1. The Declaration of Independence
USHC Standard 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

2. Please sit in your assigned seats and quietly follow the directions below:
Answer the following question in your bell ringer notebook. Write the key words, and the two answer options you eliminated, along with your answer. The people who came to the American colonies in the 17th century had already been exposed to the idea of limited government thanks mainly to a. The Magna Carta b. The Constitution c. The Council of Trent d. The Articles of Confederation

3. What did the colonists want?
They wanted to hold on to the government that they had developed during the time of salutary neglect.
2. They wanted British recognition that only their colonial legislatures had the right to impose taxes on the citizens of the colonies.
What did the colonists NOT want?
The colonists were not protesting against the taxes because they were too high, and they did not want to create a new government.
2. The colonists did not want representation in Parliament; because they knew they would be outvoted.
3. The colonists did not ORIGINALLY want freedom from Great Britain.

4. Why was the Declaration of Independence written?
To further the cause of the colonists’ fight with the mother country already in its second year
Who was the Declaration of Independence written for?
It was driven by a “decent respect to the opinions of mankind”, it was more importantly addressed to those within the colonies who remained loyal to the king, or uncommitted to the cause of independence.

5. ABSOLUTE POWER
CORRUPTS
ABSOLUTELY

6. The Declaration of Independence…
1. Expresses the concept of limited government
a. Limited government: a government in which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is not generally allowed by law, usually in a written constitution
2. Is based on the ideas of John Locke
3. States the ideals of democracy, the principles of equality, and the natural rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
4. Explains the purpose of government to secure the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
5. Outlines the “right of the people to alter or abolish” government when natural rights are not protected by government
6. Made the case that the King, not the Parliament, had violated the rights of the colonists

7. Why did the Declaration of Independence blame the King, and not Parliament?
The list of actions that “He” (the King) did was designed to break the bonds between the King and his loyalist subjects in the colonies and to unify the new nation against a common enemy.
King George III