THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

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REVIEW (PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY)Principle of Democracy Example

-People have rights that cannot be taken away by government

-All people are equal

-People vote/make decisions in government-People have the right to change or start a new government

- -Government cannot do everything it wants to do-Different branches limit each others powers

-Constitution is written for all to know and see-The law applies to everyone

-The majority gets to make decisions-Minorities cannot lose their rights

WHY DID THE COLONISTS WANT THEIR INDEPENDENCE?

• Britain tightened its control over the colonies

• High taxes

• No representation (Colonists had no say in what would happen to them)

• Colonists’ belief in the 7 principles of government

WHO WROTE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, AND WHY?

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; it was signed on July 4, 1776.

It was meant to justify the reasons why the colonists wanted to separate from England

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

FOUR PARTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

1. The Preamble – an Introduction

2. Declaration of Natural Rights – Statement of its purpose“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…life, liberty and pursuit of happiness…”

3. List of Grievances (complaints) – 27 complaints to King George III

4. Resolution of Independence – Statement of independence from Great Britain

PART TWO – DECLARATION OF NATURAL 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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

PART TWO – DECLARATION OF NATURAL RIGHTS

Identify which principle of democracy is shown in each statement.

“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.”

MORE PRACTICE!!!!

BELIEFS WITHIN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

To the right is a series of quotes from the Declaration of Independence.

These are statements of beliefs.

Match each quote up with the correct principle of democracy.

BELIEFS WITHIN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

To the right is a series of quotes from the Declaration of Independence.

These are grievances (complaints) against the King.

Match each quote up with the correct principle of democracy.

MATCH EACH DOCUMENT UP TO ITS CORRECT DESCRIPTION

Document DescriptionMagna Carta

Petition of Rights

English Bill of Rights

Declaration of Independence

PART TWO: THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

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WHAT TYPE OF GOVERNMENT DID THE FOUNDING FATHERS FIRST CREATE? They created a Confederation - gov’t where the power is located in the States.

Why?The fear of having too much power in one person’s hands reflects the experiences the colonies had under a monarchy

WHAT WAS THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION?

The Articles of Confederation was the first attempt to create a unified government in this country (before the Constitution).

The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 by John Dickinson, a Penn. statesman and accepted by Congress in 1781

WHY DID IT FAIL?

The founding fathers, worried about a government that was too powerful, severely limited national powers in the Articles of Confederation. It had too many weaknesses to survive.

WEAKNESSES OF ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

Weakness Description

No Executive Branch No leader (President); made it very difficult to enforce national law

No Judicial Branch No national court system

Congress had no power to tax They could not raise money to finance federal government

Laws had to be approved by 9 out of 13 states

It was difficult enough to get delegates from 9 states; passing laws was extremely difficult

Amending the Articles required all states to agree

The Articles were almost impossible to change, due to all states needing to agree.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH SHAYS’ REBELLION?

1787: When tax collectors tried to collect from Massachusetts farmers, Daniel Shays led a rebellion of nearly 1,200 men. Armed with pitchforks, they marched to the state’s capitol and threatened to burn it down

The federal government under the Articles of Confederation was extremely weak, and could do nothing to stop Shays’ Rebellion

Angry Farmers!!!!!!

WHAT DID SHAY’S REBELLION PROVE?

Convinced the founding fathers that we needed a stronger national government

When they worked to make changes to the Articles of Confederation, they ultimately decided to replace it with a new Constitution!

JOKE

Why did the Articles of Confederation decide to go to a weight room?

Because it was weak!