Docent Script
Colonists' Grievances Against Great Britain and King George III
American colonists were unhappy with British rule for a number of reasons, the most important of which included the following: * Parliament passed laws that the colonists considered unjust. * The colonists had no direct representation in Parliament. * The colonists were unable to sell products to any country except Britain. * To force colonists to buy English products, Parliament placed high taxes on French and Dutch goods. * Parliament expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian War.
Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, focused the colonists' frustration on King George III.
Main Components of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The document explained to American colonists and to the world why the colonies were declaring their independence. The Declaration has four major components: 1. A statement of the new nation's ideals about equality and the rights of men 2. A list of the alleged abuses by King George III against the colonists 3. A description of the attempts by the colonies to solve these problems before resorting to declaring independence 4. The actual declaration by the signers that the colonies would from then on be free and independent states
The Declaration of Independence Glossary
The following definitions may help in your reading of the passage from The Declaration of Independence: assent: consent relinquish: give up inestimable: priceless tyrants: dictators annihilation: destruction
Naturalization of Foreigners: process by which foreign-born persons become citizens tenure: term render: make abdicated: given up perfidy: violation of trust
insurrections:
American colonists were unhappy with British rule for a number of reasons, the most important of which included the following: * Parliament passed laws that the colonists considered unjust. * The colonists had no direct representation in Parliament. * The colonists were unable to sell products to any country except Britain. * To force colonists to buy English products, Parliament placed high taxes on French and Dutch goods. * Parliament expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian War.
Thomas Paine's 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, focused the colonists' frustration on King George III.
Main Components of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The document explained to American colonists and to the world why the colonies were declaring their independence. The Declaration has four major components: 1. A statement of the new nation's ideals about equality and the rights of men 2. A list of the alleged abuses by King George III against the colonists 3. A description of the attempts by the colonies to solve these problems before resorting to declaring independence 4. The actual declaration by the signers that the colonies would from then on be free and independent states
The Declaration of Independence Glossary
The following definitions may help in your reading of the passage from The Declaration of Independence: assent: consent relinquish: give up inestimable: priceless tyrants: dictators annihilation: destruction
Naturalization of Foreigners: process by which foreign-born persons become citizens tenure: term render: make abdicated: given up perfidy: violation of trust
insurrections: