5.16


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=Explain the meaning of the key ideas on equality, natural rights, the rule of law, and the purpose of government contained in the Declaration of Independence.=

Topics on the Page

 * Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson **
 * John Locke **
 * Equality **
 * Natural Rights **
 * The Rule of Law **
 * Jefferson's Views on Women **

AP United States History 4
Image to the right shows the Drafting of the Declaration of Independence. The Commitee: Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Livingston, and Sherman. 1776. Copy of engraving after Alonzo Chappel

Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson
Click here for discussion questions for teachers and students related to [|Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence], both were written in 1776, from a seminar on the American Revolution and the New Nation from the University of Glasgow.

[|Common Sense] by Thomas Paine.

[|The Rights of Man] was written by Thomas Paine in 1791. It has been interpreted as a work defending the French Revolution, but it is also a seminal work embodying the ideas of liberty and human equality. [|Thomas Paine Video Lesson Plan] from CSpan's //American Writers//.

Click here for [|brief biography of Thomas Paine] from PBS.

To View A Short Video on The Declaration of Independence: [|America the Story of Us: Declaration of Independence]

Click here for [|pictures of the signers]of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution from Wikimedia Commons.

Click here for a simplified English edition of the Declaration of Independence, one that would be easier for young students to understand.

** John Locke ** --A philosopher that had a tremendous influence on both Thomas Jefferson, his writings, and a number of revolutionary figures is John Locke.

 * You can follow the link to learn more about John Locke and the effect he had on American history.
 * See also **World History I.34 on Enlightenment philosophers** including Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire and others


 * Equality-** When the Declaration of Independence was written, equality had a different meaning then it does now. At this time, equality was for all __**men**__, specifically those who were __**white**__. “All men are created equal” and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
 * Great source for understanding and teaching the idea of [|Equality] as expressed in the Declaration of Independence

"To secure these rights, governments are in instituted started among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
 * Natural Rights**- Natural rights were defined in the Declaration as "inalienable rights" that were bestowed upon us by the "creator." These rights are something that every free man are born with and can not be taken away by the government.
 * Jefferson's idea of Natural Rights builds upon ideas put forth during the period of enlightenment, in particular John Locke's belief that individuals are born with certain "inalienable" natural rights that are God given.

"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government. However, governments long established should not be changed for light and transient temporary causes."
 * The Rule of Law-** Mad with foreign rule, the colonists made sure to include that it is the not only the right but the responsibility of the people to change or take down their government if it is not protecting the rights of the people.
 * The Declaration concludes that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.

Below are some short videos produced by the History Channel, concerning Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration.
 * Jefferson Challenges the King
 * Jefferson Write the Declaration of Independence
 * Declaration of Independence

Liberty's Kids is a children's animated cartoon that showcases key moments in the American Revolution. All episodes can be found on YouTube. However, you can click on this video to watch the episode about Jefferson's writing of the Declaration of Independence. In addition to the show, the website is a great, simplified resource to American Revolution people, events, documents, and objects.

For discussion questions for students, see [|The Declaration and Natural Rights] from the organization Land and Freedom.org

**For an brief look into [|Thomas Jefferson's Views on Women]**
 * Declaration of Independence served as the model for suffragist "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" that claimed women should be given civil and political rights equal to men.
 * You can find the text of the "Declaration of Sentiments" here; it is valuable to compare both declarations to see what they have in common, and what separates them.
 * See also [|Declaration of Sentiments (Short Version with Text Supports)]

In an earlier draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson included a passage that attacked slavery. Click here to read the text of the deleted passage.

Image IDs from left to right 1. [|Declaration of Independence] Youtube from user Vosbikian, "Declaration of Independence".

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