MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Curriculum and Instruction
Division of Language Arts/Reading
English Language Arts (ELA) Exemplar Lesson
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON – Teacher Copy
Learning Objectives
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
The goal of this exemplar lesson is to provide students an opportunity to explore targeted passages of complex texts. Students will utilize rich
discussions based on text-dependent questions to unravel complex, logical arguments found in skillfully crafted historical documents. Vocabulary is
learned from context and written responses foster deeper understanding of text. The lesson culminates in an evidentiary writing activity. Teachers
may need to further scaffold activities to address individual students’ needs depending on the intent of the lesson and specific learners’ needs.
Rationale: This lesson explores a significant public legal document, the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. By looking at this
historical document, both through the writer’s position and his ideological influences , students will conduct a close, analytic reading to expose the
themes behind the 1775 spirit of rebellion against British rule.
Text Title(s): The Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson); excerpt from Second Treatise of Government (John Locke)
McDougal Littell Literature, pp. 234 - 240
Genre/Text Structure: Public documents – Primary Source Informational Nonfiction
Targeted Text Selection – The Declaration of Independence and excerpt from Second Treatise of Government
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
RI.11-12; RH.11-12; W.11-12; WHST.11-12
http://www.corestandards.org
Lesson Sequence
PERFORMANCE TASK /CULMINATING INDEPENDENT WRITING ASSESSMENT:

Analyze Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, identifying its purpose and evaluating rhetorical features such as the listing of
grievances. Compare and contrast the themes and argument found there to those of other U.S. documents of historical and literary
significance.

Analyze Locke’s Second Treatise of Government for common themes that inspired Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence.
Activity 1:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):

What argument does Jefferson advance in the Declaration of Independence?

What persuasive techniques and rhetorical devices empower Jefferson’s argument?

What are Jefferson’s purposes for listing the despotic acts of the king?
1. The teacher/students will read the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence on pages 236 - 237. The targeted section may be read
independently, read aloud or played on audio at www.classzone.com in its entirety. Rereading is embedded in the text-dependent questions and
discussion activities.
2. Students paraphrase lines 1-15 as they engage in thoughtful exchange of ideas. Write a summation about the initial meaning they have made
from reading the opening paragraphs.
3. Students will independently read pages 236 - 240 as they write their own questions in response journals in preparation for higher order
discussions.
Activities 2, 3 and 4:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):

Identify categories of grievances related to the concepts of legislative, judicial, military, and trade and provide textual evidence for each.

What objections does Jefferson appear to be anticipating and refuting in the Declaration?

What great thinkers and documents of the 1700s influenced Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration?

In what way did John Locke’s Second Treatise and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence produce similar results?
1. Returning to the text, the teacher asks students a small set of guiding questions about lines 1 – 15, lines 59 – 76, and lines 102 – 116. The
targeted text should be in front of the students as they engage in their discussions.
2. Graphic organizers (Paraphrasing, Classification Chart, 2-column notes) and written responses (objective summation) serve as a means to
organize thoughts for prewriting activities.
3. Students will independently read pages 236 – 240 to locate and analyze persuasive techniques (logical, emotional, ethic appeals) and rhetorical
devices (rhetorical question, antithesis, repetition, parallelism) used in the Declaration.
4. Use Communication, Information and Media connections at www.classzone.com ,www.discoveryeducation.com, or other online resources to
analyze film clips that provide a historical background for Jefferson’s public legal document OR use the public domain documents identified in
week 7.
Activity 5:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):

Analyze Locke’s Second Treatise of Government for common themes that inspired Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence.
2012-2013
1
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Targeted Text Selection
lines 1 – 15, p. 236
lines 1 – 15, p. 236
In Congress, July 4, 1776
1 When, in the course of human events, it becomes
necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected
them with another, and to
assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate
and equal station to which
the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a
decent respect to the
5 opinions of mankind requires that they should
declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.
7 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
10 rights, governments are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed; 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 a new government, laying its foundation
on such principles, and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect
15 -their safety and happiness.
lines 59 – 76, p. 239
He has combined with others to subject us to a
jurisdiction foreign to our
60 constitutions, and unacknowledged by our laws;
giving his assent to their acts of
pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;
For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment
for any murders which
they should commit on the inhabitants of these States;
65 For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;
For imposing taxes on us without our consent;
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial
by jury;
For transporting us beyond the seas, to be tried for
pretended offenses;
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a
neighboring province,7
70 establishing there an arbitrary government, and
enlarging its boundaries, so as to
render it at once an example and fit instrument for
introducing the same absolute
rule into these colonies;
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most
valuable laws, and altering,
fundamentally, the forms of our governments;
75 For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring
themselves invested with
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
2012-2013
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
Vocabulary
line 6 impel: to
drive forward; to
force
line 8 unalienable:
not to be taken
away; today the
usual form is
inalienable.
line 9 secure: to
protect from harm
or danger
line 11 consent:
approval;
agreement;
permission
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
GUIDING QUESTION: What persuasive techniques and
rhetorical questions empower Jefferson’s argument?
(Q1) Paraphrase lines 1-15 using
the graphic organizer. (See
student graphic and teacher
KEY.) What persuasive
techniques and rhetorical
questions empower Jefferson’s
argument?
Possible answer. (See KEY for
paraphrasing organizer.) Lines 7
– 15 include parallel clauses
beginning with that. The
parallelism unifies the parts of the statement, which
emphasizes the ideas expressed; parallelism also adds rhythm.
Return to the text, and ask students a small set of guiding
questions about the document.
(Q2) What argument does Jefferson present in lines 1 – 6 of
the Declaration of Independence?
Possible answer. Jefferson claims that the colonists owe the
world an explanation for their need to sever ties with Great
Britain. He says he will list the reasons that force the
separation.
(Q3) Reread lines 59 -76. Explain the significance of the
itemized list of examples in lines 62 – 76. What persuasive
techniques and rhetorical questions empower Jefferson’s
argument?
line 64 commit: to
perpetrate; to carry
out; to execute
Possible answer. The list itemizes legislation of the British
Parliament agreed to by the king but opposed by the Colonies.
Lines 62-76 uses logical appeal to list injuries and usurpations
under King George.
(Q4) What are Jefferson’s purposes for listing the despotic acts
of the king?
Possible answer. Jefferson’s purposes are to explain the need
for a new government and to gain the sympathy of undecided
colonists and nations.
(Q5) Reread lines 55-61. Why might each of these offenses of
the king upset the colonists?
line 70 arbitrary:
not fixed by law or
reason; capricious
Possible answer. The colonists cannot govern themselves and
make decisions that benefit them if they do not have control of
the army or the government.
(Q6) Which grievances in this passage are the most
insufferable?
line 76 legislate: to
make or enact laws;
to establish or
authorize powers
Possible answer. The army kept on colonial soil without
consent (line 55), to taxation without representation (line 66),
and to the dissolution of colonial government (lines 73-74).
2
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
(Q7) Classification Charts are used to
organize facts and details about several
related ideas. Use the graphic found at
www.Classzone.com (Best Practices
Toolkit – Classification Chart p. B17) to
identify categories of grievances, such as
legislative, judicial, military, and trade.
Place specific grievances in each
category.
Possible answer. Military grievance: kept standing army,
quartered troops, etc.
lines 102 – 116, p. 240
102 They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice
and of consanguinity.10 We
must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which
denounces our separation; and
hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in
war, in peace friends.
105 We, Therefore, the Representatives of the United
States of America,
in General Congress assembled, appealing to the
Supreme Judge of the world for
the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by
the authority of the good
people of these colonies, solemnly publish and
declare, that these United Colonies
are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent
States; that they are absolved
110 from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all
political connection between
them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be,
totally dissolved; and that,
as free and independent states, they have full power
to levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all
other acts and things which
independent states may of right do. And, for the
support of this declaration, with
115 a firm reliance on the protection of Divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to
each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honor.
2012-2013
(Q8) In lines 102 – 104 what objections does Jefferson appear
to be anticipating and refuting?
line 107 rectitude:
morally correct
behavior or thinking
Possible answer. Jefferson appears to be anticipating and
refuting the claim that the British people were not aware of the
intensity of Colonial dissatisfaction.
(Q9) What is the purpose of the final paragraph (lines 105 –
116)?
line 108 publish: to
make information
available to the
public; to announce;
to disseminate or
distribute
Possible answer. The paragraph provides a formal statement
of independence. Jefferson eloquently advances the argument
that sovereign states have the full power to “levy war, conclude
peace, contract alliances, establish commerce” (lines 112-113)
which remains relevant in the 21st century.
(Q10) Identify two or more central ideas of the document.
Possible answer. Thomas Jefferson was clearly inspired by the
writing of Enlightenment thinkers. For instance, Jean-Jacques
Rousseau wrote that if a government did not protect its
people’s freedom, it should not exist. Voltaire also believed
that people had a right to liberty. Enlightenment ideals
prompted action and gave colonists a philosophical footing for
their revolution by questioning basic assumptions about
government. Who really has the right to rule? These old and
new beliefs are central ideas of the Declaration of
Independence.
3
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
Cross Genre Connections OR Across Text or NonText Sources:
(Q11) Independently reread pages 236 – 240 to locate and
analyze persuasive techniques (logical, emotional, ethic
appeals) and rhetorical devices (rhetorical question, antithesis,
repetition, parallelism) used in the Declaration in preparation
for the independent summative assessment.
Possible answer.
 Lines 7 – 15 include parallel clauses beginning with that.
The parallelism unifies the parts of the statement, which
emphasizes the ideas expressed; parallelism also adds
rhythm.
 Lines 28 – 59 includes parallel sentence structure (He
has….) to emphasize the overwhelming evidence that
exists to support grievances against King George.
 Lines 62 – 76 includes parallel clauses beginning with For…
to clearly enumerate there is virtually no end to the
injuries inflicted on the colonies by an indifferent and
tyrannical king.
 Lines 62-76 uses logical appeal to list injuries and
usurpations under King George.
 Lines 81-82 uses emotional appeal through loaded
vocabulary “…works of death, desolation, and tyranny…”
that would likely create anger among the colonists.
 Lines 91 – 92 uses ethical appeal to portray Jefferson as
reasonable, moderate, fair, humble, and patient.
GUIDING QUESTION(S): What great thinkers and documents of
the 1700s influenced Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration?
As you view selected video clips found at
www.discoveryeducation.com use the graphic organizer to
record evidence of the people and ideas that influenced
Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration.
(Q12) What is the fundamental difference between a system
based on “a God-given right” to rule and a system based on
democracy?
Just the Facts: Documents of Destiny: Foundations and the
Colonial Era
Inspirations for the Declaration
Writing the Declaration of Independence
Common Sense
The Declaration of Independence
See the KEY for possible answers.
Possible answer. A system that classifies human rights as a
matter of reason and abiding truth names Gods as the ultimate
source of these sacred rights. In “a government by the people,”
the citizens agree to abide by government laws and rules. In
return, the government promises to protect the citizens’ rights
and freedoms. A system based on democracy recognizes a
more inclusive precept expanding to apply, for instance, to
women and to people of color.
(Q13) Analyze Locke’s Second Treatise of Government for
common themes that inspired Jefferson’s writing of The
Declaration of Independence.
Possible answer. The Enlightenment led European thinkers to
question traditional concepts of government by the people. As
American colonists adapted Enlightenment ideas, they too
questioned traditional authority, causing them to reject British
control and move toward democratic government.
(Q14) In what way did John Locke’s Second Treatise and
Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence produce
similar results?
Possible answer. Both led people to question traditional
authority. The words Jefferson wrote show that his thinking
was greatly influenced by John Locke. Both men stress the idea
that unalienable rights are as natural as they are sacred and
note that protection of these rights is the only just purpose of
government. Locke discusses the natural rights that all citizens
possess and challenges the divine right of kings. Jefferson uses
rhetoric that is thoughtful and deliberate, presenting a careful
argument to justify forming an independent government.
2012-2013
4
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
Declaration
“all men are created equal”
“they are endowed by their
Creator with certain
unalienable Rights”
“among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness”
“to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their
just powers from the
consent of the governed”
“whenever any Form of
Government becomes
destructive of these end, it is
the Right of the People to
alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government”
Cross Genre Connections OR Across Text or NonText Sources:
Formative Assessment/ Rubrics, if applicable
Summative Assessment/ Culminating Independent
Writing Task
Locke
all humans have natural
rights
the function of government
is to protect those rights
people can replace their
government if it fails in its
contractual obligations to
protect peoples’ rights
(Q15) How does this illustration capture John Locke’s
philosophy of what might happen in a state of nature?
Graphic organizers (Paraphrasing, Classification Chart, 2-column notes) and written
responses (objective summation) serve as a means to organize thoughts for
prewriting activities and formative assessments.
PERFORMANCE TASK:
In a 1-2 page evidentiary response explain John Locke’s ideas about natural rights and
social contracts. Then explain how and where these ideas are found in the Declaration
of Independence.
Possible short answer.
John Locke believed that all people were born equal. They had certain God-given rights
that he called natural rights. These included the right to life, to freedom, and to own
property. He also wrote that an agreement, called a social contract, existed between
government and the people. If the government failed to uphold the people’s right, the
contract was broken. Then the people could choose new leaders. At the start of the
Declaration, Jefferson writes that all men are equal and lists Locke’s natural rights,
with some minor changes. He then draws on Locke’s social contract in saying that
people have the right to change or replace a government that has become destructive.
Possible evidentiary answer.
Intellectual inquiry throughout Europe in the 1700s became known as the
Enlightenment Era as thinkers began to question long-held beliefs about government.
Enlightenment ideals prompted action and gave colonists a philosophical footing for
their revolution by questioning basic assumptions about government. Who really has
the right to rule? These old and new beliefs are central ideas of the Declaration of
Independence. The Founding Fathers discussed and debated these ideas and began to
incorporate some of the thinking in the Declaration of Independence to explain why
2012-2013
5
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
Americans were opposed to British rule in the colonies. The English philosopher, John
Locke, had a profound impact on Jefferson’s ideology. Many of the Founders’ ideas
about government were based on Locke’s philosophy about natural rights and social
contracts. Locke published a book called Two Treatises of Government about the
natural rights of individuals. In this book Locke advanced his idea of a state of nature
where no governments or laws existed at all. Locke reasoned that in a state of nature
all people seek to have the following rights:

Life - People want to survive and be safe from threats to their lives.

Liberty – People want to be as free as possible and make their own decision
regarding how they live their lives.

Property - People want to own things that are necessary to survive, such as
food, houses, tools, or land.
Extension Activities/Further Resources
Both Locke and the writing of Jefferson in the Declaration led people to question
traditional authority. The words Jefferson wrote show that his thinking was greatly
influenced by John Locke. Jefferson’s purpose was twofold: to explain the need for a
new government and to explain to undecided colonists and nations the need to sever
ties with Great Britain. Both men stress the idea that unalienable rights are as natural
as they are sacred and note that protection of these rights is the only just purpose of
government.
Technology:
www.discoveryeducation.com – (see links embedded in pacing guide)
www.classzone.com
Graphic Organizers – Classification Charts ,Persuasive Essay template at
www.classzone.com
2012-2013
6
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
Student Copy
Text Title(s): The Declaration of Independence – Thomas Jefferson
McDougal Littell Literature, pp. 234 - 240
Genre/Text Structure: Public document
Targeted Text Selection – Lines 1 – 15, lines 59 – 76, and lines 102 – 116
Targeted Text Selection
Vocabulary
Student-Generated
Text-Dependent Questions
lines 1 – 15, p. 236
GUIDING QUESTION: What persuasive techniques and
In Congress, July 4, 1776
rhetorical questions empower Jefferson’s argument?
1 When, in the course of human events, it becomes
necessary for one people to
line 6 impel:
(Q1) Paraphrase lines 1-15 using the graphic organizer. (See
dissolve the political bands which have connected
student graphic)
them with another, and to
assume, among the powers of the earth, the
separate and equal station to which
Return to the text, and ask students a small set of guiding
the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them,
questions about the document.
a decent respect to the
line 8 unalienable:
(Q2) What argument does Jefferson present in lines 1 – 6 of
5 opinions of mankind requires that they should
the Declaration of Independence?
declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.
7 We hold these truths to be self-evident:—That all
men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
line 9 secure:
unalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. That, to secure these
10 rights, governments are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed; that, whenever any
line 11 consent:
form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the
people to alter or to abolish it, and
to institute a new government, laying its foundation
on such principles, and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall
seem most likely to effect
15 -their safety and happiness.
lines 59 – 76, p. 239
He has combined with others to subject us to a
jurisdiction foreign to our
60 constitutions, and unacknowledged by our laws;
giving his assent to their acts of
pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among
us;
For protecting them, by a mock trial, from
punishment for any murders which
they should commit on the inhabitants of these
States;
65 For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;
For imposing taxes on us without our consent;
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of
trial by jury;
For transporting us beyond the seas, to be tried for
pretended offenses;
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a
neighboring province,7
70 establishing there an arbitrary government, and
2012-2013
line 64 commit:
line 70 arbitrary:
line 76 legislate:
(Q3) Reread lines 59 -76. Explain the significance of the
itemized list of examples in lines 62 – 76. What persuasive
techniques and rhetorical questions empower Jefferson’s
argument?
(Q4) What are Jefferson’s purposes for listing the despotic acts
of the king?
(Q5) Reread lines 55-61. Why might each of these offenses of
the king upset the colonists?
(Q6) Which grievances in this passage are the most
insufferable?
7
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
enlarging its boundaries, so as to
render it at once an example and fit instrument for
introducing the same absolute
rule into these colonies;
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most
valuable laws, and altering,
fundamentally, the forms of our governments;
75 For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring
themselves invested with
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
lines 102 – 116, p. 240
102 They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice
and of consanguinity.10 We
must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which
denounces our separation; and
hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies
in war, in peace friends.
105 We, Therefore, the Representatives of the United
States of America,
in General Congress assembled, appealing to the
Supreme Judge of the world for
the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and
by the authority of the good
people of these colonies, solemnly publish and
declare, that these United Colonies
are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent
States; that they are absolved
110 from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all
political connection between
them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to
be, totally dissolved; and that,
as free and independent states, they have full
power to levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all
other acts and things which
independent states may of right do. And, for the
support of this declaration, with
115 a firm reliance on the protection of Divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to
each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honor.
(Q7) Use the Classification Chart to identify categories of
grievances, such as legislative, judicial, military, and trade.
Place specific grievances in each category.
line 107 rectitude:
(Q8) In lines 102 – 104 what objections does Jefferson appear
to be anticipating and refuting?
line 108 publish:
(Q9) What is the purpose of the final paragraph (lines 105 –
116)?
(Q10) Identify two or more central ideas of the document.
Cross Genre Connections OR Across Text or NonText Sources:
GUIDING QUESTION(S): What great thinkers and documents of
the 1700s influenced Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration?
As you listen to the video clips found at
www.discoveryeducation.com use 2-column notes to
record evidence of the people and ideas that influenced
Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration.
(Q11) What is the fundamental difference between a system
based on “a God-given right” to rule and a system based on
democracy?
Cross Genre
Connections
OR Across Text
or Non-Text
Sources:
2012-2013
(Q12) Analyze Locke’s Second Treatise of Government for
common themes that inspired Jefferson’s writing of The
Declaration of Independence.
(Q13) In what way did John Locke’s Second Treatise and
Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence produce
similar results?
(Q14) How does this illustration capture John Locke’s
philosophy of what might happen in a state of nature?
8
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
PERFORMANCE TASK: Culminating Independent Writing Task
In a 1-2 page evidentiary response, explain John Locke’s ideas about natural rights and social contracts. Then explain how and where these ideas
are found in the Declaration of Independence.
FOR QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS DOCUMENT PLEASE CONTACT THE DIVISION OF LANGUAGE ARTS READING, 305-995-3122;
Dr. Erin Cuartas, Instructional Supervisor (ecuartas@dadeschools.net).
2012-2013
9
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
|| The Declaration of Independence ||
Author: Thomas Jefferson
In June of 1776, Thomas Jefferson and other colonial leaders had decided to rebel against British rule.
But
they needed to justify their dangerous action—to themselves, to the king, and to the world. Amid all the clash
of conflicting interests, amid all the welter of partisan politics, Thomas Jefferson crafted the Declaration of
Independence that, after two centuries, Americans can turn to with the assurance and confidence that this
great charter of freedom and justice remain firm and unshaken.
Directions: The first 15 lines of the Declaration of Independence consist of 3
long sentences. Use this chart to paraphrase these3 sentences phrase-byphrase and explain the meaning of each phrase. Next, write an objective
Paraphrased:
summary of Jefferson’s Declaration wherein you analyze how he articulates the
central ideas of liberty and how those ideas interact and build on one another.
In Congress, July 4, 1776
(1) When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for
one people to
(2) dissolve the political bands which have connected them with
another, and to
(3) assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal
station to which
(4) the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent
respect to the
(5) opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the
causes which impel
(6) them to the separation.
(7) We hold these truths to be self-evident:—That all men are
created equal;
(8) that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights; that
(9) among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That,
to secure these
(10) rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their
(11)
(12)
(13)
(14)
(15)
just powers from
the consent of the governed; 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 a 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.
Summarization: Write an objective summary of Jefferson’s Declaration wherein you analyze how he articulates the central ideas of liberty and how
those ideas interact and build on one another.
2012-2013
10
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
THE ENLIGHTENMENT – Ideas of the Age - STUDENT
Thomas Jefferson’s The Declaration of Independence and John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government
I
n the 1700s, there was a burst of intellectual energy taking place in
Europe that came to be known as the Enlightenment. Enlightenment
thinkers had begun to question previously accepted truths about who
should hold the power in government. Their thinking pointed the
way to a government by the people—one in which people consent to
government limitations in exchange for the government’s protection
of their basic rights and liberties.
For centuries, European kings and queens had ruled because it was believed that
they had a God-given right to do so. But in the Age of Enlightenment, people began
question basic assumptions about government. In America, a popular uprising put a
new kind of government to the test: democracy. With this experiment, the young
American nation was asking: Who really has the right to rule?
to
American colonists adapted these Enlightenment ideals to their own environment.
The political writings of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson
shaped the American Enlightenment and began to eclipse even the most brilliant
European thought. Enlightenment ideals prompted action and gave colonists a
philosophical footing for their revolution. “I know not what course others may
take,”
Patrick Henry thundered to the delegates at the second Virginia Convention in 1775,
“but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Thomas Jefferson was clearly influenced by John Locke’s Second Treatise when he composed the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was
also inspired by the writing of other Enlightenment thinkers. For instance, Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote that if a government did not protect its
people’s freedom, it should not exist. Voltaire also believed that people had a write to liberty. The Declaration of Independence reflects many
of these old and new beliefs.
GUIDING QUESTION:

What great thinkers and documents of the 1700s influenced Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration?

What is the fundamental difference between a system based on “a God-given right” to rule and a system based on democracy?

Analyze Locke’s Second Treatise of Government for common themes that inspired Jefferson’s writing of The Declaration of
Independence.

In what way did John Locke’s Second Treatise and Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence produce similar results?
John Locke
Thomas Jefferson
PERFORMANCE TASK:
What great thinkers and documents of the 1700s influenced Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration? Explain John Locke’s ideas about natural
rights and social contracts. Then, explain how and where these ideas are found in the Declaration of Independence.
2012-2013
11
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
2012-2013
Quarter 1, Week 6: 09/24/12 – 09/28/12
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