G4 ELA Ch4 Task

1 Why were the British generals worried when the colonial militia set up a series of

cannons overlooking Boston Harbor?

2 Was William Prescott, commander of the militia, right to be worried when the British launched an attack against them? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

3 Why were the members of the Second Continental Congress, as well as many of the people whom they represented, still undecided about going to war with Britain?

4 Why did Thomas Paine believe “that monarchy was a foolish way to run a country”?

5 What form of government did Thomas Paine recommend to replace a monarchy?

6 What does Paine mean when he calls for a final separation?

7 What does the Declaration of Independence outline?

8 The text says, “Jefferson wrote specific ideals that he and his fellow colonists wholeheartedly believed to be true.” Look at the quote from Thomas Jefferson on page 36, and find a word in the opening line that means the same as ideals, or beliefs.

9 Jefferson continues, writing that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” This means that God, the Creator, provides all people with rights that cannot be taken away from them. Jefferson names three of these unalienable rights. What are they?