8.2 Declaring Independence (pt. 2)

pp. 217-219

Objectives:

1. Describe the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

A. Common Sense (p. 217)1. Both the king’s refusal to

honor the colonists’ protests and the continued fighting led more and more Americans to favor breaking ties with Great Britain.

2. In his widely-read pamphlet, called Common Sense, Thomas Paine criticized the king and the manner in which Britain exploited the colonies.

3. Paine called on colonists to use common sense and become independent of Great Britain.

B. Lee’s Resolution (pp. 217-218)1. On June 7, 1776, delegate

Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution to declare independence from Great Britain.

2. Despite the danger of being branded as traitors, a committee was formed to prepare a formal declaration of independence.

3. The delegates chose the best writer—Thomas Jefferson—to draft the final version of the document.

C. The Final Decision (p. 218)1. On July 2, 1776, the Second

Continental Congress adopted Lee’s Resolution.

2. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the delegates officially approved the Declaration of Independence.

3. One delegate, John Hancock, signed the document in large, bold letters so that King George could read his name “without spectacles.”

D. The Declaration of Independence (pp. 218-219)1. The first part, called the

preamble, is an introduction.2. The second part lists our “self-

evident” (obvious) rights, which included “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” It also states that when a government fails to protect our rights, it should be overthrown.

3. The third part lists the colonists’ specific complaints against the king and the British government.

4. The fourth section formally declares the independence of the new nation—the United States of America.

Declaration ofIndependence

E. Declaration of Independence [Brace Map]

Preamble—Intro.

List of basic rights

List of specific complaintsagainst Britain

Formal Declaration of Independence

Life

Liberty

Pursuit ofHappiness

If only Microsoft Word had been around when our founders wrote the Declaration

F. Loyalists and Patriots (p. 219)1. The Loyalists supported

ties with Great Britain and represented about one third of the population.

2. On the other side were Patriots, who favored separation from Great Britain (also about a third of the population).

3. The other third of the population took neither side, content to wait and see what happened.

Review:

1. What was the basic message of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense?

2. Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

3. When was the Declaration officially approved?

4. Who were the Loyalists? Patriots?