Name ____________________
Modern World History
Mr. Kraft
American Revolution
Declaration of Independence
Directions: Answer the following questions based on the Declaration of Independence. (2
points each)
1. According to the preamble (1st paragraph), what is the purpose of the Declaration of
Independence.
2. What are the three unalienable rights listed by the author (Thomas Jefferson) of the
Declaration of Independence?
3. According to the Declaration of Independence, where do governments derive (get) their
power?
4. According to the Declaration of Independence, what must the people do if the government
abuses its power?
5. The Declaration of Independence is a list of grievances (complaints) about the king of
England (King George III), although they are not numbered and bulleted in the original
document I have done so to make this assignment more manageable for students. Looking
at this list of complaints, what numbers are centered around the colonials # 1 complaint “no
taxation without representation”?
6. Which complaints speak about the manner in which the people of the 13 colonies are put on
trial for a crime and or offense?
7. Which complaints speak about the actions and brutality of the British army in the 13
colonies?
8. Looking at # 18 on the list of complaints, who does the author say the king has also brought
against the members of the 13 colonies? What is the author’s opinion of these type of
people.
9. What have the colonials done prior to the Declaration of Independence in response to the
injustices that are listed in the Declaration of Independence?
10. How have the colonial’s actions prior to the Declaration of Independence been met by the
King, what does that “define” the king as, and what is he “unfit” to do?
11. In two sentences or less, summarize the last paragraph of Declaration of Independence?