1. “The Horse America, Throwing His Master”

2. “The Revolution was a radical experiment
in liberty whose success was never
guaranteed.”

3. One revolution or many?
• Different groups had different reasons for
supporting the Revolution
– New England Puritans wanted to protect autonomy
and liberties
– African Americans – freedom from bondage?
• UNITY – they asserted their rights as British
citizens
– Rejected taxation without representation
• New government was RADICAL – got rid of
traditional monarchy in favor of purely
representative govt.

4. Complaints, Complaints!
• What complaints do you have about the way
that young people are treated in our country?
• How have you expressed these complaints to
others?
• What solutions do you propose to fix these
injustices?

5. Structure of the Declaration
• Preamble &Statement of beliefs: the reasons for writing down the Declaration (from
"WHEN, in the Course of human Events" to "declare the Causes which impel them to the
Separation."). What reason(s) did the Founding Fathers give for their decision to write out
a declaration?
– Basic human rights – equality, natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
– Social contract (John Locke) –
• Governments get their power from the people whom they govern
• When a government stops protecting the people’s rights (breaks the contract) it is
the people’s RESPONSIBILITY, DUTY, to get rid of that government in order to
protect themselves and secure their rights
• List of complaints: the offenses that have led up to the declaration
– Violations of the colonists’ civil, political and economic freedoms/liberties
– ***listing all of these complaints allows Thomas Jefferson to justify WHY the colonists
are breaking away from British rule
• Statement of prior attempts to redress grievances – TJ says the colonies have tried time
and again to reach a peaceful solution, but have been unsuccessful – their attempts
haven’t been matched by King George and Parliament
• Declaration of independence: What will change in the colonies as a result of the
Declaration? THEY WILL BE INDEPENDENT and continue to fight for their independence

6. Evidence of John Locke’s
social contract theory

8. PreClass
What are the responsibilities of
independence?

9. "When the Colonies declared their independence
from Britain, they had a flag and an army. What
they lacked was a government."
• Having just released themselves from Britain's
monarchy, what would the colonists fear?
• Judging from some of the complaints the
colonists had against Britain, what might some of
their concerns be for any future government?
• As in the hypothetical situation on the desert
island, what decisions would the colonists have to
make about forming a new government out of 13
colonies, which, until 1776, had basically been
running themselves independently?

10. The Articles of Confederation

11. Closing
• What do you think the FF proposed as
changes to the AoC when they met at the
Constitution Convention in Philadelphia?

12. • On a field trip to Tahiti, you’ve became
stranded—without any adults and with little
hope of being rescued in the foreseeable
future—on a very hospitable tropical island.
• How will you work together? How will you
create rules? How will you deal with people
who group members think are not following
the rules?

13. What will you have to consider in
creating your own government?
Discuss in groups:
1. How will you make sure that anyone who feels unfairly treated will
have a place to air complaints?
2. How will you make sure that people can have peace and quiet?
3. How will you make sure that group members will help if outsiders
arrive who threaten your group?
4. How will you make sure that the improvements you make on the
island (such as shelters, fireplaces and the like) will be used fairly?
5. How will you make sure that group members will be free to do
what they want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else?
6. How will you make sure that the rules and organizations you
develop protect future generations?

14. • How will you make sure that anyone who feels unfairly treated will have a
place to air complaints? (establishing justice)
• How will you make sure that people can have peace and quiet? (ensuring
domestic tranquility)
• How will you make sure that group members will help if outsiders arrive
who threaten your group? (providing for the common defense)
• How will you make sure that the improvements you make on the island
(such as shelters, fireplaces and the like) will be used fairly? (promoting
the general welfare)
• How will you make sure that group members will be free to do what they
want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else? (securing the blessing of
liberty to ourselves)
• How will you make sure that the rules and organizations you develop
protect future generations? (securing the blessing of liberty to our
posterity)