Lesson Plan #3

Declaring Independence

Introduction: In this lesson students will be learning about the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Students will learn how the Declaration was first decided upon, but how it was not the most popular of ideas in the beginning. Students will learn about other colonists whose point of view towards becoming independent was not as excited as the Patriots.

Objectives: Content/Knowledge:

1. Students will be able to explain the difference between a Patriot and a Loyalist 2. Students will be able to compare and contrast the ideology behind Common Sense and

Plain Truth. 3. Students will be able to analyze a document to pick out its key points and main themes

Process/Skills:

1. Students will be able to analyze primary sources to understand both sides of the argument pertaining to seceding from the British

2. Students will be able to work in pairs and large groups to understand material 3. Students will be able to formulate a fact based argument

Values/Dispositions:

1. Students will be able to form an opinion on whether the Patriot point of view for leaving the British or the Loyalist point of view of staying with the British was the best decision

Standards: State – Illinois Learning Standards

1. 16.B.3b (US) Explain how and why the colonies fought for their independence and how the colonists’ ideas are reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

2. 16.B.5a (US) Describe how modern political positions are affected by differences in ideologies and viewpoints that have developed over time (e.g., political parties’ positions on government intervention in the economy).

3. 16.D.5 (US) Analyze the relationship between an issue in United States social history and the related aspects of political, economic and environmental history.

National – National Council for the Social Studies Standards

1. Time, Continuity, and Change – History

National – National Standards for History

1. Standard 1B Explain the major ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence and

their intellectual origins. 2. Standard 1B Explain how key principles in the Declaration of Independence grew in

importance to become unifying ideas of American Democracy. 3. Standard 1B Draw upon the principles in the Declaration of Independence to construct a

sound historical argument regarding whether it justified American independence.

Syntax – Procedures

1. Yellow Hat – Positive and Black Hat – Negative: a. Teacher Instruction:

i. Seat the students and verbally list partners for each student, and whether they are the number 1 or 2 in their pairing.

ii. Handout the “Paine vs. Plain” worksheet and inform students that all number 1’s are to read James Chalmers’ “Plain Truth” section and number 2’s are to read Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” section

iii. Students will answer questions posed to them on the “Paine vs. Plain” worksheet

1. Have students summarize the key points to their partner once they finish.

iv. Have all the 1’s group together on one side of the room, and the 2’s on the other.

v. Each side will have 5 minutes to debate why their person’s argument is correct vi. Once each side has posed their argument, each side will have 5 minutes to

counter the other sides argument 1. Students are to raise their hands to be called on, and participation and

completion of worksheet make up the students grade. b. Resources

i. “Paine vs. Plain” worksheet c. Student Activity

i. Sit by your assigned partner and read your assigned excerpt. ii. Answer the questions on the worksheet and summarize your excerpt to your

partner iii. Congregate with the other students who had your excerpt on the designated

side of the room you are told.

iv. Each side will use the information they have obtained to prove why their person was correct in their argument. Each team will be given five minutes

v. Each side will then have 5 minutes to counter the other team once both teams have completed their arguments

2. Red Hat – Intuitive: a. Teacher Instruction:

i. After listening to the debate ask the students to review the arguments that were posed. Ask the students if they would side with Thomas Paine and the Patriots, or if they would side with James Chalmers and the Loyalists. Why did they side with the group they did?

ii. Ask the students if this was the side they argued for or against.

1. If it wasn’t the side you argued for, what point did the other side give that swayed your decision?

iii. Asks the students why they believe so many people remained neutral on picking between the Patriots and Loyalists.

b. Resources: i. Discussion

c. Student Activity i. The teacher will ask the students to review the main arguments and points that

were posed during the debate ii. You will then choose which groups argument was the most persuasive and why.

iii. The students will then say if they group they chose was the group they argued for or against.

1. If it is NOT the group you argued for, what point from the other group swayed your decision in their favor?

iv. Why do you believe so many colonists remained neutral instead of siding with either the Loyalists or the Patriots?

3. White Hat – Objective: a. Teacher Instruction:

i. I will seminar on the Declaration of Independence and its creation (Outline below)

1. Second Continental Congress a. Patriot vs. Loyalist Viewpoint

i. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense 1. How this influenced peoples ideology

2. Virginia’s Resolution a. “These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and

independent States.” Richard Henry Lee i. Idea of disconnecting from Britain strengthens

b. Congress appoints a committee to draw up a statement stating the reasons for separation.

i. Thomas Jefferson chosen to compose declaration 1. Known for his graceful writing style 2. With help from John Adams and Ben Franklin,

Declaration of Independence created 3. Declaration of Independence

a. Broken into 4 different parts: i. Preamble, Natural Rights, List of Grievances, Resolution

of Independence b. Preamble

i. Explanation of why States are breaking away from Britain

c. Natural Rights of Man i. “All men are created equal” ii. Unalienable Rights

1. Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness d. List of Grievances

i. List of specific complaints aimed at the King 1. Based on basic rights an Englishman had

2. Trial by jury 3. Cannot impose taxes with consent

e. Resolution of Independence i. Logical conclusion

1. Absolved from allegiance to British Crown 2. States have full power to:

a. Levy war b. Conclude peace c. Contract alliances d. Establish commerce e. Do any act which Independent States

are allowed to do. f. Risks of signing

i. Ben Franklin 1. “We must all hang together, or most assuredly

we shall hang separately.” ii. Students will follow along with the presentation by filling out the guided notes

worksheet provided to them 1. This will help students create their own Declaration of Independence

and study for their test. b. Resources:

i. Declaration of Independence Seminar ii. Guided notes

c. Student Activity: i. Follow along with the seminar on the Declaration of Independence using guided

notes sheet. ii. Think about the different parts of the Declaration and how you would write

each part if you were Thomas Jefferson and members of the committee. 4. Blue Hat – Process

a. Teacher Instruction: i. Have the students read the Declaration of Independence in the textbook

1. Pages 174-178 2. Students are to read silently and note the reasons proclaimed for

declaring independence ii. Ask the students these questions once they are finished reading or after 15

minutes 1. How would you summarize the Preamble? 2. Why did the writers word the Resolution of Independence the way they

did? 3. Would you throw away everything you have known about government

for an uncertain opportunity to run your own nation government? Why or why not?

b. Resources: i. Declaration of Independence from textbook (pg. 174-178) ii. Discussion

c. Student Activity: i. Silently read the Declaration of Independence beginning on page 174 of your

textbook

1. Note the wording used in each of the different parts 2. Make connections between previous events you have learned about

and grievances that resolve these events. 3. Think about these questions while you are reading

a. How would you summarize the Preamble? b. Why did the writers word the Resolution of Independence the

way they did? c. Would you throw away everything you have known about

government for an uncertain opportunity to run your own nation government? Why or why not?

5. Green Hat – Creative: a. Teacher Instruction:

i. Announce the groups that have been pre-assigned before class (4 per group) 1. Include numbers before each name to indicate that students role in

their group ii. Give students instructions for creating their own Declaration of Independence

1. You have been selected by your peers to work as a group to create a document stating your countries secession from Britain. Be sure to include the following items throughout your document.

a. Preamble or brief explanation of why you are leaving Britain. b. Explanation of how the British government had violated the

rights of the colonists. c. A list of complaints or grievances against the British. d. A conclusion stating what will become of your new nation, and

what it is all allowed to do. 2. Get creative with the project. Must be done on construction paper, and

all members of the committee must sign the document once it is completed.

b. Resources: i. Create Your Own Declaration Prompt/Rubric

c. Student Activity: i. Listen as your groups and roles are announced out loud ii. Move into your new groups, keeping your desks close together

iii. Look over the instructions and rubric given to you in your group 1. You have been selected by your peers to work as a group to create a

document stating your countries secession from Britain. Be sure to include the following items throughout your document.

a. Preamble or brief explanation of why you are leaving Britain. b. Explanation of how the British government had violated the

rights of the colonists. c. A list of complaints or grievances against the British. d. A conclusion stating what will become of your new nation, and

what it is all allowed to do. 2. Get creative with the project. Must be done on construction paper, and

all members of the committee must sign the document once it is completed.

Paine vs “Plain”

A debate over loyalty and rebellion by Thomas Paine (author of “Common Sense”) and

James Chalmers (author of “Plain Truth”)

Thomas Paine's Common Sense was like a lightning bolt in the colonies. Its message was simple: Britain had no right to govern America, the Monarchy system itself was basically corrupt, and Americans would be much better off on their own. His arguments certainly struck a chord. The French and Indian War of the 1750s had shown the colonists just how far they had drifted from their English counterparts in nearly every aspect of politics and culture. England saw colonists as crude and uneducated, while the English were seen as drunk with power and subservient to a monarchy that had no meaning to the average colonist, who pretty much lived by his own rules.

Not everyone, though, read Paine's work and nodded with approval. Hard-core loyalists were realizing that they had been blindsided by a powerful piece of propaganda. Anxious to put out the fires that Common Sense was igniting, they attempted to strike back. One of the very first to do so was a gentleman of means from the colony of Maryland -- a planter named James Chalmers.

While Paine had written in the plainest language possible in order to reach the common man with his argument, Chalmers took the high road with a strong emphasis on literary references and history through the ages. A semiliterate blacksmith who could muddle his way through Common Sense must have looked at “Plain Truth” and shrugged his shoulders. Many educated and learned men were already loyalists.

By the time of the revolution, the American colonies were about the best place in the world to live. Opportunity was everywhere, land on the frontier was for the taking (or stealing as the case may be) and taxes were almost nonexistent in comparison to what the inhabitants of England were forced to pay. Best of all, the heavy-handed authority of King George and Parliament was diffused by several thousand miles of ocean.

…[in his pamphlet, Chalmers] moved on to the heart of all loyalist argument: the colonists couldn't possibly win a war against Great Britain. At every level, England outgunned and outmanned the colonies. On paper, the weakness of the colonies was almost comical. A nonexistent navy, badly disciplined recruits, and a great scarcity of heavy industry to produce arms and ammunition combined to create the picture of a colony of wishful thinkers who didn't stand a chance once England roused what Shakespeare called "its sleeping sword."

…Chalmers felt that a simple desire for liberty wasn't enough to keep the colonists from losing a war with England. Alone, they didn't stand a chance. To

win, they would have to have a great European power such as France or Spain on their side.

Here, Chalmers made an important and often overlooked observation: he found it illogical for any foreign power to side with the colonists against England, and with good reason. "Can we be so deluded, to expect aid from those princes (France and Spain), which inspiring their subjects with a relish for liberty, might eventually shake their arbitrary thrones.... Can we believe that those princes will offer an example so dangerous to their subjects and colonies...?"

In “Plain Truth”, Chalmers was blunt about the resolve of England to put down the rebellion. "Can a reasonable being for a moment believe that Great Britain, whose political existence depends on our constitutional obedience, who but yesterday made such prodigious efforts to save us from France, will not exert herself as powerfully to preserve us from our frantic schemes of independency. Can we a moment doubt, that the Sovereign of Great Britain and his ministers, whose glory as well as personal safety depends on our obedience, will not exert every nerve of the British power, to save themselves and us from ruin[?]"

"Should this war prove unsuccessful on the part of Great Britain, we cannot imagine that it will terminate, e'er many bloody fields are lost and won; I say, it probably will not end in less than 10 years."

Having presented his thoughts on how long a war would last, he asked his readers if they were ready to drench the colonies in blood. Even more to the point, he wanted to know if the colonists were prepared to die for the "restless ambition" of Thomas Paine. Chalmers viewed such a war to be totally in vain. He believed his fellow citizens were impelled "by their turbulent ambition to anticipate an event which the fullness of time would probably produce without bloodshed."

"Let us remember that reconciliation on generous principles with Great Britain, is our true and only road to permanent happiness. Above all, let us seriously consider, that this [when the Commissioners arrive to treat with the Congress] is the juncture, this the moment, when we may receive everything we can reasonably desire.

(From the book, Maryland Loyalists in the American Revolution, Tidewater Publishers, Centreville,

Maryland.)

Paine vs “Plain”

A debate over loyalty and rebellion by Thomas Paine (author of “Common Sense”) and

James Chalmers (author of “Plain Truth”)

You have read that the first shots of the American Revolution were fired on the

Lexington Green, in Massachusetts, in April 1775. War had started, but many

colonists were still uncertain about declaring independence from Britain.

For several months, there was little fighting outside of Massachusetts. Then,

early in 1776, revolutionary feelings received a boost when a Patriot named

Thomas Paine published a fiery pamphlet called Common Sense. In it, Paine

made a strong case for independence. England, he stated, had lost touch with

its American colonies. Furthermore, Britain had dragged the colonies into

unnecessary wars with Britain’s enemies. And, Paine wrote, American trade had

suffered under British control.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense was like a lightning bolt in the colonies. Its message was simple: Britain had no right to govern America, the Monarchy system itself was basically corrupt, and Americans would be much better off on their own. His arguments certainly struck a chord. The French and Indian War of the 1750s had shown the colonists just how far they had drifted from their English counterparts in nearly every aspect of politics and culture. England saw colonists as crude and uneducated, while the English were seen as drunk with power and subservient to a monarchy that had no meaning to the average colonist, who pretty much lived by his own rules.

Paine’s arguments won thousands of colonists to the revolutionary cause.

(History Alive! p. 430)

Read the following excerpt from Common Sense:

To the evil of monarchy we have added that of hereditary

succession; and as the first is a degradation and lessening of

ourselves, so the second, claimed as a matter of right, is an

insult and imposition on posterity. For all men being originally

equals, no one by birth could have a right to set up his own

family in perpetual preference to all others for ever, and tho'

himself might deserve some decent degree of honours of his

contemporaries, yet his descendants might be far too

unworthy to inherit them. One of the strongest natural proofs

of the folly of hereditary right in Kings, is that nature

disapproves it, otherwise she would not so frequently turn it

into ridicule, by giving mankind an ASS FOR A LION.

We have boasted the protection of Great Britain, without

considering, that her motive was INTEREST not ATTACHMENT;

and that she did not protect us from OUR ENEMIES on OUR

ACCOUNT; but from HER ENEMIES on HER OWN ACCOUNT,

from those who had no quarrel with us on any OTHER

ACCOUNT, and who will always be our enemies on the SAME

ACCOUNT. Let Britain waive her pretensions to the Continent,

or the Continent throw off the dependence, and we should be at

peace with France and Spain, were they at war with Britain.

But the most powerful of all arguments, is, that nothing but

independence, i. e. a continental form of government, can keep

the peace of the continent and preserve it inviolate from civil

wars. I dread the event of a reconciliation with Britain now, as it is more than probable, that it will followed by a revolt

somewhere or other, the consequences of which may be far

more fatal than all the malice of Britain.

Thousands are already ruined by British barbarity; (thousands

more will probably suffer the same fate.) Those men have other feelings than us who have nothing suffered. All they now

possess is liberty, what they before enjoyed is sacrificed to its

service, and having nothing more to lose, they disdain

submission. Besides, the general temper of the colonies, towards a British government, will be like that of a youth, who

is nearly out of his time; they will care very little about her.

And a government which cannot preserve the peace, is no

government at all, and in that case we pay our money for nothing; and pray what is it that Britain can do.

- Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

Paine vs “Plain”

A debate over loyalty and rebellion by Thomas Paine (author of “Common

Sense”) and James Chalmers (author of “Plain Truth”)

Directions:

Partners

You (or your partner) are/is a supporter of Thomas Paine.

You (or your partner) are/is a supporter of James Chalmers.

Read Separately

You will read the selected information that supports the LOYALIST cause

(Chalmers) or you will read the information that supports the PATRIOT

cause (Paine). MARK the TEXT!

Answer the Questions

First, answer the questions based on your reading selection only.

Next, share and record answers with your partner.

Name ___________________________________

I SUPPORT________________________________

My partner is _____________________________

1. Pick THREE words that were bolded and underlined in your selection to define here:

a.

b.

c.

2. How many good arguments did you find in your selection? _____

3. What was the BEST argument and WHY?

4. What was the weakest argument and WHY?

5. What were your opponents main points?

Name: _____________________

Date: _____________________

Class: _____________________

Declaring Independence: Guided Notes

Instructions: Fill out the following sheet during the seminar.

Second Continental Congress

Patriot Viewpoint Loyalist Viewpoint

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense o How was this pamphlet influential in making the idea of leaving the

British rule more popular? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Virginia Resolution o Who declared, “These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and

independent States.”? ______________________________.

Declaration of Independence o Why was Thomas Jefferson selected to write the declaration?

__________________________________________________ o List the 4 parts of the Declaration of Independence and describe what is

included in each part.

1) ________________: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) ________________: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) ________________:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) ________________: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

o What did Ben Franklin mean by the following quote, “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall hang separately.”? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name: __________________

Date: __________________

Class: __________________

Group Members: __________________

Create Your Own Declaration:

Instructions and Rubric

You have been selected by your peers to work as a group to create a document stating your countries secession from Britain. Get as creative as possible. Scribe-Writes the document, Leader-Keeps group on task and presents document, Gatherer/Timekeeper-Obtains and returns materials and keeps track of time until due date, and Liaison-All interactions between the group and teacher will go through this person. Be sure to include the following items throughout your document.

o Preamble or brief explanation of why you are leaving Britain. o Explanation of how the British government had violated the rights of the colonists. o A list of complaints or grievances against the British. o A conclusion stating what will become of your new nation, and what it is all allowed

to do. o Final project must be done on construction paper and all members must sign the

document once it is complete

Topic 1 Point 2 Points 3 Points 4 Points

Format Project does not follow the proper

format at any point

Numerous formatting errors take away project

effectiveness

Only one formatting error is

present on the project

No formatting errors are visible on the project.

Creativity Project lacks creativity in all

aspects

Project has little creativity added,

but does not make it stand out

Project has creative aspects but needs a little

more to set it apart

Project goes above and beyond

requirements and captures the

attention of the audience

Content The declaration’s content makes no logic and shows no comprehension of

the material

The content of the declaration makes little sense, and a

basic understanding of

the material is present

The declaration and its content show an above

average understanding of

the material

The declaration and its content show a mastery

level of understanding of

the content

Grammar 5 or more grammar or

punctuation errors

3-4 grammar or punctuation errors

present

1-2 grammar or punctuation errors

present

No grammar or punctuation are

present

Total Points Earned ______ / 20