1. Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence

2. Main Idea?
“…He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither.  This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain.  Determined to keep open a market where Men should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain this execrable commerce.  And that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people on whom he has obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed again the Liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another…”

3. First Continental Congress
12 colonies represented and met in Philadelphia September 1774
Passed Declaration of Rights and Grievances condemning the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
Congress vowed to cut off colonial exports to Britain
British denounced congress as illegal assembly
April 19, 1775-”Shot Heard Around the World”-Lexington/Concord, Massachusetts

4. What was the Enlightenment?
Enlightenment or Age of Reason was a cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe and the American colonies.
Purpose was to reform society using reason (rather than tradition, faith and revelation) and advance knowledge through science.
characterized by revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics
the process thinking for oneself, to rely on one's own intellectual capacities in determining what to believe and how to act.
This enlightened process was to lead to a better, more fulfilled human existence.

5. John Locke English philosopher (1632-1704)
Believed that sovereignty resides in the people
Believed that people have certain natural rights - rights that belong to every human being from birth
challenged the idea of divine right - belief that monarchs get their authority to rule from God
His reasoning of a social contract between the government and its people : if the government doesn’t protect the rights of the people, then the people have a right to overthrow the government

6. Divine Right vs. Natural Rights
Where does the right to govern come from?
From God to the Ruler
From God to the People
Where do people’s rights come from?
From the Ruler
From the People
What happens if a government violates people’s rights?
People must obey ruler
People can change their govt.

7. Halifax Resolves
In April 1776 the fourth Provincial Congress decided that all of North Carolina must declare independence from England
The Halifax Resolves of April 12, 1776 authorized the delegates in Philadelphia to join other colonies in seeking independence
North Carolina became first colony to have all of its delegates endorse independence
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, and John Penn signed the Declaration of Independence
Hooper=originally from Boston, studied theology at Harvard, father wanted him to be a minister but he insisted on the law; was an apprentice to James Otis in Boston; moved to Wilmington, N.C. to practice law; helped settle Fayetteville; member of the committee of correspondence; father was a Loyalist, he became a Federalist after the Revolution
Hewes=originally from New Jersey; family were Quakers; received a classical education at Princeton; became a Philadelphia merchant after being an apprentice; moved to Edenton; committee of correspondence;
Penn=from VA; moved to Granville County, NC to practice law;

8. NC Signers of the Declaration
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn

9. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Published on January 10, 1776 in Philadelphia
Sold up to 150,000 copies in American and England
Written by an Englishman who had only been in American for 15 months
Expressed America’s pent up rage against the mother country in “fighting” words
His common language helped convince common folk to rise up against British tyranny

10. Thomas Paine Argued…
It was absurd for an island (England) to rule a continent (America).
America was not a "British nation"; it was composed of influences and peoples from all of Europe.
The distance between the two nations made governing the colonies from England tough.
Britain ruled the colonies for its own benefit, and did not consider the best interests of the colonists in governing them.

11. Point of View Bell Ringer
For each point of view, write a main idea statement that summarizes the historical perspective demonstrated.
For each statement write down one bit of historical evidence that could be used to defend that point of view. State how and why it could be used to justify the point of view.

12. 2nd Continental Congress
Began meeting in May 1775 in Philadelphia
Soon afterward there were attacks at Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill in Boston
Continental Army was created with George Washington at the command
Loyalists Passed the Olive Branch Petition expressing loyalty to King George III
Patriots passed Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms

14. Thomas Jefferson at the Second Continental Congress
33 years old
Committee man
Spoke softly
May 1776, he wanted to return to Virginia

15. Historian Gordon Wood on Thomas Jefferson
“No American could stand up to his knowledge”
“For him, there could be no power independent of the people, in whom he had an absolute faith”
“He foresaw that eventually the whole world would follow the American lead”

16. Committee of Five Benjamin Franklin John Adams Robert R. Livingston
Roger Sherman
Thomas Jefferson

17. John Adams on why Jefferson should write the Declaration of Independence
“You are a Virginian, and a Virginian should be at the head of this business”
“I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise”
“You can write ten times better than I can”

18. Declaration of Independence
What does the Declaration of Independence say?
What could it have said, but did not?
Who was the audience?

19. What does it say? Introduction The List of Grievances
Why the document was written & The Declaration of Natural Rights
Unalienable rights (can’t be taken away)
Social Contract Theory
The List of Grievances
To a “Candid World”
Complaints against the British King and government
Conclusion: The Resolution of Independence
“Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor”
Claims that the colonists are free and independent

20. What could it have said?
“…He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither.  This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain.  Determined to keep open a market where Men should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain this execrable commerce.  And that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people on whom he has obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed again the Liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another…”

21. What could it have said?
Jefferson detested that his draft of the declaration was edited
25% of the Declaration’s original language was removed
86 changes were made by one person or another, including Jefferson

22. Who was the audience? The King Parliament British people
France and “a candid world”
Colonists
Themselves

23. Misconceptions
Congress declared independence on the 2nd of July, not the 4th
Most members signed the engrossed parchment on the 2nd of August
All the signers of the Declaration never met together in the same room at one time

24. John Trumbell Declaration of Independence

25. Douglas Wilson, “Thomas Jefferson and the Meaning of Liberty”
How could the man who wrote that “all men are created equal" own slaves? VS
How did a man who was born into a slaveholding society, whose family and admired friends owned slaves, who inherited a fortune that was dependent on slaves and slave labor, decide at an early age that slavery was morally wrong and forcefully declare that it ought to be abolished?

26. Douglas Wilson, “Thomas Jefferson and the Meaning of Liberty”
"Presentism" is the term that historians use for applying contemporary or 'otherwise inappropriate standards, to the past.
The term sights a problem that currently plagues American discussions of anything and everything concerning the past: the widespread inability to make appropriate allowances for prevailing historical conditions

27. Ken Burns, Thomas Jefferson
Use your graphic organizer to contextualize Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence
Find 2-3 additional examples for each category

28. What does it say?
Analyze the Declaration of Independence using the Graphic Organizer given to you yesterday
Be prepared to share out in our discussion
Civics classwork grade

29. Battles of the Revolution
Google Classroom
In your accountability team, research the pivotal battles of the American Revolution using the Graphic Organizer provided
You may have one document per group
Map Handout
Use the directions provided to label the American Revolution Map
Individual assignment