American Revolution

Standard(s) of Learning

Content

Explain how new political ideas about the relationship between people and their government helped to justify the Declaration of Independence.                                                                              

Summarize the following ideas of John Locke, and explain their influence on Thomas Jefferson’s writings in the Declaration of Independence. The period known as the “Enlightenment” in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the development of new ideas about the rights of people and their relationship to their rulers. John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas, more than any others, influenced the American belief in self-government. Locke wrote that:
•    All people are free, equal, and have “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property that rulers cannot take away.                                                                                                                   
•    All original power resides in the people, and they consent to enter into a “social contract” among themselves to form a government to protect their rights. In return, the people promise to obey the laws and rules established by their government, establishing a system of “ordered liberty.”
•    Government’s powers are limited to those the people have consented to give to it. Whenever government becomes a threat to the people’s natural rights, it breaks the social contract and the people have the right to alter or overthrow it.                                                                  
Locke’s ideas about the sovereignty and rights of the people were radical and challenged the centuries-old practice throughout the world of dictatorial rule by kings, emperors, and tribal chieftains.   

Summarize the following ideas of Thomas Paine, and explain their influence on Thomas Jefferson’s writings in the Declaration of Independence:
•    Thomas Paine was an English immigrant to America who produced a pamphlet known as Common Sense that challenged the rule of the American colonies by the King of England. •    Common Sense was read and acclaimed by many American colonists during the mid-1700s and contributed to a growing sentiment for independence from England.                                 

Compare the following excerpts from the Declaration of Independence to illustrate how the eventual draft, authored by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, reflected the ideas of Locke and Paine:
•    “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 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 abolish it, and to institute new government….”                                      

Explain that in the draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson detailed many of the grievances against the King of England that Paine had earlier described in Common Sense.

Describe how the revolutionary generation formulated the political philosophy and laid the institutional foundations for the system of government under which we live.                                             

Describe how the American Revolution was inspired by ideas concerning natural rights and political authority, and how its successful completion affected people and governments throughout the world for many generations.

Sample Resources

Below is an annotated list of Internet resources for this organizing topic. Copyright restrictions may exist for the material on some Web sites. Please note and abide by any such restrictions.

“Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America.” THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet. Library of Congress. <http://memory.loc.gov/const/declar.html>. This site contains a copy of the Declaration of Independence that can be printed and cut up for use in session 7.

Best of History Web Sites. <http://www.besthistorysites.net>. This site offers searchable access to information related to this organizing topic.

Documents of American History. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/AmericanDoc99.pdf>. This site offers an 88-page Virginia Department of Education publication containing important American history documents and tips for classroom teaching of their contents.

GovSpot. <http://www.govspot.com>. This site contains a wealth of information about the federal government today and yesterday. The pages devoted to historical documents are especially valuable for History and Social Science teachers.

“John Locke.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/>. This site offers a biography of John Locke.

socialstudies.org. National Council for the Social Studies. <http://www.socialstudies.org>. This site allows visitors to search for information on a multitude of social studies subjects.

Teaching with Documents Lesson Plan: Images of the American Revolution — Digital Classroom. U.S. National Archives & Records Administration. <http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/american_revolution_images> This site offers a summary of the conflict and access to related pictures and documents.

Thomas Paine National Historical Association. <http://www.thomaspaine.org/>. This site provides information about the life, times, and works of Thomas Paine.

U.S. Department of Education. <http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/cfapps/free/displaysubject.cfm?sid=9>. Type in a topic (e.g., Columbus), and then click "Search."

Virginia Historical Society. <http://www.vahistorical.org/>. This site contains multiple resources pertaining to Virginia history for use by teachers.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. <http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/>. This site contains samples of American art.

Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning: History and Social Science Released Items for Virginia and United States History.  Virginia Department of Education 2003/04.  <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/Release2003/History/VA-RIBs_g11vush-1.pdf>.

Virginia Standards of Learning Assessments for the 2001 History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Virginia and United States History. Test Blueprint. Virginia Department of Education, 2003/04. <http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Assessment/HistoryBlueprints03/2002Blueprint10VUS.pdf>. This site provides assessment information for the course in Virginia and United States History.

The World Factbook 2002. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/>. This site contains searchable information on all countries.