1. The Writing of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution Where did those ideas come from??? What do you remember about the Declaration of Independence?

2. Who Wrote the Declaration of Independence? John Adams recruited Thomas Jefferson to write the DOI. A committee actually went through it together with Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. Jefferson went against King George III for creating and sustaining the slave trade, describing it as "a cruel war against human nature“ in his rough draft of DOI but it was later taken out. 86 changes were made to Jefferson’s original draft. Thomas Jefferson wrote the draft at Jacob Graff’s home, who was a brick layer, who lived outside of the city. Jefferson wrote the first draft in less than 3 weeks. Jefferson was 33 years old when he wrote the DOI. King George III Thomas Jefferson Everyone wants to be British!! My writing is horrible !

3. Facts About the DOI It was signed on July 4, 1776 by John Hancock but was thought it would be approved July 2. 56 delegates signed it but most signed it on August 2, 1776. It was signed after the colonists had been fighting the British for a year. John Hancock was first to sign the DOI on July 4 and was President of Continental Congress. Benjamin Franklin was oldest at age of 70. The youngest was Thomas Lynch and Edward Rutledge at 26 yrs old and average age of signers was 45. Last person signed on November 4, 1776 by Matthew Thornton of New Hampshire. King George will be able to read my signature without his spectacles!

4. Copies of the Declaration? Printer Dunlap Broadside made 200 copies of the Declaration but only 26 survived. In 1991, one of 24 known copies at the time of the Declaration and one of only three known to be privately owned, was auctioned for $2.4 million. What’s even more staggering is where it was originally found. According to the New York Times, “The previous owner stated that he bought a torn painting for $4 in a flea market in Adamstown, Pa., because he was interested in its frame. When he got home, he said, he removed the painting – a dismal country scene – and concluded the frame could not be salvaged, but found the Declaration, folded and hidden in the backing.” The 25th and 26th copies later surfaced – one was sold in excellent condition in 2000 for $8.1 million. A 26th copy emerged at the British National Archives in 2009, which was hidden for over 200 years in a box of papers seized during the Revolutionary War from American colonists.

5. Facts About Thomas Jefferson He died on July 4, 1826 on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at the age of 83, the same day that John Adams died. Only 2 of Jefferson’s 6 kids survived to be adults. He also had 6 kids with his slave, Sally Hemings. He loved to read and donated thousands of his books to restock the Library of Congress after it had been burned by the British. Helped establish the University of Virginia. He pushed Congress to abolish the slave trade in 1807. He was ambassador to France and loved French food. He designed his home, Monticello (means “little mountain” in Italian) and it consists of 43 rooms and 11,000 sq. feet of space. Originally built on 5,000 acres in Charlottesville, Virginia.

9. RUBBISH!!

11. Human Nature Everyone is a “blank slate” Man is reasonable & tolerant Basic Freedoms Life, liberty, and property Purpose of Law Protection of basic freedoms Role of Government Government gets power from the people it governs It is a SOCIAL CONTRACT

12. Set Up of the Declaration of Independence The Declaration is divided into three basic parts: 1. An introduction with a statement of the philosophy. 2. A list of grievances (Complaints) 3. A final and formal "Declaration of Independence”

13. Preamble When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

14. Statement of Political Philosophy 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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.

15. Human Nature Bad, flawed, state of fear Without control, would break into war Basic Freedoms Rights of the individual Purpose of Law Necessary to control man Necessary to keep order Role of Government Social Contract Absolute rule is justified if necessary to keep order

16. z z Human Nature Desire for self-preservation Basic Freedoms Right to freedom & self-preservation Purpose of Law To express the general will of the people To preserve freedom Role of Government Social contract with the people

17. z z Human Nature Prone to corruption Basic Freedoms Life Purpose of Law Protection of basic freedoms Suited for the people it governs Role of Government Should have a system of checks and balances to keep it from becoming too powerful

20. Alexis de Tocqueville Alexis de Tocqueville came to the United States in 1831 to flee the uncertainties of French political life, to study the American prison system, and to learn firsthand about life in a democracy. In his book, Democracy in America, he describes the extraordinary mobility of Americans who are "continually [changing] their track, for fear of missing the shortest cut to happiness.“ Tocqueville was impressed with democracy in America and wrote his book to encourage other countries to use it as a model. His 5 values that are crucial for America’s success as a constitutional republic were: – Liberty – Egalitarianism – Individualism – Populism – Laissez-faire