Declaration of Independence

The first paragraph is called the Preamble. Which of these is the best explanation of that paragraph?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That 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"

According to this quote, when is it ok to create a new government?

Within the Declaration of Independence, what does the assertion ‘all men are created equal’ primarily symbolize?

Who was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?

According to the Declaration of Independence, who gives people their inalienable rights?

What was the main complaint against the King in the Declaration of Independence?

Which of these ideas in the Declaration of Independence shows the idea of a social contract?

Which of these ideas shows the influence of Deism on the enlightenment thinkers who wrote the Declaration?

What enlightenment thinker came up with many of the ideas included in the Declaration of Independence?

According to the Declaration, what is the purpose of government?

In the reason "For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us", what is the meaning of the word quartering?

What date was the Declaration of Independence finally approved?

In which of these reasons for declaring independence is it being argued that the king has taken away the people’s natural right to govern themselves?

The main point of the declaration is to get the English people to support a better way of living for their cousins in America.

The writers of the Declaration of Independence mention both safety and rights in the document. Do you believe that they were more concerned about safety or about rights? Use a quote from the document to back up your assertion

Take one of the list of wrongs that Britain had done to the colonies and give a piece of supporting evidence that would agree with that fact. (you should write out the wrong done from the Declaration and then you should find a specific law, event or fact that supports Jefferson's assertion that the British actually did this)

What does the phrase 'consent of the governed' in the Declaration represent?

How does the Declaration justify the colonies' breaking apart from Britain?

What was the name of the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence and why is his signing famous? (this is a bonus)