Name: _____________________________________________
History: Lesson 5.4 – Declaring Independence
Date: _________________________
Period: _______________________
Declaration of Independence Breakdown
I. Declaring Independence
1. The Second Continental Congress debated whether the colonies should declare themselves an
independent nation or stay under British rule.
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Some delegates still thought the colonies should not form a separate nation.
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Others argued that war had already begun and they should be free from Great Britain.
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Still others feared Britain’s power to crush the rebellion.
II. Writing the Declaration
1. While the delegates debated, Congress chose a committee to write a declaration of independence.
2. Thomas Jefferson agreed that he would write the Declaration of Independence.
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He drew on ideas from English philosopher John Locke to explain why the 13 colonies
were proclaiming their freedom.
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In the 1690’s Locke expressed the idea that people are born with certain natural rights to
life, liberty, and property.
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Locke wrote that people form governments to protect those rights, and that a government
interfering with those rights could rightfully be overthrown.
3. John Hancock signed the Declaration first. He remarked that he wrote his name large enough for King
George to read without his glasses.
4. Eventually 56 delegates signed the document announcing the birth of the United States.
5. Copies of the Declaration of Independence were printed and sent out to the people in the newly
declared states, and celebrations happened across the colonies.
III. The Declaration of Independence
1. The Declaration has four major sections:
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The preamble, or introduction, states that people who wish to form a new country should explain
their reasons for doing so.
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The next two sections of the Declaration list the rights that the colonists believed they should
have and their complaints against Great Britain.
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The final section proclaims the existence of the new nation.
2. The Declaration of Independence states what Jefferson and many Americans thought were universal
principles – that is, principles that apply to all people in all situations. It begins by describing what had
long been viewed as basic English rights:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable [not to be denied] Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit of Happiness.”
- Declaration of Independence, 1776
3. The Declaration states that government exists to protect these rights.

If government fails, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute a new
Government.”
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The document goes on to list grievances against the king and Parliament.

These include “cutting off our trade with all parts of the world” and “imposing taxes on us
without out consent.”
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Americans had “Petitioned for Redress” of these grievances. The British had ignored, or rejected
these petitions.
4. Finally, the Declaration announces America’s new status. Pledging “to each other our Lives, our
Fortunes, and our sacred Honor,” the Americans declared themselves a new nation. The struggle for
independence – the American Revolution – had begun.
Wrap Up Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Why did some delegates believe that the colonies should not declare independence from Britain?
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2. Who did Thomas Jefferson draw his ideas from for the Declaration of Independence? What were his
ideas?
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3. Who wrote his name first on the Declaration of Independence?
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4. What is the main idea (key point) of this passage: “We hold these truths to be self-evident (obvious),
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed (supported) by their Creator (God) with certain
unalienable [not to be denied] Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
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5. Look at Part III. Does the Declaration of Independence describe what was going on in the colonies at
that time? Explain.
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6. The Declaration of Independence states that Americans must pledge (promise) “to each other our
Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” What does he mean by this?
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7. What is the main point of the Preamble?
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1. •
Some delegates still thought the colonies should not form a separate nation.
•
Still others feared Britain’s power to crush the rebellion.
2. John Locke. In the 1690’s Locke expressed the idea that people are born with certain natural rights to
life, liberty, and property.
3. John Hancock
4. That all men are created equal and should not be denied basic rights.
5. Yes. It tells how the colonists believed they had been wronged by Britain. It explains the rights that the
colonists should have. Then it states that the colonies are a new nation.
6. That Americans needs to stay together and make sacrifice in order to achieve independence.
7. It states the reasons for the colonists’ severing their ties with Great Britain.