Declaration of Independence

Multiple Choice

Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

• George Washington

• Benjamin Franklin

• Thomas Jefferson

• John Adams

Open Ended

Why do you think the Declaration of Independence was such a significant event in American history?

Multiple Choice

Which part of the Declaration of Independence lists the goals of the document?

• Preamble

• Natural Rights

• Grievances

• Conclusion & Signatures

Fill in the Blank

What are the three natural rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence?

Multiple Choice

Why do people give their government some power over them, according to the Declaration of Independence?

• To secure their rights

• To increase government control

• To limit individual freedom

• To avoid responsibility

Multiple Choice

According to the Declaration of Independence, what should people do if their government becomes destructive to their rights?

• They should abolish or alter it

• They should accept it

• They should move to another country

• They should ignore it

Multiple Select

Which of the following are reasons listed in the Declaration of Independence for changing the government?

• Long train of abuses and usurpations

• Desire for more power

• Repeated injuries by the King

• Establishment of absolute tyranny

Open Ended

Summarize the main reason the American colonies decided to change their government, as described in the Declaration of Independence.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following grievances did the colonists have against the King, as described in the first and second images?

• He refused to let them pass necessary laws.

• He allowed them to choose their own judges.

• He made it easy for them to discuss new laws.

• He always signed laws immediately.

Open Ended

Explain how the King's actions regarding legislative bodies and the dissolution of representative houses affected the colonists' ability to govern themselves.

Open Ended

How did the King's refusal to pass laws and his control over the judiciary contribute to the colonists' desire for independence?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following actions did the King take to obstruct justice, as mentioned in the fourth image?

• He refused to establish judiciary powers.

• He allowed the people to choose their own judges.

• He reduced the number of officers.

• He increased the payment of judges.

Fill in the Blank

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our ___.

Multiple Select

Select all the grievances listed in the fifth image that relate to economic restrictions imposed by the King.

• Cutting off trade with all parts of the world

• Imposing taxes without consent

• Depriving trial by jury

• Transporting colonists beyond seas for trial

Multiple Select

Which of the following grievances were listed by the colonists against the British government in the Declaration of Independence?

• Abolishing free systems of laws and enlarging boundaries

• Granting more rights to the colonies

• Suspending legislatures and taking away charters

• Providing economic aid to the colonies

Multiple Choice

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. This grievance from the Declaration of Independence refers to:

• The destruction caused by British military actions

• The imposition of new taxes

• The restriction of colonial trade

• The forced quartering of soldiers

Open Ended

Summarize the main complaints the colonists had against the British government as described in these slides.

Fill in the Blank

A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. According to the Declaration of Independence, the colonists believed the British king was a ___

Multiple Choice

What powers did the Declaration of Independence claim for the United States as free and independent states?

• The power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, and establish commerce

• The power to appoint a new king

• The power to remain under British rule

• The power to abolish all laws

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the main reason the Declaration of Independence was written?

• To officially break ties with England

• To declare war on France

• To establish a new religion

• To create new trade laws

Open Ended

Summarize in your own words why the Declaration of Independence was written and what its main purpose was.