Declaration of Independence

A number of colonists opposed independence. These

people were called Loyalists.

Loyalists belonged to different backgrounds and had

different reasons for being a loyalist.

Some Loyalists made their decision for economic

reasons.

Some chose the British side for political reasons.

Others followed religious or personal values.

But all Loyalists agreed on one thing: the need to

stay faithful to the king and to Great Britain.

Coming to a Decision

No colony had ever broken away from a mother

country.

Giving up a place in the world’s greatest empire and
all the advantages of being part of it—was that really

a smart idea?

On the other hand, Patriots argued, shouldn’t the

colonists defend their rights and liberties?

It was a very tough decision.

Coming to a Decision

The decision became easier after Thomas Paine

wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense.

Paine had a great and rare skill.

He could write about important ideas in everyday

language.

If you could read at all, you could understand

Common Sense.

Paine’s pamphlet was read throughout the colonies.

People talked about it in their homes, on street

corners, and in taverns and inns.

Coming to a Decision

A lot of what Paine wrote was, in fact, plain common

sense.

He got readers to think about his ideas not just by

telling them what he thought but also by asking what

they thought.

Did it make any sense for America to be ruled by a

small nation three thousand miles away?

Did it make sense for people to be ruled by a king, just

because he was born into a certain family?

Wouldn’t it be better if the colonists chose their own

rulers?

Coming to a Decision

Paine said that it was common sense for Americans
to be independent and create a government of their

own.

Americans didn’t need a king and they could live in a

land where “the law is king.”

The more they thought about it, the more Americans

agreed.

They had plenty of experience in choosing their own

leaders and ruling themselves.

Perhaps it really was time, then, to separate and go

their own way.

Coming to a Decision

In June 1776, the Second Continental Congress took up

the question of independence.

Congress agreed that the time had come to separate

from Great Britain.

The Congress chose a committee to write a

declaration, or statement.

The purpose of the declaration was to explain why

the colonies were breaking away from Great

Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

The committee chosen to write the declaration

included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas

Jefferson.

Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were
probably the two most famous Americans alive.

John Adams was one of the first leaders to speak out

in favor of independence.

Thomas Jefferson, however, was known as a fine

writer.

Benjamin Franklin and John Adams chose Thomas

Jefferson to write the declaration.

The Declaration of Independence

What Jefferson produced became the most famous

document not only in American history, but also in the

history of the entire world.

Jefferson wanted the world to know all the bad

things this king had done and all the rights he had

taken away.

So he listed each of them.

He also explained why the king’s actions made it right

for the colonists to break away from Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

Jefferson also stated, “That to secure these rights,

governments are instituted [created] . . .”

In other words, the reason we have governments is

to protect our rights.

What if a government doesn’t protect those rights?

What if it takes them away?

Then, said Jefferson, people have the right to create

new governments for themselves.

That’s what the people of the thirteen colonies were

now doing.

The Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 1776, Congress adopted this Declaration of

Independence.

On that day the American colonies became

independent states.

Together, they made up the United States of America.

Today, Americans celebrate July 4th as their

Independence Day.

The Declaration of Independence

During the next month, in towns and cities across the

states, crowds gathered to hear the Declaration of

Independence read aloud.

Everywhere in the new United States of America,

church bells rang out.

Soldiers fired cannons and shot off guns.
Citizens lit great bonfires in celebration.

The Declaration of Independence

Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, the delegates to the

Second Continental Congress were more serious.

The fifty-six men who signed the Declaration knew

that if their revolution failed, the king would

probably put them to death.

Benjamin Franklin explained the need for all of the
new states to work together. “Gentlemen,” he said,

“we must all hang together, [or] else we shall all hang

separately

The Declaration of Independence

Multiple Choice

Which group of colonists opposed independence?

• The Loyalists

• The Patriots

Multiple Choice

Who wrote the document Common Sense?

• Thomas Jefferson

• John Adams

• Thomas Paine

• Patrick Henry

Multiple Choice

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

• Thomas Jefferson

• John Adams

• Thomas Paine

• Patrick Henry