Deep Thought QuestionNovember 16, 2010

Do you think America fully provides life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to its citizens today? Why or why not?

TOMORROW WILL BE REVIEWTHURSDAY WILL BE THE TEST

RANDOM FACT: The year 2020 is the next time you will see a FULL MOON on Halloween

Deep Thought QuestionHalloween, 2011

The Declaration of Independence states that all humans have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

For you, what does the pursuit of happiness mean? Describe your “happiness.”

ObjectivesI can describe how the ideas of John Locke and the

Enlightenment connect to the American Revolution.

Random Fact of the Day

There won’t be another Full Moon on Halloween until the year 2020.

Extra Credit Week!

• All questions on the Extra Credit page of the website are up for grabs.

• Are not restricted to just this week’s question.

• Turn them in by Friday, November 4th!!!

Main Ideas

• Enlightenment ideas helped spur the American colonies to shed British rule and create a new nation.

• The revolution created a republic, the United States of America, that became a model for many nations of the world.

Introduction

• The Glorious Revolution gave England a constitutional monarchy.– Laws limited King’s power.

• Philosophes, such as Voltaire, considered England’s government the most progressive in Europe.

• Did the colonists agree?– They thought George III ruled as

dictator– “No taxation w/out representation”– Wanted to overthrow the

government & create their own nation

Question #1 on Your Notes Page

• Do the colonists agree that England’s government was the most progressive in Europe? Why or why not?

Britain and Its American Colonies

• 1600s-1700s – British settlement along the eastern shore of North America.

• George III – King of Great Britain in 1760• Colonies were successfully growing• Population had grown from 250,000 to

2,150,000 between 1700 and 1740• Economically, the colonies thrived on trade

with Europe.

Colonists’ Identity

• By the mid-1700s, colonists had been living in America for 150 years.

• Were they citizens of their colony or of Great Britain?

• Colonists saw themselves as less British and more as Virginians or Pennsylvanians.

• Each colony had its own government and much independence.

• However, colonists were still British subjects and had to obey British laws.

Sources of Colonies’ Anger

• Britain needed more money because of the many wars it had fought

• British government decided to tax the colonists for the first time even though the colonies had no official representation in the government

• “No taxation without representation”

The Influence of Enlightenment

• Colonial leaders used Enlightenment ideas to justify independence.

• Colonists asked for the same political rights as the people of Britain.– King refused.

• Colonists felt justified in rebelling against a tyrant who broke the social contract.

• Whose idea was the social contract?

Declaration of Independence

• July 1776 – Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence.– Written by Thomas

Jefferson– Based on ideas of Locke &

the Enlightenment– Argued for natural rights.

• Life• Liberty• Pursuit of Happiness

Contents of the DOI

• Locke had asserted that people had the right to rebel against an unjust ruler IF the government does not protect the people’s rights

• Therefore, the DOI listed George III’s abuses.

• Ended by declaring the colonies’ separation from Britain.

Excerpts of the Declaration…

• 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 whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Wrongdoings of George III• For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us

• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world

• For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent

• For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever

• He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people

Reasons for Success

1. Americans had a stronger motivation for fighting.

2. Overconfident British generals made several mistakes.

3. Americans had time on their side.– British were fighting an overseas

war.• 3,000 miles away from home• Very expensive

• British finally called for peace.

Declaration of IndependenceWriting AssignmentOn a separate sheet of paper…

• You as a student body have decided to declare your independence from the ruling government (administration and teachers) at Madison Central

• You have been chosen by your peers to construct a Declaration of Independence to deliver to the cruelest teacher of them all, Mr. Osborne…the Declaration should be about two paragraphs

• In your Declaration, make sure to address…– the natural rights you as students should be granted– how the administration/teachers have failed to address them

How to start…

• To the ruling government of Madison Central High School…

Exit Questions

1. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?A. Benjamin FranklinB. Thomas JeffersonC. John AdamsD. Alexander Hamilton

2. The Declaration of Independence promises what three natural rights?