Overview

In this lesson, students will explore the structure, purpose, and significance of the Declaration of Independence. Focusing on the most famous phrases of the Declaration from the Introduction and the Conclusion, students will analyze the concepts of inalienable rights and government by consent. Finally, students will begin to understand the philosophical foundations of America’s constitutional government.

The object of the Declaration of Independence…[was] not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. … it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion.–Thomas Jefferson, 1825

On the distinctive principles of the Government ...of the United States, the best guides are to be found in...the Declaration of Independence, as the fundamental Act of Union of these States.–James Madison, 1825

Objectives

Students will:

• Examine the famous phrases of the Declaration of Independence.

• Understand the purpose and structure of the Declaration of Independence.

• Analyze the concept of inalienable rights.

• Analyze the concept of the social compact and government by consent.

• Appreciate the American ideals of liberty and government by consent.

Standards

CCE (5-8): IA2, IB1, IIA1, IIC1, IID1CCE (9-12): IA2-3, IIB1, IIA1, IID1NCHS (5-12): Era 3, Standard 1BNCSS: Strands 2, 5, 6, and 10

LESSON ONE

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Critical Engagement Question

What does the Declaration of Independence reveal about

American ideals?

BEING AN AMERICAN

Background/Homework 10 minutes the day before

Cut out and distribute Handout A: Declaration Scavenger Hunt Slips. For homework, have students find out how the person, idea or item on their slip was/is related to the Declaration of Independence.

Warm-up 10 minutes

A. Have students share their responses to the Declaration Scavenger Hunt Slips as a large group.

B. Divide the class into pairs or trios. Distribute The Declaration of Independence (Appendix A) and Handout B: The Structure of the Declaration to each group. Assign each group one section of the Declaration to focus on; additionally, all groups should do the signature section. Note: You may wish to divide the Indictment section in half between the groups because of its length. Have students skim their sections of the Declaration and record the key ideas for their sections on the Handout. (See Answer Key for suggested responses.)

Lesson Plan 30 minutes

A. Put up an overhead of Handout B and ask students to share their responses. Once the chart is complete, ask students:

• What is the purpose of each section?• Why include a long list of grievances?• What was the reason for pointing out that the colonists had

tried to get the King to change the way he treated them? • Which do you believe is the most important section? Why?

B. Tell students you will now focus on some of the most famous phrases of the Declaration of Independence. Distribute and put up an overhead of Handout C: Key Excerpts.

C. Have students read the excerpt individually or in small groups, and ask them to underline what they believe are key terms and/or phrases. Then discuss the questions as a large group. (The Answer Key contains suggested responses.)

Materials• Handout A:

Declaration Scavenger Hunt Slips

• The Declaration of Independence (Appendix A)

• Handout B: The Structure of the Declaration

• Handout C: Key Excerpts

• Handout D: A Note on the Signers (optional)

TimeOne fifty-minute class period

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Wrap Up 10 minutes

Ask students to share their personal responses to the Declaration by discussing as a large group the following questions:

• As Americans, should we be proud of this document?• What does the Declaration tell the world about the United

States?• Are the ideals expressed in the Declaration outdated, or are

they still true today? • Do these ideals matter to you? If so, how and why?

Homework

A. Have students read Handout D: A Note on the Signers and answer the critical thinking questions.

B. Using Handout B as a guide, have students draw an illustration for each section of the Declaration of Independence. Illustrations should symbolically represent the section’s content and purpose.

C. Have students select a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Have them research the person’s biography and prepare that person’s resume to share with the class. Students can begin their research at: http://www.BillofRightsInstitute.org

TEACHER NOTES

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Extensions1. Have students work

in groups of three to investigate ways the Declaration of Independence has been embraced by later individuals throughout American history. How have leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others referenced the Declaration as they worked to expand the blessings of liberty? Groups should create a Declaration Timeline to highlight historical documents and events in which the Declaration played a part.

2. Have students use the style and substance of the Declaration to write their own “declaration of independence” from their parents.

BEING AN AMERICAN ©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE

HANDOUT A

DECLARATION SCAVENGER HUNT SLIPS

Thomas Jefferson

Natural Rights

The Lee Resolution

Common Sense

King George III

John Hancock

John Locke

George Mason

Revolutionary War

Government by Consent

Dunlap Broadsides

No Taxation Without Representation

The Committee of Five

Continental Congress

Spirit of ‘76

Treason

Charles Thomson

National Archives

Abraham Lincoln

Martin Luther King, Jr.

July 2, 1776

Sacred Honor

Engrossing

Social Compact

©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Section Title Contents

1 Introduction When, in the course of human events…

2 PreambleWe hold these truths to be self-evident…

3 IndictmentHe has refused…

4 Indictment (cont.)For quartering large bodies of troops…

5 Denunciation Nor have We been wanting…

6 ConclusionWe, therefore, the Representatives…

7 Signatures

Directions: The Declaration of Independence is made up of six sections. Skim over the Declaration with your group members. Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word. While you skim it, take note of what kinds of words, phrases and ideas are contained in each section.

HANDOUT B

THE STRUCTURE OF THE DECLARATION

BEING AN AMERICAN ©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE

Directions: The following paragraphs are from the Declaration of Independence. Read them carefully, and underline words or phrases you think are important. Think about the questions that follow.Note: Some spelling, spacing, and punctuation have been changed for clarity.

HANDOUT C

KEY EXCERPTS

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 [rights] are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

1. What do you think “unalienable rights” (or “inalienable rights”) means?According to the document:

2. Where do unalienable rights come from? 3. What is the purpose of government?4. From where does government get its power?5. Are the powers given to the government by the people limited or unlimited?6. When should government be changed?

7. How could the Continental Congress approve this document when so many of its members owned slaves?

8. Does the fact that many of these men owned slaves mean these ideas are wrong or less important?

Vocabulary

• Endowed: given or furnished

• Instituted: set up or established

• Deriving: receiving

• Abolish: put an end to

• Effect: bring about

©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Fifty-six individuals from each of the original 13 colonies participated in the Second Continental

Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. Pennsylvania sent nine delegates to the congress, followed by Virginia with seven and Massachusetts and New Jersey with five. Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and South Carolina each sent four delegates. Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, and North Carolina each sent three. Rhode Island, the smallest colony, sent only two delegates to Philadelphia.

Eight of the signers were immigrants, two were brothers, two were cousins, and one was an orphan. The average age of a signer was 45. The oldest delegate was Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, who was 70 when he signed the Declaration. The youngest was Thomas Lynch, Jr., of South Carolina, who was 27.

Eighteen of the signers were merchants or businessmen, fourteen were farmers, and four were doctors. Forty-two signers had served in their colonial legislatures. Twenty-two were lawyers—although William Hooper of North Carolina was “disbarred” when he spoke out against the Crown—and nine were judges. Stephen Hopkins had been Governor of Rhode Island. Although two others had been clergy previously, John Witherspoon of New Jersey was the only active clergyman to attend—he wore his pontificals to the sessions. Almost all were Protestant Christians; Charles Carroll of Maryland was the only

Roman Catholic signer. Seven of the signers were educated at Harvard, four each at Yale and William & Mary, and three at Princeton. John Witherspoon was the president of Princeton and George Wythe was a professor at William & Mary, where his students included the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.

Seventeen of the signers served in the military during the American Revolution. Thomas Nelson was a colonel in the Second Virginia Regiment and then commanded Virginia military forces at the Battle of Yorktown. William Whipple served with the New Hampshire militia and was one of the commanding officers in the decisive Saratoga campaign. Oliver Wolcott led the Connecticut regiments sent for the defense of New York and commanded a brigade of militia that took part in the defeat of General Burgoyne. Caesar Rodney was a Major General in the Delaware militia and John Hancock was the same in the Massachusetts militia. Five of the signers were captured by the British during the war. Captains Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, and Arthur Middleton (South Carolina) were all captured at the Battle of Charleston in 1780; Colonel George Walton was wounded and captured at the Battle of Savannah. Richard Stockton of New Jersey never recovered from his incarceration at the hands of British Loyalists and died in 1781.

“…We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

HANDOUT D

A NOTE ON THE SIGNERS

1. Who were the signers? What kinds of men signed the Declaration?

2. What happened to the signers as a result of their affirmation of the principles outlined in the Declaration?

3. Who made the greatest sacrifices for the principles embodied in the Declaration?

4. How do the sacrifices made by these men and their families demonstrate the importance of courage and integrity?

Comprehension and Critical Thinking Questions

Colonel Thomas McKean of Delaware wrote John Adams that he was “hunted like a fox by the enemy—compelled to remove my family five times in a few months, and at last fixed them in a little log house on the banks of the Susquehanna . . . and they were soon obliged to move again on account of the incursions of the Indians.” Abraham Clark of New Jersey had two of his sons captured by the British during the war. The son of John Witherspoon, a major in the New Jersey Brigade, was killed at the Battle of Germantown.

Eleven signers had their homes and property destroyed. Francis Lewis’s New York home was destroyed and his wife was taken prisoner. John Hart’s farm and mills were destroyed when the British invaded New Jersey and he died while fleeing capture. Carter Braxton and Thomas Nelson (both of Virginia) lent large sums of their personal fortunes to support the war effort, but were never repaid.

Fifteen of the signers participated in their states’ constitutional conventions, and six—Roger Sherman, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin, George Clymer, James Wilson, and George Reed—signed the United States Constitution. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts attended the federal convention and, though he later supported the document, refused to sign the Constitution.

After the Revolution, thirteen of the signers went on to become governors, and eighteen served

in their state legislatures. Sixteen became state and federal judges. Seven became members of the United States House of Representatives, and six became United States Senators. James Wilson and Samuel Chase became Justices of the United States Supreme

Court. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Elbridge Gerry each became Vice President, and John Adams and Thomas Jefferson became President. The sons of signers John Adams and Benjamin Harrison also became Presidents.

Five signers played major roles in the establishment of colleges and universities: Benjamin Franklin and the University of Pennsylvania;

Thomas Jefferson and the University of Virginia; Benjamin Rush and Dickinson College; Lewis Morris and New York University; and George Walton and the University of Georgia.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Charles Carroll were the longest surviving signers. Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Charles Carroll of Maryland was the last signer to die—in 1832 at the age of 95.

Matthew Spalding, Ph.D. is the Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Reprinted with permission of the author.

[Colonel Thomas McKean of Delaware]

was “hunted like a fox by the enemy—compelled

to remove my family five times in a few months…”

©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE BEING AN AMERICAN

APPENDIX A

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen

united States of America,When in the Course of human events, it becomes

necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

BEING AN AMERICAN ©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of

Trial by Jury:For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for

pretended offencesFor abolishing the free System of English Laws

in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage 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.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, 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; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. 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.

[The 56 signatures on the Declaration]

©THE BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE BEING AN AMERICAN

GeorgiaButton Gwinnett Lyman Hall George Walton

North CarolinaJoseph Hewes William Hooper John Penn

South CarolinaThomas Heyward, Jr. Thomas Lynch, Jr. Arthur MiddletonEdward Rutledge

MarylandCharles Carroll of CarrolltonSamuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone

VirginiaCarter BraxtonBenjamin Harrison Francis Lightfoot LeeRichard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Thomas Nelson, Jr. George Wythe

PennsylvaniaGeorge Clymer Benjamin Franklin Robert Morris John Morton George RossBenjamin Rush James Smith George Taylor James Wilson

DelawareThomas McKeanGeorge ReadCaesar Rodney

New YorkWilliam Floyd Francis Lewis Philip Livingston Lewis Morris

New JerseyAbraham ClarkJohn Hart Francis Hopkinson Richard Stockton John Witherspoon

New HampshireJosiah Bartlett Matthew ThorntonWilliam Whipple

MassachusettsSamuel Adams John Adams Elbridge GerryJohn Hancock Robert Treat Paine

Rhode IslandWilliam ElleryStephen Hopkins

ConnecticutSamuel Huntington Roger Sherman William Williams Oliver Wolcott

The Declaration of Independence

Handout B: Structure of the Declaration1. Introduction—Contents: We care about what the

rest of the world thinks about us, so we’re going to explain why we are declaring independence from England; Purpose: To explain why the Declaration is being issued.

2. Preamble—Contents: People are all born with certain rights that cannot justly be taken away. All human beings have inalienable rights, because “all men are created equal” and there are no natural rulers among men. When government repeatedly fails to protect these rights, people have the right and duty to end that government and make a new one; Purpose: To explain the Founders’ theory of just government whose key purpose it is to protect the rights of individuals.

3. Indictment—Contents: King George III has violated the colonists’ rights in these ways; Purpose: To explain why the colonists believed that a “long train of abuses” has occurred, justifying their revolution.

4. Denunciation—Contents: The colonists have been let down by their “British bretheren”—the people of England—who have stood by and permitted the government to be oppressive. Further, the colonists have tried many times to reconcile with England, but it has not worked. Purpose: To justify independence as a necessary last resort.

5. Conclusion—Contents: The colonies are and should be independent states, no longer part of England. They can do all things free states do. The Declaration announces the formation of a new social compact and hence a people. This is why we celebrate the birthday of America on the day and year in which the Declaration was issued. Purpose: To state before the world that the 13 colonies were a new, united people, independent of England.

6. Signatures—Contents: Fifty-six people signed their name according to their states; Purpose: To demonstrate that individuals were taking responsibility for the content of the Declaration.

Handout C: Key Excerpts1. Inalienable rights comes from God or from

Nature, and everyone is born with them. Because they are “inalienable,” they cannot be taken away with consent.

2. According to the document: rights come from the Creator.

3. The purpose of government is to secure inalienable rights, and to protect the happiness and safety of the people.

4. Government gets its power through the consent of the governed

5. The powers are limited. The people, all of whom are born with an equality of rights, delegate limited powers to government to ensure protection of those rights. This is a key part of the social contract.

6. Government should be changed when it damages, rather than protects, peoples’ rights.

7. Many members of the Continental Congress believed slavery to be a great injustice. Even some of those who owned slaves feared African Americans if there for immediate emancipation.

8. The fact that many of them owned slaves does not make the ideals wrong or less important. The Declaration’s ideals were championed by abolitionists and gave life to the fight to end of slavery.

The Constitution

Handout A: Why Do We Have a National Government?Answers may include (but are not limited to) the following: protect citizens’ rights, make laws, punish criminals, build roads, keep a food supply safe, print money, unite the country, improve the country, deal with concerns or issues of the entire country (not just those of individual states), defend the country.

ANSWER KEY