1. Objective: To examine the importance of Common Sense, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

2. Video: Thomas Paine and Common Sense (4:48)
- Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that helped convince thousands of colonists to support independence from Great Britain.
Video: Thomas Paine and Common Sense (4:48)
Thomas Paine

3. Declaration of Independence
- In June of 1776, the Continental Congress agreed that a Declaration of Independence needed to be written.
Liberty`s Kids: "The First Fourth of July" 10:51 (1/2)

4. John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence”, 1817
- On July 4, 1776, the delegates accepted the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson.
Helpful Hint:
Use the following links to help you in your discussion of this famous painting.
Analysis – Architect of the Capitol:
Interactive Explanation:
John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence”, 1817

5. Declaration of Independence – 3 Main Parts
1 – All people have equal rights.
“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.”
2 – Great Britain had treated the colonists wrongfully.
3 – The colonies were now an independent country known as the United States of America.
Declaration of Independence (3:49)

6. Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Site of the 1776 signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.

7. Reading of the Declaration of Independence from the East balcony of the Old State House, Boston, Massachusetts July 18, 1776.

8. Pulling Down the Statue of King George III
Pulling Down the Statue of King George III. A depiction of the Sons of Liberty destroying the statue after the Declaration was read by George Washington to citizens and his troops in New York City on July 9, 1776.

9. 1890's caricature of Americans kicking out the British
1890's caricature of Americans kicking out the British. Uncle Sam looks on as a youthful George Washington kicks John Bull across the water, out of the United States and back to England.

10. Liberty`s Kids: "The First Fourth of July" 10:51 (2/2)
Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.
"Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free…
Helpful Hint:
While the entire quote above is attributed to Thomas Jefferson, only the portion in bold was inscribed on the Jefferson Memorial. This offers an excellent opportunity to spark class discussion about Thomas Jefferson, the reality of 18th century America, and the history of race relations. Possible discussion questions include the following.
Why wasn’t the entire quote inscribed on the Jefferson Memorial and should it have been?
Thomas Jefferson believed that the two races “cannot live in the same government.” Actually, Jefferson advocated creating a separate territory for blacks west of the Mississippi River. Taking into account the time period in which he lived, do his views make him a liberal progressive or a typical racist of the Southern planter elite?
…Nor is it less certain that the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government. Nature, habit, opinion has drawn indelible lines of distinction between them." - Thomas Jefferson