The Declaration of Independence

Worksheet Description

The Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, expresses several key ideas. However, three main concepts can be distilled from the document:

Natural Rights – The Declaration asserts that all individuals are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among which are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These are seen as natural rights, inherent to every individual, and not granted by any government.

Consent of the Governed – The document expresses the idea that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This concept is fundamental to the idea of democracy and posits that any legitimate government must operate with the consent and will of its people. If it fails to do so, the people have the right to change or abolish it.

Right of Revolution – Tied closely to the idea of the consent of the governed, the Declaration posits that when a government becomes destructive to the end of securing the people’s natural rights, it is the right and duty of the people to “alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” This concept legitimizes the American colonies’ decision to break away from British rule, as they believed the British government had violated these principles.

These foundational ideas set forth in the Declaration of Independence not only justified the American Revolution but also laid the groundwork for the principles that would shape the United States and its Constitution.