The Declaration of Independence

1. The Declaration of Independence • The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. • The main writer was Thomas Jefferson. • The Declaration of Independence was written to tell the world that the United States was now a free and independent county, free from the rule of King George III and Great Britain. • Your assignment follows.

2. Title the next page of your notebook:The Declaration of Independence Vocabulary Study Chart • You will be Copying vocabulary words from the Declaration of Independence, and then rewriting the paragraph in your own words.

3. 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 to abolish it, and to institute 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.

4. evident • Obvious, clear • Easy or clear to understand

5. endowed • Given, gifted • To give somebody something they want

6. unalienable • cannot be taken away

7. Liberty • Freedom, independence

8. pursuit • Search, quest, striving, goal, aim, objective

9. secure • Protect, Safe • Protected from danger

10. instituted • begun, founded, established • To start something, to get underway

11. consent • Permission • To give permission or approval for something to happen.

12. alter • A change or adjustment to something

13. abolish • destroy, terminate, eliminate, extinguish • To put an end to something

14. Your assignment • Rewrite the paragraph of the Declaration of Independence that begins “We hold these truths to be self-evident” in your own words.

15. 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 to abolish it, and to institute 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.