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

SchoolHouse Rock - No More Kings

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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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Open Ended

Currently how many overdue assignments do you have in American History?

Open Ended

What is your plan to fix this?!!!

Poll

How do you feel about the lesson objectives?

Describe the effects of the French and Indian War on the British colonies in North America.

Explain the actions American colonists took to resist the British before declaring independence.

Describe how the British government responded to resistance by American colonists.

• I don’t understand

• I am getting there

• I am getting good

• I could teach this

Poll

How do you feel about the lesson objectives?

Describe the historical context of the Declaration of Independence.

Explain how Enlightenment ideas influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Describe the structure and content of the Declaration of Independence.

• I don’t understand

• I am getting there

• I am getting good

• I could teach this

Review the Key Terms from 2.3.1 Study Guide:

Review the Key Terms from 2.3.1 Study Guide:

Review the Key Terms from 2.3.1 Study Guide:

Review the Key Terms from 2.4.1 Study Guide:

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.

Open Ended

What is the current state of the relationship between “AC” and “KG”?

Open Ended

What complaints does “AC” have against “KG”?

Open Ended

What is going to happen between these two people in the future?

Open Ended

Who is AC?

Open Ended

Who is KG?

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.

A Closer Look at Declaration… The Declaration of Independence is broken down into 5 sections, and then signatures.

1. Preamble

2. Statement of Beliefs

3. List of Complaints

4. Prior attempts at redress

5. Declaration of Independence

6. Signatures

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Go back to the Break-Up Letter from AC/KG. It was written in the same format as the Declaration of Independence. Try to label each section of the letter with a corresponding label from the Declaration.

Multiple Choice

The ideas of natural rights, the social contract, and popular sovereignty are central to the Declaration of Independence. Once the colonies won their independence, American leaders would use these same principles to build the government of the new United States.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

All people must be allowed to live and be free.

• Natural rights

• Social contract

• Popular sovereignty

Multiple Choice

An agreement exists between people in a country and their government.

• Natural rights

• Social contract

• Popular sovereignty

Multiple Choice

Government gets its power from the people.

• Natural rights

• Social contract

• Popular sovereignty

​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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08593773​

 

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

 

-Be sure to record your score when done!

Kahoot!

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Open Ended

What was your final score?

Open Ended

Overall, how did you do? Did you score better or worse than you expected?

Review the 2.4.5 Discuss Requirements:

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

Review the 2.4.5 Discuss Requirements:

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

Reminders!

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_{​Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration}

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​Then & Now

Open Ended

How did the effects of the French and Indian War push the colonists closer to declaring independence?

Open Ended

Were the colonists justified in declaring independence?  Why or why not?