Patriots and Loyalists - At the beginning of 1776 most colonists were not patriots or loyalists. Most were conflicted and didn’t know what course of action they should take.
Common Sense - Written by Thomas Paine in 1776
- 50 page pamphlet giving reasons why the colonies should be independent from Britain.
- Sold 500,000 copies in six months.
- Ridiculed rule by kings.
- Persuaded many Americans to become patriots.
Common Sense Virginia’s Resolution - In May 1776, Virginia authorized it’s delegates to to support independence.
- Richard Henry Lee introduced the famous ‘Virginia Resolution”
- It proclaimed that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.”
The Declaration of Independence - Before voting on the resolution a committee
- Was formed to draw up a statement stating the reasons for independence.
- Members of the committee were Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Phillip Livingston.
- Jefferson was the primary author.
The Declaration of Independence - The Declaration has a preamble and three main parts.
- The preamble is another word for introduction.
- It starts “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that connected them with another….”
Natural Rights - This section states some general ideas about society. It was based on the work of John Locke, an Enlightenment philosopher.
- The idea is that all men were created with rights given to them by the creator, not by a king.
- States that rights are unalienable- which means they cannot be taken away.
- It states that all men are equal.
- It states that the government’s responsibility is to protect these unalienable rights.
- States all of the reasons why the colonies want to be free. It states all the ways that the king mistreated the colonists.
- This is the longest part of the Declaration.
- Page 176 and 177 in the book.
Dissolving the Bonds - Declares that the colonies are free and independent states.
- The document ends with a solemn pledge:
- “With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge our Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor.”
Impact of the Declaration - The Declaration changed the nature of the war. Colonists were now fighting for the independence of their country and no longer for better treatment.
- Ideas from the Declaration still inspires us today. i.e. All men are created equal, and the idea of natural rights.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
