U.S. History, 1.8, The Buildup to Independence & The Declaration of Independence

​Materials Needed:

• ​Pen/Pencil/Paper

• ​2.3.1 & 2.4.1 Study Guides

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Dear K.G.

I’m not sure how to start this letter but I feel we need to talk. I've been thinking about us a lot lately. Things used to be so great - it was like we were M.F.E.O. I mean everyone said it was perfect. I thought we would be together forever but then things changed. A relationship should be give-and-take, but recently you’ve just seemed to take. I mean, you do whatever you want and you don’t ask me about my own feelings. I don’t think you ever took into consideration my feelings when you make decisions for us. Some of the things that I would like to point out specifically that have upset me in the past few months include: you always choosing which restaurants we go eat at, you always making me feel like I have to hang out with your family, and you making me feel like I’m always inferior to you. I have tried to make this work, giving you too many opportunities to change your ways. And yes, it is true that you have fixed some of our problems, but overall, you just seem to focus on changing the little stuff. You haven’t made any attempts to work on some big personality issues. I've been thinking about this for a while and while I don’t want to hurt you, I think it’s time that we ended this. I mean it's just not going to work. I need some time by myself to see what it is like on my own. You were always making me do things YOU wanted to do and never let me have my own voice. I'm sorry things didn't work out but I gave you time to change and you didn’t. YOU are the one to blame for this. Sorry but "US" is over.

Signed, A.C.

A Brief History of the Declaration of Independence… In June 1776, a group of wealthy colonists met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss the problems being caused by the tyrannical British government. This meeting of the Second Continental Congress was considered illegal under British law. Amongst its members were some of the most famous Americans in history including Ben Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson.

The group debated whether or not to launch a full scale war against the British. While they could not agree on that issue, they did agree on drafting a “declaration of independence”.

Jefferson was chosen as the man who would write the declaration. He spent two weeks working on the letter which would be addressed to British King George III. He was heavily inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that originated in Europe in the 1600s.

The Enlightenment suggested that men were born with rights, regardless of where they lived or what their government believed. Enlightenment thinkers believed that government should be controlled by the people. Jefferson presented the final draft of his declaration to the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. The body debated changing various aspects of the letter. On July 4th, 1776 the representatives voted to adopt the letter and the Declaration of Independence became one of the most important documents in American history.

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​Play the Kahoot! that follows on the next slide to find out how well you know The Declaration of Independence!

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Here is the Game Pin you will need to participate and compete against classmates:

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-​Be sure to use your actual name when playing the Kahoot!

-Be sure to record your score when done!

​Please send any questions you have about this assignment to me!

​​Please send any questions you have about this assignment to me!

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