Declaration of Independence

What are the four main ideas reflected in the Declaration of Independence? (you do not need to memorize exact words, just be able to recognize them and get the basic idea)

1. All men are created equal... 2. ...they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness 3. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed 4. whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it

For what reason was a list of grievances or complaints included in the Declaration of Independence?

1. to persuade or prove to those colonists who were unsure that the rights of the people had been violated 2. to prove that the people had the right to abolish their old government and form a new one 3. to rally support in favor of the colonists

Which idea is the fundamental principle of the American government?

All men are created equal...

What pamphlet was written by Thomas Paine in order to persuade colonists to support the cause for independence?

Common Sense

"...they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." What does this mean? (Don't have to memorize the exact words, just know the idea of it.)

Rights are not given to us by the government. They are inherent and cannot be denied.

What document officially declared our independence from Britain?

The Declaration of Independence

What was not recognized in the Declaration of Independence?

The rights of women and African Americans

Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson

What concludes the Declaration of Independence?

a formal statement declaring the colonists' independence from England

"Whenever any forms of government become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it." If the government does not protect the rights of the people, whose right is it to change the government?

the people

"To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." What is the purpose of the government?

to protect the rights of the people