US History
Fort Burrows
6.2 –The Colonies Declare Independence
Main Idea:
July 4th, 1776 the colonies declared Independence from Britain.
Common Sense – an essay published in 1776 by Thomas Paine that urged the
colonies to declare independence
radical – person who wants to make drastic changes in society
traitor – person who betrays his or her country
Declaration of Independence – 1776 document stating that the 13 English colonies were a
free and independent nation
preamble – introduction to a declaration, constitution, or other official document
natural rights – rights that belong to all people from birth
unalienable rights – rights that cannot be taken away without due process
allegiance – the loyalty owed by a subject to a monarch or a citizen to a government
impoverish – to make poor
ruffian – bully
resolution – a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted on by an official body or assembly
redress – to remove the cause of grievance or compliant
preamble – introduction to a declaration or constitution
Setting the Scene:
Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia looked down at the manuscript in his hand. A line referring to King George as the ‘royal brute of Great Britain’ seemed to leap off the page. Apparently, that was only the beginning! Would any printer dare to publish such a document?
Rush had asked his friend, a British immigrant to North America, Thomas Paine, to write an essay urging the colonies to declare independence. He was knownas a revolutionary writer and philosopher. By winter of 1775, the Patriots had been fighting Britain for months. Yet, many colonists were still reluctant to cut their ties with Britain. In a fiery pamphlet, Paine told these colonists that it was time to make the break. He called the pamphlet Common Sense.
When Common Sense appeared in January 1776, curious readers snatched up copies. In six months, more than 500,000 were sold. “Common Sense is working a powerful change in the minds of men,” George Washington observed.
Paine also wrote a series of essays titled Crisis.Urged on by Paine and other radicals, the colonists were beginning to think the unthinkable. They were thinking of creating a nation of their own.
Common Sense
“ In England a King hath little more to do than to make war and give away jobs; which in plain terms, is to impoverish the nation…Of more worth is one honest man to society and in the sight of GOD, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived.” Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776
Paine set out to change the colonists’ attitude – they did not owe loyalty to King George III or Britain
British helped the colonists only for their own profit
“Everything that is right and reasonable pleads for separation,” “Tis time to part”
¿¿ How did Thomas Paine’s Common Sense pamphlet influence colonial opinion ? ______
______.
Congress Votes for Independence
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense sold many colonists on the idea of independence
Richard Henry Lee wrote to Washington, “I am now convinced….of the necessity for separation”
“ Resolved, That these United Colonies are and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved”
Richard Henry Lee, Resolution at the Second Continental Congress, June 7, 1776
Making the Break
Delegates faced a difficult decision – there would be no turning back once they declared their independence
They would be hanged as traitors if they fell into British hands
Congress took the fateful step and a committee drew up a formal declaration of independence (J. Adams, B. Franklin, T. Jefferson, etc)
Thomas Jefferson was asked to write the document due to his ability to write clearly and gracefully
“I long to hear that you have independence. And… in the new Code of Laws, which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands… If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.”
Abigail Adams, letter to John Adams, March 31, 1776
Signing the Document
Jefferson completed the declaration and it was read to Congress
On July 2, the Continental Congress voted that the 13 colonies were “free and independent States”
Delegates adopted the document on July 4, 1776 and ordered the Declaration of Independence to be printed
The president of the Continental Congress, John Hancock, signed it first
Copies were distributed throughout the colonies
Patriots greeted the news with joyous and rowdy celebrations
¿¿ What is the significance of July 4, 1776 ?
______.
The Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence consists of a preamble followed by 3 main parts: Natural Rights, British Wrongs and Independence
Natural Rights
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson, Preamble, 1776
People form governments in order to protect their natural rights/liberties
Governments can only exist if they have the “consent of the governed”
If a government fails to protect the rights of its citizens, then it is the people’s “right and duty to throw off such government, and provide new guards for their future security”
British Wrongs
Condemned King George III for disbanding colonial legislatures and sending troops to the colonies during peacetime
Complained about the limits on trade and taxes imposed without representation
Pointed out that the colonies had petitioned the king to correct the injustices yet they remained
“In every state of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress in the
most humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered only by
repeated injury. A prince whose character is thus marked by every act
which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
Thomas Jefferson, Declaration ‘List of Wrongs’, 1776
Independence
Declaration announces that the colonies are the United States of America
All political ties with Britain have been cut
As a free and independent nation, the US has the full power to “levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce….”
“And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other
our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
Signers of the Declaration of Independence ‘Solemn Pledge’, 1776
- How did Common Sense influence the colonists ? ______
______
- What steps did Congress take to declare independence ?______
______
- What are the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence ? ______
______
1 of 6.2 Printer Copy 2016