Issues Behind the Revolution WS due: Turn it in now.
Remember, if you want to improve your grade you must turn in all assignments.
Do now: Go to the following website http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/
Go to the Charters of Freedom link:
Go to the Declaration of Independence link:
Follow the Our National Treasure link (towards the bottom of the page)
Go to the Sign the Declaration of Independence:
Follow the directions to sign the document, send it to me via email.
Due in 15 minutes
Over the late spring and early summer of 1776 the American delegates of the 2nd Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to hammer out their reponse to the British.
New arrivals to this meeting included Benjamin Franklin of Pensylvania, John Hancock of Massachusetts and Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.
Realizing that Great Britain would not compromise the delegates assigned the task of creating the declaration to Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson was a brilliant man who believed strongly in the ideas of the Enlightenment. These ideas stressed the ideas of science and reason.
Chief amongst these ideas were those of John Locke who believed that the governed had to give permission to their governors for them to rule.
As Jefferson began to write the declaration he broke it into four parts, the preamble or introduction, a declaration of rights, a list of complaints against the king, and a resolution of independence.
The preamble was the introduction of the purpose of the declaration while the declaration of rights portion outlined the natural rights that he and other Enlightenment thinkers beleived that all men enjoyed.
The third part of the declaration was the list of complaints that the colonist had with the king. Here Jefferson outlines that the rule of law must reign not the rule of whims, where a monarch could arbitrarily punish anyone they so chose in any manner they chose.
The fourth and final part of the declaration declared the United States as seperate and free nation.
Throughout the document there phrases such as "all men are created equal" however the rights of women or slaves is never mentioned.
However Abigail Adams the wife of the future president John Adams did bring forth the idea of rights for women and the issue of slavery. She did so in a series of letters that she wrote to her husband.
In spite of this, John Adams failed to mention these issues because the unity of the colonies was more inportant than the slavery or women's rights issue.
Those issues would have to be addressed at a latter time.
Complete question 1-5 and 7 on page 122.
Test next week, start preparing now.
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