Transcript Document

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
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
What did the colonists want?
1. 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?
1. 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.
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.
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
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