Objective: To examine the importance of Common Sense, and
the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Common Sense (1776)
- Common Sense was a
pamphlet written by Thomas
Paine that helped convince
thousands of colonists to
support independence from
Great Britain.
Video:
Thomas
Paine and
Common
Sense
(4:48)
Thomas
Paine
Declaration of
Independence
- In June of 1776, the
Continental Congress
agreed that a
Declaration of
Independence needed
to be written.
Liberty`s Kids: "The
First Fourth of July"
10:51 (1/2)
- On July 4, 1776, the delegates accepted the Declaration of
Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson.
John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence”, 1817
Declaration of Independence – 3 Main Parts
1 – All people have equal 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.”
2 – Great Britain had treated the colonists wrongfully.
3 – The colonies were now an independent country
known as the United States of America.
Declaration of Independence (3:49)
Independence Hall in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Site of
the 1776 signing of
the United States
Declaration of
Independence.
Reading of the
Declaration of
Independence from the
East balcony of the Old
State House, Boston,
Massachusetts July 18,
1776.
Pulling Down the Statue of King George III. A depiction of the Sons of
Liberty destroying the statue after the Declaration was read by George
Washington to citizens and his troops in New York City on July 9, 1776.
1890's caricature of Americans kicking out the British. Uncle Sam
looks on as a youthful George Washington kicks John Bull across the
water, out of the United States and back to England.
Memorial,
Washington,
Liberty`sJefferson
Kids: "The
First Fourth
of July"D.C.
10:51 (2/2)
"Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate
than that these people are to be free…
…Nor is it less certain that the two races, equally free,
cannot live in the same government. Nature, habit,
opinion has drawn indelible lines of distinction between
them." - Thomas Jefferson