments for independence
The rights of citizens are based on natural (God’s) law and no government
can take it away
If government violates
natural law the people
have the right to
abolish (change) it
The colonists had agreed
to be governed by the
king as long as he protected them

7. More arguments for independence
The colonists did NOT have an agreement with Parliament so they could not tax them
The king violated their agreement and their rights so the colonists no longer had to be governed by him

8. Complaints against the King
Trying to destroy colonial legislatures
2. Refusing to give power to courts
in the colonies
3. Requiring “quartering” (housing)
of British soldiers in colonists’ homes
4. Imposing taxes without consent (permission)
5. Cutting off trade between the colonies and the rest of the world
6. Denying colonists the right to trial by jury

9. 2nd Continental Congress Conclusions
The colonies are “free and independent states”
They are absolved [free] from all allegiance [loyalty] to the British Crown
The colonies have full power to
Levy war
Conclude peace
Contract (make) alliances
Establish commerce (business)
Do anything that independent nations may do

10. Enlightenment ideas in the Revolution
John Locke
All people are born with the natural rights of life, liberty, and property
Thomas Hobbes
all political power must be representative and based on the will of the people
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Government is based on a social contract between the people who agree to be governed
If government fails to protect the people it should be overthrown

11. Colonial Views on Independence
People who were loyal to the king
were called Loyalists or Tories
They were often wealthy or large landowners
They did not think separating from the British was the answer to the high taxes and limits on freedom
People who wanted independence
were called Patriots