Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence

1775 April – Battle of Lexington and Concord

Shot heard around the world

August – King George III issues a proclamation to suppress the rebellion

George Washington is appointed leader of the colonial army

1776 1776 – key year

January, Common Sense

July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence

Why was Common Sense so important?

Enlightenment New ideas about the rights of people and the

relationship between the people and their rulers

Common Sense Written by Thomas Paine English immigrant Common Sense challenged the idea that the British

should rule the colonies

1) It was common sense that the colonies should be independent

2) A history of all of the bad things that the Kings and Queens of England had done to their people

What was the impact of Common Sense?

Common Sense persuaded many Americans that the time was right for independence

Many colonists could read AND did read it

The Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776 US declared independence

Thomas Jefferson wrote the declaration

YOU need to know the influences on the Declaration

What ideas influenced the Declaration?

Common Sense Paine had described the bad things that

English kings had done The Declaration has a similar section

What ideas influenced the Declaration?

John Locke All people are free, equal and have “natural rights”

of “life liberty and the pursuit of property”

All government power resides in the people and they consent to enter into a “social contract” among themselves to form a government to protect their rights. In return the people promise to obey the laws and rules established by their government, establishing a form of “ordered liberty”

Government’s powers are limited to those the people have consented to give it. Whenever government becomes a threat to peoples’ natural rights, it breaks the social contract and people can overthrow it

What ideas influenced the Declaration?

John Locke’s ideas were RADICAL and challenged the centuries-old practice throughout the world of dictatorial rule by kings, emperors and tribal chieftans