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US-Delcaration of I
Study Guide for American History test over the Declaration of Independence
Question | Answer |
---|---|
What are the four main parts of the Declaration of Independence? | Preamble, Declaration of Natural Rights, List of Grievances,Resolution of Independence by the United States |
Why did the colonists feel like they had to declare the causes that forced them to seek separation from England? | Because they had a decent respect for the opinions of mankind |
What two truths does the Declaration say are self-evident? | "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" |
What are the unalienable rights the Declaration says we have? | "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" |
According to the Declaration, who gave us these rights? | "they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" |
Why is it important that you got your rights from the Creator, or because you are a human, and not from a government? | if you got these rights from a government, the government would be able to take them away |
Why are governments set up? | "to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men" |
What does it mean when we say that governments are to secure our rights? | they are to PROTECT our rights |
Where do governments get their power according to the Declaration? | "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" |
What two things should people do when a government becomes destructive to the basic rights of its people? | "it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government" |
What are people doing to their government if they are altering it? | changing it |
What are people doing to their government if they are abolishing it? | throwing it out, completely changing it, destroying it, |
What should the people do if they alter, or abolish, their government? | create a new one |
People have the right to do what two things when their government continually abuses them and takes away their rights? | "it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security" |
The colonists claimed the king called legislative bodies together at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant to public records for what purpose? | "for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures" |
What does the word "fatiguing" mean? | tiring them out |
Why did the king dissolved the colonial legislatures? | "for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people" (for standing up to him) |
The Declaration complains about the Kings use of the military by saying "he has kept among us, in times of peace" | "Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures" |
The Declaration complains about the Kings use of the military by saying "he has affected to render the Military" | "independent of and superior to the Civil power" |
The Declaration complains about the Kings use of the military by saying he as Quartered... | "large bodies of armed troops among us" |
The Declaration complains about the Kings use of the military by saying he has protected them, "by ___?___, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States" | by mock trial |
What kind of trial is a mock trial? | a FAKE trial |
The Declaration complains about the Kings use of the military by saying "he is at this time transporting..." | "large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny" |
what became a rallying cry for the colonists when the king imposed taxes on them without their consent? | No Taxation Without Representation |
The Declaration accuses the king of taking colonial citizens captive on the high seas and forcing them do what? | "to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren" |
How have the colonist’s most humble petitions for relief from these oppressions been answered by the king? | "Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury" |
What does the Declaration conclude about this prince/king whose actions makes him a tyrant? | he is "is unfit to be the ruler of a free people" |
What do these representatives from the united States of America call upon the Supreme Judge of the world for? | "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions" |
What does "rectitude of our intentions" mean? | the rightness, or correctness, of our actions, |
What does the document conclude ought to happen to the political connections between the colonies and the British Crown? | "is and ought to be totally dissolved" |
Who did the signers of this document rely on for protection? | "with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence" |
What did the signers of the document mutually pledge to each other for the support of this Declaration of Independence? | "we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." |
When the signers pledged their "sacred honor" to each other, what did that mean? | they put their names and reputations on the line |
What does the word "self-evident" mean in the Declaration? | that something is so obvious that it doesn’t need proof or explanation? |
What is a likely reason why the word "united" is not capitalized in the Declaration? | the colonies, that would become states, had not "united" yet into one country, they wee individual colonies taking action with other colonies |