1. Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary War

2.  Read section 12.1, page161.  You will learn about events that led to the approving of the Declaration of Independence.  Look at the picture at the bottom of page 161.  This is Thomas Jefferson’s desk. He was the one who wrote the Declaration of Independence.

3.  What do you see?  What do people use a desk for?  What objects do you see on the desk?  What might be the purpose of these objects?  Which items are the tools Jefferson wrote with?

4.  What does the seal on the envelope look like?  What do you think the invitation might be for?  Why might Jefferson have a booklet called Common Sense on his desk?  The drawing represents the author (Jefferson) of the Declaration, and there are clues in this drawing that indicate some factors that influenced Jefferson’s writing of this famous document.

6. What interesting details do you see? Who do you think these men might be? What do you think they are doing?

7.  In this chapter you will learn about the Declaration of Independence and the events that led to its writing and approval.  On the sheet of Thomas Jefferson’s desk:  You will complete the missing parts of the items by reading through each section posted.  Let’s do section 12.2 - Second Continental Congress together.  Be ready to share your findings.

11. Possible answers: