Promises of the Declaration of Independence Review

The Causes and Promises of the Declaration of Independence

A GRIEVANCE is a formal or serious complaint about unfair treatment or a violation of rights.

What is a grievance?

Multiple Choice

What is a grievance?

• a statement that a situation is unsatisfactory or unacceptable.

• a formal or serious complaint about unfair treatment or a violation of rights.

Taxes without Representation

The King made the colonists pay taxes but didn’t let them have a say in how the money was collected or used.

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For imposing taxes on us without our consent

Multiple Choice

What does taxation without representation mean?

• It means you have to pay taxes that you agree with and have a say in.

• It means that you don't have to pay taxes.

• It means you have to pay taxes.

• It means you have to pay taxes that you may or may not agree with and have no say in.

Standing Armies

The King stationed soldiers in the colonies, even when there wasn’t a war.

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

Multiple Choice

What does the phrase "standing army" mean?

• It means the army was just hanging around, even though there was no war currently going on.

• It means the army was not sitting.

• It means that the army was coming.

• I means that the army was leaving.

Quartering Soldiers

The King forced colonists to let soldiers live in their homes, and they had to take care of them, clean up after them, and feed them.

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For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us

Multiple Choice

What was the MAIN reason that colonists hated quartering?

• They hated it because they didn't think they owed the British anything.

• They didn't hate it, they liked it.

• They hated it because it felt invasive and like a deliberate attempt to intimidate and control them.

• I don't know.

Trade Restrictions

The King made rules that stopped the colonies from trading freely with other countries, controlling what they could produce, buy, and sell.

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For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world

Multiple Choice

What are "trade restrictions"?

• Trade restrictions are taxes that you have to pay when you buy paper goods.

• Trade restrictions are taxes that you have to pay when you buy tea.

• Trade restrictions are rules the say what you can and cannot buy or sell and who you can or cannot buy from or sell to.

• Trade restrictions are rules that say you have to pay taxes.

No Representation in Government

The King refused to approve new laws that would help large groups of colonists unless they agreed to give up their right to choose representatives. This is something only a tyrant would do.

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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.

Representation is important.

In America, we believe that everyone has the right to representation. This means that you have the right to vote and that the people you vote for should be making laws and creating policies that reflect what you want them to do. We believe that everyone has the right to be heard. We believe that the government should work for the people.

Multiple Choice

What does "representation in government" mean?

• It means that the government does what it wants.

• It means that the government has to listen to some people.

• It means that the government is made up of people from that country.

• It means that the government has to listen to what its citizens want and act on that accordingly.

Open Ended

Why DO YOU THINK representation in government is important?

Taking Away Self-Government

When the colonists’ local governments disagreed with the King, he shut them down completely.

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

Self-Government is important.

Self-governance matters because it gives you freedom to make choices for yourself, it keeps you safe from unfair uses of power, and it teachers you how to take charge of your own life.

Multiple Choice

Why is self-governance important?

• Because you have the right to have a voice in decisions that impact you.

• Because that's just how it is.

• Because people don't like kings or queens anymore.

• Because you that the right to make all decisions for yourself.

The Declaration of Independence was a reaction to these causes.

The Promises of the Declaration of Independence

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote that every person has certain natural rights. Natural rights are rights that come just from being human. Let’s explore what that means.

The Promises of the Declaration of Independence

These ideas weren’t new. Jefferson borrowed them from John Locke, a philosopher from England. Locke talked about life, liberty, and property.

Jefferson changed ‘property’ to ‘pursuit of happiness’ because he wanted it to sound broader, more about freedom and opportunity, not just owning things.

The Promise of Natural Rights

You have the right to live and be safe from harm. The government should not take your life or put you in danger without a justifiable reason to do so.

Life

You have the right to make your own choices, like where you live, how or if you worship, who or if you marry, and what kind of job you have.

Liberty

You have the right to try to build a good life for yourself. You have the right to chase what brings you joy or purpose, as long as you're not hurting others. You're allowed to build the kind of life you want to have.

Pursuit of Happiness

Multiple Choice

Which of these are NOT a natural right promised in the Declaration of Independence?

• Life

• Liberty

• Property

• Pursuit of Happiness

Open Ended

Which natural right — life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness — do you think feels most at risk in the world today? Why?

The Promise of Equality

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…

Thomas Jefferson wrote this in 1776. It was not a statement of fact, but a statement of intent. A statement of hope. I promise for the America yet-to-be. In America in 1776, only white men who owned property had any real rights or power. Brown and Black people, white women, and white men without property had significantly less rights.

Open Ended

What does "equality" mean to you? Do we have it here in the United States?

The Promise of Popular Sovereignty

leaders only have power if the people agree to let them lead

CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED

That’s the core of popular sovereignty. It means the power of the government comes from the people, and if the government stops serving the people, they have the right to change it or get rid of it.

Think of it like this: the government is supposed to be the people’s employee, not their boss. If the employee isn’t doing the job, they can be fired.

Multiple Choice

According to the idea of "popular sovereignty," who is supposed to have the TRUE power in America?

• The People

• The President

• The Military

• Billionaires

TIME FOR REVIEW!

Multiple Choice

What is a grievance?

• a statement that a situation is unsatisfactory or unacceptable.

• a formal or serious complaint about unfair treatment or a violation of rights.

Multiple Choice

What does taxation without representation mean?

• It means you have to pay taxes that you agree with and have a say in.

• It means that you don't have to pay taxes.

• It means you have to pay taxes.

• It means you have to pay taxes that you may or may not agree with and have no say in.

Multiple Choice

What does the phrase "standing army" mean?

• It means the army was just hanging around, even though there was no war currently going on.

• It means the army was not sitting.

• It means that the army was coming.

• I means that the army was leaving.

Multiple Choice

What was the MAIN reason that colonists hated quartering?

• They hated it because they didn't think they owed the British anything.

• They didn't hate it, they liked it.

• They hated it because it felt invasive and like a deliberate attempt to intimidate and control them.

• I don't know.

Multiple Choice

What are "trade restrictions"?

• Trade restrictions are taxes that you have to pay when you buy paper goods.

• Trade restrictions are taxes that you have to pay when you buy tea.

• Trade restrictions are rules the say what you can and cannot buy or sell and who you can or cannot buy from or sell to.

• Trade restrictions are rules that say you have to pay taxes.

Multiple Choice

What does "representation in government" mean?

• It means that the government does what it wants.

• It means that the government has to listen to some people.

• It means that the government is made up of people from that country.

• It means that the government has to listen to what its citizens want and act on that accordingly.

Multiple Choice

Why is self-governance important?

• Because you have the right to have a voice in decisions that impact you.

• Because that's just how it is.

• Because people don't like kings or queens anymore.

• Because you that the right to make all decisions for yourself.

Multiple Choice

Which of these are NOT a natural right promised in the Declaration of Independence?

• Life

• Liberty

• Property

• Pursuit of Happiness

Open Ended

Define "equality" IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

Multiple Choice

According to the idea of "popular sovereignty," who is supposed to have the TRUE power in America?

• The People

• The President

• The Military

• Billionaires