Declaration of Independence - The American Political System

Richard Henry Lee

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

The Lee Resoution

What was the Declaration called before the Continental Congress?

Draft a formal Declaration of Independence to Jefferson.

What did the Committee of Five do?

Three

How many sections did the Declaration contain?

A general statement of the natural right theory and the governments purpose.

What was the first section of the Declaration about?

A list of grievances against the British King.

What was the second section of the Declaration about?

The declaration of independence from England.

What was the third section of the Declaration about?

More than 20 years later.

How many years later did the following four amendments get added?

Prohibitions against the government to prevent the same forms of tyranny that were listed as grievances.

What did the Second, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Amendment contain?

George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights

Jefferson’s writing was influenced by who?

John Hancock

Who signed the Declaration of Independence the day it was adopted?

President of the Continental Congress

Who is John Hancock?

Their “lived…fortunes…and sacred honor.”

What did the signers pledge to each other by affixing their names to the document?

July 4th, 1776

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

George Mason’s study of the natural rights theory and writings of John Locke, including Two Treatises of Government.

What else was Jefferson’s writing influenced by?

Franklin and Adams

Who edited Jefferson’s draft?

Two week after Jefferson’s draft was edited.

When was the final document presented to Congress?

American colonists who opposed British taxes and tyranny in the 1760s-70s, arguing “no taxation without representation.”

What were one of the catalysts for the Declaration of Independence?

A war at Lexington and Concord between the British and American Colonists to protect their liberties.

What followed American colonists dislike of British taxes?

The people have the right to overthrow the government ONLY if it was followed by a long train of abuses.

According to the Declaration of Independence, what can happen if the government violated the peoples natural rights?