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The Colonies Unite Declaring Independence The Colonies Unite Declaring Independence

The Colonies Unite Declaring Independence - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Colonies Unite Declaring Independence - PPT Presentation

I can identify and describe the important people and events associated with the Declaration of Independence I can explain why the Declaration of Independence is important and name its key political concepts ID: 643516

congress declaration colonies independence declaration congress independence colonies colonists government happened britain people rights king state july vote 1776 committee plan resolution

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Slide1

The Colonies UniteDeclaring Independence

I can identify and describe the important people and events associated with the Declaration of Independence.

I can explain why the Declaration of Independence is important and name its key political concepts.Slide2

Moving Toward Independence

WHY IT HAPPENED:

Colonist Thomas

Paine

published a pamphlet entitled

Common Sense

.

It convinced many colonists that they should rule themselves.

WHAT HAPPENED:

Delegates in the Second Continental Congress began to agree about

independence

from Britain.

They wrote a resolution of independence in June of 1776.

A committee of delegates chose Thomas

Jefferson

to write a declaration of independence to send to the king.

He was a 33 year old lawyer who had studied government and the law.

It took him

17

days and many drafts to write it.

He owned enslaved people.Slide3

The Declaration of Independence

WHAT IT WAS:

Preamble

First part of the Declaration.

It explained why the Declaration was needed.

It explained why the colonies had the right to break away from Britain and form a new nation.

Rights

It described the colonists’ main ideas about

government

.

It stated all the rights that a government couldn’t take away.

Grievances

It listed the

grievances

that the colonists had against the king and the peaceful ways they had already tried to resolve their differences with Britain.

Last Part

It stated that the colonies were free and independent

states

.Slide4

Congress Approves the Declaration

WHY IT HAPPENED:

Jefferson gave his draft to

Congress

for approval.

WHAT HAPPENED:

On

July

2, Congress voted to approve the resolution to cut ties with Britain.

On July 4, Congress approved the final

wording

of the Declaration.

On July

8

, the Declaration was read in

public

, in front of the state house in Philadelphia.

Many colonists celebrated the news.Slide5

A Dangerous Decision

By August 2, Congress members began to sign the Declaration.

John Hancock used a large signature, so that “King George III could read it without his

glasses

.”

Signers put themselves in danger.

If the colonists lost the war, signers could be charged with treason and put to death.

Ben Franklin joked about it by saying, “We must all hang

together

… or we will all hang

separately

.”

In 1776, only white men who owned

land

could vote.

This was not fair, and it would take many years for poor people, African Americans, women, Native Americans and other groups to get the full rights of citizenship (including the right to vote).

Years

later,

the Declaration would

inspire

people to fight for their rights, even though they did not have them when it was first written.

Slide6

Forming a New Government

The continental Congress set up another

committee

to plan to unite the 13 colonies.

The first plan was called the Articles of Confederation.

Approved in

1777

Each state elected representatives to serve on a national legislature.

Did not matter how big the state was.

The Articles had weaknesses:

9

of the 13 colonies had to vote yes to approve a law.

Congress did not have the power to

enforce

the laws.

They did not allow Congress to control trade or collect

taxes

.

Congress could ask for an

army

, but the states would have to come up with the soldiers.