Please sit in your assigned seats and quietly follow the directions below: Please answer the following question in your bell ringer notebook. Explain your answer! 1) Which of these was a reason the American colonies were fighting a war for independence in 1776? A) restrictions on colonial trade B) restrictions on slave ownership in the colonies C) failure to protect the colonists from attacks by the French D) failure to protect the colonists from attacks by the Spanish

USHC 1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the conflicts between regional and national interest in the development of democracy in the United States. USHC 1.3: Analyze the impact of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution on establishing the ideals of a democratic republic. The Declaration of Independence

The principles expressed the Declaration of Independence also had an impact on the newly formed state governments and the Articles of Confederation government the Second Continental Congress established as its own replacement. a.Declaration of Independence: statement adopted by the Continental Congress which announced that the Thirteen Colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, no longer under control of the British Empire

b. Articles of Confederation: a. An agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states b. Served as its first constitution c. Its drafting by the Continental Congress began in 1776 d. An approved version was sent to the states for ratification in late 1777 e. The formal ratification by all 13 states was completed in early 1781

c. Second Continental Congress: a. convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun b. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met between September 5, 1774 and October 26, 1774, also in Philadelphia c. The second Congress managed the colonial war effort, and moved towards independence by adopting the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, d. By raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties, the Congress acted as the existing national government of what became the United States of America during the Revolutionary War

These governments relied primarily on the role of the legislature and severely limited executive power. LEGISLATIVE BRANCH executive branch

In the postwar period Americans began to put the principles of the Declaration into practice. a. States in the North passed laws that provided for the gradual emancipation of slaves a. Emancipate: to free from restraint b. States provided for freedom of religion c. Male citizens could vote a. Voting was limited to those who owned property, but property ownership was widespread, so many white American males could exercise their right to vote

The principles and promises expressed in the Declaration of Independence remained unfulfilled for certain groups.

MAIN IDEA: Since 1776, the idea that “all mean are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights…[to] life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has been a rallying cry for those denied their rights, both in the United States and throughout the world.