#105 Declaring Independence

Detail of a painting by Connecticut’s John Trumbull of the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence at the Second Continental Congress on 28 June 1776. The 1818 original hangs in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. Source: Architect of the Capitol.

Discussion charter:

• Return to the discussing shared discussion values, regroup with the same classmates you spoke about discussion values last class to consider the list we put on the board identify 1-2 strategies or “rules” we could adopt as a class to promote good discussion.
  • For example, if you feel bad conversation happens when one person speaks too often, you could propose a rule whereby no one is allowed to follow a comment they have made with another comment until at least three other people have spoken.
• Write your suggestions within the shared Google Doc.
• Open the floor for comment on the proposals.

SOAPSTone and the Declaration:

• Review selected SOAPSTone analysis points as they apply to the Declaration of Independence, particularly the speaker, audience, and subject of the document.

Discussion on the Declaration of Independence:

• Try practicing some of the rules we have put up on the board. Engage in a brief discussion of on the document. If needed, you might consider working through some of the questions below:
  • Why were Americans, who were loyal to King George III in 1760, now in favor of independence in 1776?
  • What strikes you as the most important belief in the preamble?
  • What are “unalienable rights”? Where might they stem from?
  • Consider the grievances discussed in the latter part of the document. What events do they reference? (Think back to your group research).
  • If you were a member of the British parliament tasked with responding to these grievances, what would you say?
  • As a third-party observer, do you think the case for independence was made strongly in this document? Why or why not?
  • Why is consent important for the authors of this document?
  • What questions might you have for Thomas Jefferson about this document?
  • Who were the “Americans” represented in 1776? And who are the “men” that the document refers to?
  • Should the Declaration of Independence be celebrated on July 4th? What did the Declaration of Independence accomplish? Who gained liberty? Who did not? What did it leave unresolved?
  • Does this document hold up looking back from the 21st century? – more or less than you might have remembered or its reputation in history books?

Discussion self-reflection (5 min):

• In the final 5 minutes of class, complete a Discussion Self-Reflection (Mr. Hall will send a link to you by email).

​​Homework: Assignment #106