United States History to 1877

Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s

USI.6

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American Revolution by

a) identifying the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the American Revolution;
b) identifying how political ideas shaped the revolutionary movement in America and led to the Declaration of Independence, with emphasis on the ideas of John Locke;
c) describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution, with emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine;
d) explaining reasons why the colonies were able to defeat Britain.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Begin the unit by asking students what ideas/philosophies about government were expressed in the Declaration of Independence.
Explain that the unit will focus on how new political ideas led to a desire for independence and democratic government in the American colonies and the Declaration of Independence proclaimed independence from England. It stated that people have natural (inherent) rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Introduce English philospher John Locke to students. Show his picture and explain that Locke was a political philosopher who lived from 1632 to 1704. John Locke was the most important influence on the thinking of the founding fathers at the time of the American Revolution. Locke's political philosophy is often called the natural rights philosophy.
Discuss the following background information. Enlightenment Philosophers of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries sought to define natural laws that would lead to the creation of an ideal government and promote the fullest development of human potential. John Locke wrote about essential rights for all people such as life, liberty, and property. The ideal of democracy, long forgotten since the ancient Greeks, was revived as the only kind of government that could guarantee the natural rights of all people. When the Founding Fathers of our nation met to declare independence from England, they saw an opportunity to create the first government based on these Enlightenment principles.
Point out the two main ideas of John Locke that the students need to focus on:

People have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.
Government is created to protect the rights of people and has only the limited and specific powers the people consent to give it.

Learn more about John Locke, his life, and his writings athttp://www.utm.edu/research/iep/l/locke.htm.
Have the students complete the worksheet, Ideas of John Locke. For the Ideas of John Locke worksheet, CLICK HERE.
It is important to acknowledge that the Declaration of Independence made the Founders traitors and criminals in the eyes of the British king.The Founders knew that if the revolution failed, they could lose their lives. They had to create an army from ordinary citizens to fight the greatest military power in the world. Many times, from 1776 to 1783, it looked as though they were going to fail. Their strong belief in the right of people to live under a government that respects the civic values described in the Enlightenment gave them the courage to succeed.
Have the students examine primary source documents in cooperative groups to determine their meaning and put this meaning into their own words. Individually draft a letter to King George, from the point of view of Patriots, expressing their reasons for wanting independence. We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident - Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence - is is available at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt001.html.
Have the students look at the printed version of Declaration of Independence available at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/bdsdcc:@field(DOCID+@lit(bdsdcc02101)).
Point out the key philosophies in the Declaration of Independence:
- People have "certain unalienable rights" (rights that cannot be taken away) -- life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.
- People establish government to protect those rights.
- Government derives power from the people.
- People have a right and a duty to change a government that violates their rights.
For review, have the students complete the worksheet, Key Philosophies in the Declaration of Indepedence. (For the Key Philosophies in the Declaration of Indepedence worksheet, CLICK HERE. For the Key Philosophies in the Declaration of Independence answer sheet, CLICK HERE.)

WEB SITES

http://chnm.gmu.edu/fairfaxtah/b21.html
Lessons written by teachers from Fairfax County Public Schools participating in the Teaching American History Grant program

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
Numerous documents and other resources, including many primary source documents

http://www.history.org/
Information about the colonial capital

http://www.besthistorysites.net/USHistory_Colonial_print.html
Collection of sites on colonial American history

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
Numerous teaching and learning tools for lessons about American history

http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/USA/RevolutionEra.html
Resources on the Revolutionary War

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/amrevol.html
Links and lessons on the American Revolution from the Educational Technology Center - KSU

http://www.kidsclick.org/cgi-bin/searchkids.pl
KidsClick! Declaration of Independence Web links.

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