Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

America's Break Up Letter

Background

• Trouble had been brewing between the colonies and the British government since the 7 Years War (French and Indian War)

• British government put new taxes in place

• Reasoning: we paid to defend you, you can help pay to live here

Background

• Problem: Americans had been used to having a say through their representative governments in their colonies about decisions like taxes

• Repeated attempts to get representation had failed

• They decided to break up with King George III

• The War for Independence had been going on for a year at this point

Background

• The Continental Congress wants a formal declaration drawn up saying "Aight, Imma head out"

• They hire Thomas Jefferson to head a committee to draft this declaration

Purpose:

To entertain, to inform, to persuade/argue

Audience:

The person intended to receive the message

Message:

The point the author wants to get across

Multiple Choice

The audience for the Declaration of Independence was...

• Thomas Jefferson

• James Madison

• King George III

• King Louis XVI

Multiple Select

The message of the Declaration of Independence was... (check all that apply)

• to tell King George III why they were leaving

• to outline the freedoms people should be allowed to have

• to point out how the rights of the Americans, as British citizens had been violated

• To secede from the Union and start an independent nation in the South

• To depose the king and get a new one

Structure of the Declaration of Independence

Structure sets up the argument

Paragraph 1

• Tells when it is necessary to split from a political organization

• To explain the conditions that would lead to a separation in the first place

• To explain the main point

Paragraph 2

• What rights man and the government should have

• What men should be allowed to do when those commitments of the government are not made to the people they govern

Middle Section

• Outlines everything the King did wrong in the relationship

• Everything is basically line-itemed

• Like a break-up letter, the colonies are telling the king what he did wrong

Final Three Paragraphs

• Addresses how the colonies have tried to fix the situation

• Tells how the King refused to listen

• Gives the call to action: What are the colonies going to do now that their requests haven't been met?

Open Ended

What has been your opinion of the Declaration of Independence up until this point?