Humanities II (Honors); worksheet on the Declaration of Independence
1. Note that in the first sentence of the Declaration, one word is not capitalized that we now
would expect to be. (At the time, it was customary in English to capitalize all or most nouns.)
Which one? What does this tell you about the intentions of the writers?
2. Compare the God-given rights mentioned at the beginning of the second paragraph with
Locke’s in ¶6 (p. 9). How do we know that we have these rights?
3. The sentence in the second paragraph beginning “But when a long train of abuses…” contains
something approximating plagiarism of ¶225 of Locke’s Second Treatise. What?
4. What (or who) are the first 12 complaints, as well as the last 5, directed against? What (or
who) are the 13th through 22nd complaints directed against?
5. Do these complaints meet the definition of “tyranny” found in ¶199 and ¶¶201-210 in Locke’s
Second Treatise? Why or why not?
6. Imagine you are King George III of England, and the Declaration of Independence has just
come across your desk. How would you react?
Humanities II (Honors); worksheet on the Constitution of the United States
1. Which branch of government is dealt with by Article I, and which by Article II? Which
branch does Locke (in ¶134 and ¶¶149-150 of the Second Treatise) think is the “supreme” one?
Do you see a connection here? What?
2. In Article I, Section 2, paragraph 3, of the original version of the Constitution, which people in
a state are fully represented in Congress? What about the rest of the residents of a state? Take a
look back at Locke’s view of the ownership of land (in ¶32 of the Second Treatise). Again, do
you see any connection here? What?
3. What is the process for impeaching the President, as stated in the last paragraph of Article I,
Section 2; the last two paragraphs of Article I, Section 3; and Article II, Section 4? How is this
an application of Locke’s view of the “supreme” branch of government?
4. What is the President’s power in passing laws (discussed in Article I, Section 7)? How is this
(again!) an application of Locke’s view of the “supreme” branch of government?
5. Notice that Congress has the power to declare war, to raise and support the Army and the
Navy (Article I, Section 8), but the President is still the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and
the Navy (Article II, Section 2). Why do you think this is? How is this an application of
Locke’s view of executive prerogative, discussed in ¶¶159-160 of the Second Treatise?
6. Why did the last paragraph of Article IV, Section 2 have to be superseded (i.e., replaced) by
the 13th Amendment, which banned slavery?
7. What are your general impressions of the intentions of the writers of the Constitution about the
extent of the power of the executive branch? Recall the quotation from Dick Cheney given in
question #22 on the second worksheet on Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. Do you think
that Cheney was speaking in the spirit of the Constitution when he complained about the
“erosion” of the power of the White House over the past 30 or 35 years? Explain.