RE - Road to Revolution Lesson

Road to Revolution

Common Sense

In January 1776, patriot philosopher Thomas Paine published Common Sense. This small pamphlet had a big effect and moved many Americans to support independence from Great Britain. Colonists were persuaded by the logic of Paine's arguments, including that the Atlantic Ocean was too wide to allow Britain to rule America as well as an American government could, that it was foolish to think an island could rule a continent, and that if Britain were America's mother country, that made Britain's actions all the worse because no mother would treat her children so badly.

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft and then made revisions suggested by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and others. Because The Declaration addressed a worldwide audience, its language was made simple and direct so people everywhere would understand and sympathize with the colonists' cause. The text borrowed phrases from the writings of English philosopher John Locke and repeated legal arguments made famous by French political thinker Charles de Montesquieu. This borrowed language helped convince readers that American independence was supported by the ideas of important philosophers and legal thinkers.

After it explains the philosophical and legal reasons for seeking independence from Britain, the Declaration has its longest section, which gives numerous examples of how King George III had violated the rights of the colonists. Finally, the Declaration offers a discussion of the Americans' many unsuccessful attempts to get relief from Britain and ends with the conclusion that the only way for Americans to have their rights restored is to restore them themselves by declaring independence from Britain and controlling their own government. View the presentation that goes over the events leading up to the American Revolution from 1770.

 

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