Cross-Curricular Reading Comprehension Worksheets: C-35 of 36
Name:__________________________________
An
Independent Nation
Cross-Curricular Focus: History/Social Sciences
The United States used to be a group of colonies that
belonged to England. Until 1763, England had interfered in the
business of the colonists very little. However, England had a lot
of war debt that needed to be paid, and some of it was because
England was defending the colonies. Pressure from citizens living
in England to lower taxes there made the king decide to take
more control over the colonies and make them pay off the debts.
After many years of being left to make their own decisions, some
colonists did not want to pay high taxes, or follow rules that
didn’t make sense to them, especially since colonists did not have
an opportunity to participate in government decisions in England.
The colonists were divided: some, the Loyalists, wanted to
stay loyal to England, and others, the Patriots, felt that it was
time for America to be established as an independent nation.
The Patriots decided that it was time to make an official
declaration, or statement, of independence by sending a letter
to the king. Fighting had already begun when Thomas Jefferson
wrote the group’s ideas into a letter to King George III,
explaining why the colonists believed they no longer had to listen
to his authority. The men who signed the declaration risked their
lives, but they believed in America enough to sign anyway.
After the American Revolution was over, the job of uniting
thirteen separate colonies into one nation had to be done. It was
a difficult process with lots of compromises. Finally, another
document called the Constitution was written to describe the
rights and responsibilities of our new government and its people.
Answer the following questions based on the
reading passage. Don’t forget to go back to the
passage whenever necessary to find or confirm
your answers.
1) What country did the American colonies
belong to when they were first established?
____________________________________
2) Why did King George III decided to take
more control over the colonies than he had
before? ______________________________
____________________________________
3) Did all the colonists think that it was time
to be independent from England? Explain.
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
4) Do you think you would have been willing
to risk death by signing the declaration of
independence? Why, or why not? ________
____________________________________
____________________________________
5) What are some rights and responsibilities
you think citizens should have? __________
____________________________________
____________________________________
Copyright ©2011 K12Reader - http://www.k12reader.com