The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are both extremely important historical documents. Both helped to shape the United States and its government. Choose either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution and explain how it established the foundation for life in the United States.
What are the documents that Shaped America?
Custom quiz (PDF Format) The Documents that Shaped America By Phyllis Naegeli 1 Three documents formed our country. They are: 2 The Declaration of Independence 3 The Constitution 4 The Bill of Rights 5 Here's how they came to be a part of our history: 6 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
What documents influenced the US Constitution?
Documents that influenced the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence: (1776) Written by Thomas Jefferson and influenced by John Locke, it stated that people have unalienable rights, and if the government breaks its promise to the people, the people have the right to abolish (get rid of) that government.
What are the three documents that formed our country?
1 Three documents formed our country. They are: 2 The Declaration of Independence 3 The Constitution 4 The Bill of Rights 5 Here's how they came to be a part of our history: 6 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 7 For about one hundred fifty years, England's king ruled America. King GeorgeIII became the king in 1760.
Who engraves the declaration of Independence?
Stone Engraving of the Declaration of Independence. In 1820, the Declaration of Independence was already showing signs of age. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned printer William J. Stone to make a full-size copperplate engraving.
What documents influenced the Declaration of Independence?
The Virginia Declaration of Rights strongly influenced Thomas Jefferson in writing the first part of the Declaration of Independence. It later provided the foundation for the Bill of Rights.
What three important documents were significant in declaring our Independence?
Explore the DocumentsDeclaration of Independence.Constitution of the United States.Bill of Rights.
What is the most important document in the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It marked an official step taken by the American colonies toward independence from British rule under the monarchy of King George III.
Which documents influence the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution?
The amendments to the Constitution that Congress proposed in 1791 were strongly influenced by state declarations of rights, particularly the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, which incorporated a number of the protections of the 1689 English Bill of Rights and Magna Carta.
What were the main ideas that shaped the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence states three basic ideas: (1) God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; (2) the main business of government is to protect these rights; (3) if a government tries to withhold these rights, the people are free to revolt and to set up a ...
What led to the Declaration of Independence?
On April 19, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord initiated armed conflict between Great Britain and the 13 North American colonies (the nucleus of the future United States of America). At that time few of the colonists consciously desired to separate from Britain.
What was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it.
How was the Declaration of Independence different from previous documents?
How was the Declaration of Independence different from previous documents prepared by colonists? It committed the colonies to being independent. It asked King George III to take action. It did not list problems the colonists had with British rule.
How did common sense influence the Declaration of Independence?
By promoting the idea of American exceptionalism and the need to form a new nation to realize its promise, Paine's pamphlet not only attracted public support for the Revolution, but put the rebellion's leaders under pressure to declare independence.
What 3 documents influenced the Constitution?
They are the Magna Carta, the Charters of the Virginia Company of London, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence, This is a graphic organizer of 2 of the earlier historical documents that influenced the creation of the Constitution of the United States.
What are the five founding documents?
U.S. Congress records from 1774 to 1875, including Bills and Resolutions, Congressional Record and Statutes at Large.The Constitution. ... Declaration of Independence. ... Bill of Rights. ... Federalist Papers.
How did Magna Carta influence the Declaration of Independence?
The Magna Carta came to represent the idea that the people can assert their rights against an oppressive ruler and that the power of government can be limited to protect those rights. These concepts were clearly foundational and central to both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
Which of the following documents was most influential in the creation of the Bill of Rights?
The Bill of Rights was strongly influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason. Other precursors include English documents such as the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the English Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties.
What movement most directly influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence?
The Enlightenment was an 18th-century intellectual movement with a strong focus on the individual, rationalism, and natural rights. Philosophers of this movement, such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, inspired Thomas Jefferson in his writing of the Declaration of Independence.
What are the intellectual sources of the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson used the thoughts first penned by John Locke while writing the Declaration of Independence. The phrase "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness," was an idea first considered by Locke in his Two Treatises on Government.
What is a founding document that provides direction for a country's laws and government?
The Constitution was devised with an ingenious and intricate built-in system to guard the people's liberty against combinations of government power.
Who made the copperplate engraving of the Declaration of Independence?
In 1820, the Declaration of Independence was already showing signs of age. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned printer William J. Stone to make a full-size copperplate engraving. This plate was used to print copies of the Declaration.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based.
How did the Virginia Declaration of Rights influence Thomas Jefferson?
The Virginia Declaration of Rights strongly influenced Thomas Jefferson in writing the first part of the Declaration of Independence. It later provided the foundation for the Bill of Rights.
When was the Declaration of Independence removed from the Rotunda?
When we removed the Declaration of Independence from the Rotunda in 2001 to prepare it for a new case, we were able to look at the reverse side. No treasure map was found, but there was one line of text, "The Original Declaration of Independence July 4th 1776," written along the bottom edge. This docket (identifying label) could be read when the document was rolled up for storage.
Is the Declaration of Independence binding?
Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Abraham Lincoln called it “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.”.
What document influenced the Constitution?
Documents that influenced the Constitution. The Magna Carta: (1215) Signed by King John of England. It stipulated that the king is subject to the laws. It also stated that people had unalienable rights (life, liberty, and property). It also states that people should be judged by their peers: this is similar to the Fifth Amendment ...
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence: (1776) Written by Thomas Jefferson and influenced by John Locke, it stated that people have unalienable rights, and if the government breaks its promise to the people, the people have the right to abolish ...
What was the Mayflower Compact?
The Mayflower Compact: (1620) written and signed by 41 pilgrims on the Mayflower on its way to America. It stated the rules that they all agreed to live by. It showed that people were capable of governing themselves.
What document took power away from the monarchy and gave it to the people?
The English Bill of Rights: (1689) Before King William and Queen Mary could take the throne, they were forced to agree to the English Bill of Rights. The document took more power away from the monarchy and gave it to the people.
Who wrote the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom?
The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom: (1786) written by Thomas Jefferson, it stated that there would be a separation of church and state (i.e. freedom of religion). This is reflected in the First Amendment. Comments.
What was the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence was a document that declared America's sovereignty—as an independent nation—responsible for its own destiny and for guaranteeing individual rights to bear arms and protect their property, as well as to tax themselves.
How did the Declaration of Independence impact the colonial cause?
I would say that the most profound impact of Jefferson's writing was that it galvanized the Colonial cause for freedom. The way in which the Declaration of Independence was constructed on both the levels of specificity and in an overall sense helped to bring about a newly refocused emphasis on colonial freedom. The document put forth the case for freedom by outlining specific actions on the part of Britain as outlined in the section of Grievances. At the same time, the document also put forth the case for freedom from a human point of view by making the case for colonial freedom not an issue of political rights as much as human rights. In paraphrasing John Locke's concept of inalienable rights, the document did a stellar job in making the case for colonial freedom as a statement of human rights. In universalizing the issue, it brought more colonists more emphatic about freedom from England and the need to go to war. In the end, the document brought to focus the colonial desire for freedom and made the issue one that was undeniable.
How did the colonists break the law?
Prior to the passage of Declaration of Independence, the colonists were breaking the law by preventing the British from collecting taxes, of searching one's home without due process, or seizing private citizens' possessions. Once the colonists had declared their rights to "live, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," they were no longer, in essence, breaking the law. They had announced to the world that they would defend the rights as put forth in the Continental Congress's declaration, and provided the reasons for the American Revolution when those rights were withheld from the colonists.
What was the effect of the colonists' independence?
Once the Colonial government declared its independence, the colonists became members of an independent society and no longer subjects of King George. It made them traitors to the British Crown (as the British government saw it), but it also galvanized them forward to defend their land and rights. The Colonists went head-to-head against British troops, using guerilla warfare to wage a war in their own backyard.
Who wrote the 4th of July study guide?
Trent Lorcher, in his article "4th of July Study Guide: the Importance of the Declaration of Independence ," states:
Which country accepted help from a power that was much more of an absolute and tyrannical monarchy?
For one example, the colonists, fighting for democracy, accepted help from a power (France) that was much more of an absolute and tyrannical monarchy than England ever had been.
