2/2/2016
Background
ANALYZING THE
DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
A History Alive Activity
Background
■ Not represented: African Americans, women, working classes, Loyalists or Native
Americans [in fact voting rights only applied to white male property owners, so about
1 in 4 could actually vote]
■ As the Congress met, there was much concern that the group remain unified in its
defiance toward British rule
– Hancock: “We must be unanimous; we must all hang together.”
– Franklin: “Yes, we must indeed hang together, or most assuredly we shall all
hang separately.”
■ Debate over:
– Republic vs. Monarchy
– Whether to attach the British slave trade [this was left out considering the
abundance of slavery in the South]
– Was it too soon to declare independence? [Washington was already training an
army]
■
48 delegates met in Philadelphia
to decided whether or not to
declare independence
■
Committee of Five [Adams,
Sherman, Livingston, Jefferson,
Franklin] present their draft of the
document to President of the
Continental Congress [Hancock]
■
Continental Congress was mostly
composed of well-educated white
men
– Livingston and Jefferson had
aristocratic backgrounds
– Adams was a lawyer
– Franklin was a respected
scientist and statesman
– Sherman was a selfeducated shoe cobbler and a
strict Puritan
Activity
■ You will work with a partner
■ You have a handout that has eight different quotes from the Declaration of
Independence
■ There are eight stacks of cards on the front table
■ You will take one card and, with your partner, decide which quote it best fits for
■ Once you’ve decided, bring your answer to McNulty
– If you are correct, you will go back to your partner and write the info on the
card onto your handout
– If you are incorrect, you will go back to your partner, come up with a different
answer and bring that back to McNulty
■ Once you’ve finished all eight, be prepared to discuss the analysis questions on the
back of the handout
Analysis Questions
1.
In general, why was the Declaration of Independence written?
2.
What basic rights does the document claim to have?
3.
According to the document, why do the colonists have the right to declare
independence?
4.
According to the colonists, how has the King responded to their grievances?
5.
How do you think the King and Parliament felt when they read this? What do you think
their response was?
6.
What risks did the colonists take by writing this?
7.
From whose point of view was the Declaration of Independence written?
8.
What colonial actions were omitted, or not mentioned, in the document? Why did the
colonists choose to omit some colonial actions in the document?
9.
What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence? Why is this document still
significant today?
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