In the summer of 1776, the Continental Congress selected a Committee of Five to draft a formal statement declaring independence from Great Britain. The five men on the Committee were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert L. Livingston. Jefferson wrote the initial draft and the other committee members commented upon and edited it. The Continental Congress then made further changes before the Declaration of Independence was shared with the thirteen colonies—and the world.

Intended for not just the King, but fellow colonists and the world to read the document, the writers of the Declaration of Independence infused the document with their ideals for humanity. The writers argued that “all men are created equal” and that they held God given rights to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness.” They insisted that the colonists had the right to overthrow a tyrannical government and install a new one that would be in alignment with their vision of a representative government that would protect the rights of individuals and provide for stability of economy, security, and identity. By detailing the multitude of transgressions made by the King,they had intended the Declaration to rally the colonists to revolution and put their lives on the line. 

But the Declaration was not without its own hypocrisy. In addition to ignoring the enslavement of Africans by many of the signatories, it also signals the ways the founders intended to treat Indigenous communities as an independent nation. One of the often overlooked grievances in the Declaration claims, “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” This grievance highlights a central paradox of the Revolutionary era. On the one hand, leaders of the colonies invited representatives from the Iroquois nation to the writing of the Declaration to counsel them on governing a geographically large nation. On the other hand, they utilized racist rhetoric to justify war on the frontier and take Indigenous lands. The writers of the Declaration used the racial prejudice against Indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans to help unite the disparate colonists who agreed on little else. 

While the text of the Declaration is essential for students to understand as it provides the basis for many of the ideals and beliefs we hold today, what is equally important is for students to examine its legacy. Students should also explore the multitude of ways that individuals have used the Declaration to argue for their own rights. For example, in 1848 at the Seneca Falls convention, the female delegates presented their “Declaration of Sentiments” that closely mimics the text and content of the Declaration of Independence. They declared “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” calling attention to women being denied rights and using the language of the document to strengthen their argument. Others such as Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass used the language of natural rights, liberty, freedom, and denunciation of tyrants to call for the end of slavery. Benjamin Banneker, a free Black man born in Maryland, exchanged letters with Thomas Jefferson in 1791 in an effort to convince the politician that Black individuals were equal to whites, but that the institution of slavery prevented equality. Together, Banneker and Douglass’s words highlighted the hypocrisy of the founders like Thomas Jefferson who claimed to be enslaved by Great Britain while owning enslaved persons themselves.

Sources

1. Examining A Racist Passage In The Declaration Of Independence : NPR (Ari Shapiro, host, and Professor Donald Grinde Jr., Yamassee Nation)
2. How the Iroquois Great Law of Peace Shaped U.S. Democracy | Native America (pbs.org) (Terri Hansen, Winnebago tribal member)
3. Founding Fathers and Slaveholders | History| Smithsonian Magazine (Professor Stephen E. Ambrose)

Declaration of Independence (Jefferson draft)

• Who did Jefferson and the Continental Congress include in the phrase "all men are created equal"? Who did they exclude?

In 1774, Thomas Jefferson enslaved 187 people. On pages 15-18 of his Farm Book, Jefferson recorded on which of his seven plantations the people he enslaved lived. He lists each person's name and sometimes indicates their birth year; he draws brackets around families; and he also notes the people he has sold or hired out to another enslaver. Students can look at pages 15-18 of the Farm Book to see the names of the people who made Jefferson's wealth, and time away from his home to pursue politics, possible. 

Everyone in the Continental Congress was a white man. Many were also enslavers. Students can look at a list of all of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence | National Archives to see the names and occupations of the framers.

• How many are listed as "plantation owners"?

  • (Remember also that some, like John Hancock, were not plantation owners but did enslave small numbers of people to work in their households, or in skilled crafts.)

John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776 (letter 1)

John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776 (letter 2)

Excerpts of both letters

• According to Adams, what rights do “free and independent States” have?

• He tells Abigail that the Declaration of Independence will lay out the causes that led to it and the reasons that will justify it. Return to the Declaration. Do the writers identify the major causes that led to Independence?

• Adams says “Britain has been filled with folly [foolishness] and America with wisdom”. Where in the Declaration of Independence do the writers list one of Britain’s “follies”?

• What does the Declaration of Independence and John Adams’ private writings tell you about what the writers of the Declaration believed?

• How important was the role of published texts to the cause for independence?

• In his letters, Adams emphasizes that the Declaration was adopted unanimously by all colonies. The word “unanimous” is also used to begin the Declaration of Independence itself. Why was unanimity so important to the framers?

Petition for Freedom (manuscript copy) to the Massachusetts Council and the House of Representatives, [13] January 1777

• Why do you think it is important that we have a document written by free Black and enslaved peoples?

• What is their view of Africa?

• What do they want from the Massachusetts House of Representatives?

• In what ways are they referencing the Declaration of Independence? 

No Slavery! Fourth of July!, Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, 1854

• Why are they holding this rally on July 4th? What are they trying to signal?

• How do they feel about the institution of slavery?

• In what ways are they using the language of the Declaration of Independence in their announcement?

The below documents are not part of the source set, but are used in the “Legacy of the Declaration: Pairs Squared” Jigsaw Activity.

Copy of a letter from Benjamin Banneker to the secretary of state, with his answer, Philadelphia, 1792 

• To what rights and privileges is Banneker referring?

• Of what act does Banneker find Jefferson guilty?

Frederick Douglass 1852 Fourth of July speech excerpt

• What is Douglass’ opinion of the 4th of July? What does the day mean for free Black and enslaved people?

• What principles does he feel only apply to white people and not Black people?

Materials:

Reading for Meaning worksheet

Teacher Directions

Note: In this activity, students read some of the colonists' grievances against the King. They do not read the final grievance ("[King George III] has excited domestic insurrections amongst us. . ."), which uses racist terminology to describe Native Americans. If you choose to read this passage with your students, it is important to frame this grievance so that your students understand it is racist and was included to inflame anti-Indigenous sentiment in white people as the U.S. tried to claim more land in the (then) west.

In groups, students will work together to identify the reasons the Declaration of Independence gives for seeking independence. Students will then identify which of those reasons are the most compelling.

1. Read the Declaration of Independence excerpt out loud as a class. 
2. As a class, discuss what some of the more difficult passages mean, identify vocabulary, and allow students a chance to take notes. 
3. In groups, students work together to paraphrase each passage excerpt and answer the guiding question. 
4. In their groups, students jig-saw the paraphrasing of some of the grievances. Students then draw arrows between the grievances and Revolutionary events. 

Materials:

John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776 (letter 1)

John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776 (letter 2)

Contemporary Perspectives excerpts and discussion questions worksheet

In this activity, students can read both letters in their entirety, or read excerpts from the two letters John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776.

Context:

The Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776. On July 4, the Congress formally adopted the written Declaration of Independence.

In the final two paragraphs of the first letter, John Adams describes the importance of the Continental Congress’s unanimous vote in favor of independence from Great Britain. Adams also briefly reflects on how this moment came to be.

In this second letter to Abigail, John Adams describes what he thought the lasting impact, or legacy, of this moment would be for future generations. (He also notes he believes July 2 will be the day of annual celebrations.)

Teacher Directions:

1. Students read letter 1 (or the excerpt of it) and discuss, in pairs or as a class, the inquiry questions:

• According to Adams, what rights do “free and independent States” have?
• He tells Abigail that the Declaration of Independence will lay out the causes that led to it and the reasons that will justify it. Return to the Declaration. Do the writers identify the major causes that led to Independence?
• Adams says “Britain has been filled with folly [foolishness] and America with wisdom”. Where in the Declaration of Independence do the writers list one of Britain’s “follies”?
• What does the Declaration of Independence and John Adams’ private writings tell you about what the writers of the Declaration believed?

2. Students read letter 2 (or the excerpt of it) and discuss, in pairs or as a class, the inquiry question.

• In his letters, Adams emphasizes that the Declaration was adopted unanimously by all colonies. The word “unanimous” is also used to begin the Declaration of Independence itself. Why was unanimity so important to the framers?

Materials:

Legacy of the Declaration – Pairs Squared excerpts and worksheet

Teacher Directions: 

1. Place students in groups of 4.
2. Each group member will receive an excerpt from one of 4 documents.
3. Students read their assigned excerpt independently and write in the provided box how the author is using the Declaration of Independence to argue for the end to slavery.
4. Then, each group splits into pairs.  Students fill in the box with their explanation and find a connection or pattern between the 2 documents each partner read.
5. Repeat the process with the other 2 documents.
6. As a group of four, students brainstorm patterns between the 4 documents.
7. Finally, synthesize all the documents by answering the question in the center: According to these four sources, what are some of the ways that individuals used the Declaration of Independence to argue for the end of slavery?

D2.Civ.8.3-5. Identify core civic virtues and democratic principles that guide government, society, and communities

D2.Civ.8.6-8. Analyze ideas and principles contained in the founding documents of the United States, and explain how they influence the social and political system.

D2.Civ.8.9-12. Evaluate the social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles.

D2.His.3.3-5. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.

D2.His.3.6-8. Use questions about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.

D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.

Practice Standards

Demonstrate civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence.

Content Standards

Grade 3, Topic 6, Massachusetts in the 18th century through the American Revolution

Grade 5, Topic 2, Reasons for revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the formation of government

Grade 8, Topic 2, The development of the United States government

US History 1, Topic 1, Origins of the Revolution and the Constitution

US Government and Politics Elective, Topic 1, Foundations of Government in the United States

ELA Standards

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text