U.S. History / Unit 2: Revolution and the Constitution
2.2 The Declaration of Independence
Notes
Fighting began at Lexington and Concord (April 1775). A year later, the Second Continental Congress declared independence.
- Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense (January 1776) argued in plain language that independence from a king was common sense.
- The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson was its main author.
- Its ideas come from the Enlightenment, especially John Locke: people have unalienable rights; government gets its power from the consent of the governed; people may alter or abolish a government that destroys their rights.
- It lists grievances against King George III.
- Its promise that "all men are created equal" was not applied to enslaved people, Native Americans or women at the time, a contradiction later reformers pointed to.
Practice
Read the excerpt: "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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This idea most closely reflects the thinking of:
Locke argued that people have natural rights that government must protect.
According to the Declaration, governments get their "just powers" from:
Government's authority comes from the people it governs.
What was the purpose of the long list of complaints against King George III in the Declaration?
The grievances were evidence that the king had become a tyrant, which justified independence.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 2 test.