Reading Guide for Week Five
Assignments
Text: Divine, Chapter 5: 2/15/00
Special Topics: Boston and Philadelphia:
Seedbeds of the Revolution?
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence
Answer one of the following text questions:
-
When and how did the Americans decide that independence
was their only option?
-
What role did religion play for the patriots in
the American Revolution?
-
Did the American patriots consider themselves
to be revolutionaries? Why? If not, why not?
-
Did the British lose the War for Independence
or did the Americans win it? Explain.
Primary Source Assignment
Choose one of the following:
1) Read both of the following documents
Resolutions
of the Stamp Act
Virginia
Declaration of Rights
Answer at least two of the following primary
source questions:
-
What is the attitude of the "Resolutions" toward
the Crown? What were the grounds for complaint?
-
What is the attitude of the author of the "Virginia
Declaration" toward the Crown? On what grounds did he make his complaint?
-
How are they similar? How are they different?
What accounts for these differences?
2) Read the following excerpts from Strictures
upon the Declaration of the Congress of Philadelphia
(Source: Library Company
of Philadelphia)
Answer at least two of the following primary
source questions:
-
To what does the author attribute the dispute
between the colonies and England?
-
What is the author's opinion about the behavior
of the King and Parliament in this dispute? The behavior of the colonists?
-
What are his beliefs about the proper relationship
between America, on the one hand, and the King and Parliament, on the other?
-
Why did the author use the term "Rebellion" to
refer to the American Revolution?
-
How would you characterize the tone of this document?
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