5 The Declaration of Independence

Learning outcomes

At the close of this lesson students will:

• assess the role of the Declaration of Independence in the development of the American Revolution
• examine the role of the Declaration of Independence as part of the American identity
• analyze the argumentative structure of the Declaration of Independence

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

220 minutes

Materials/Resources

copies of the Declaration of Independence.

Technology resources

computer and printer access for each student

Pre-activities

Students should read through the Declaration of Independence.

Activities

1. Teacher will discuss the rhetorical organization of the Declaration of Independence.
   • In the introduction, Jefferson establishes the philosophical basis for his argument, that “all people are created equal and enjoy certain unalienable rights.”
   • Jefferson then establishes the relationship between people and their government. People form governments to protect their rights, and therefore governments derive their power from the people. The people retain the power to, if necessary, replace the government if rights are not being protected.
   • Jefferson then lists the charges against the King.
   • As a result of these events, Jefferson establishes independence as a solution, which he then declares.
2. Students will investigate the controversial nature of the Declaration of Independence. Read Chapter 1 of the online version of The Declaration of Independence: A Study on the History of Ideas written in 1922 by Carl Becker. Students will then make a two-minute speech to the class answering the following question: “Was the writing of the Declaration of Independence an inevitable event?”
3. Students will then develop their own declaration of independence following the rhetorical structure of the original. They should first choose someone or something from which they would like to declare independence (parents, siblings, and homework are a few typical examples but students could also declare independence from bad habits, meat, gasoline consumption, etc.). Students must establish a philosophical foundation for their actions, list abuses at the hands of whomever or whatever they are declaring independence from, and then state their argument for independence. Students should make the final product look as authentic as possible (perhaps singeing paper edges, soaking in tea, or other methods), and be prepared to share their documents with the class.

Assessment

Rubrics are provided for each the speech and the student declaration of independence.

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Rough draft of the Declaration of Independence (The Thomas Jefferson Papers Series 1. General Correspondence. 1651–1827. From American Memory at the Library of Congress. More about the photograph)

Learn more

• Declaration of Independence: A History History of the actual document from the National Archives and Records Administration.
• The influence of the Declaration of Independence through History An article from FindLaw by Ian Mylchreest.
• Declaration of Independence: The Stylistic Artistry Explores the Declaration of Independence as literature. From the National Archives and Records Administration.
• The Working Men's Declaration of Independence Written in 1829 by George H. Evans (1805–56), this document appeared in the Working Man's Advocate of New York and the Mechanic's Free Press of Philadelphia.
• Seneca Falls Declaration A convention at Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848, was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The delegates adopted a statement, deliberately modeled on the Declaration of Independence.

Related topics

• Search LEARN NC for more resources on American Revolution, American history, Declaration of Independence, United States, arguments, civics, democracy, history, independence, language arts, rhetoric, and social studies.