The Declaration of Independence: Analyzing Grievances, QL #210

This assignment analyzes the Declaration of Independence, viewing it as a 'break-up letter' from the American colonies to King George III. It explores the colonists' grievances against British rule, including unjust laws, lack of representation, taxation without consent, trade restrictions, and the presence of standing armies. The assignment requires students to research the historical context, identify the strongest arguments for independence, and rewrite these grievances in their own words. Students are also asked to role-play, composing text messages or letters expressing the colonists' frustrations and detailing their attempts to resolve the issues before resorting to declaring independence. The assignment uses resources like the Stamp Act movies and 'Reasons for the Revolution' to provide context and support student understanding of this pivotal moment in American history.

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The Declaration of Independence:
Analyzing Grievances
In this "break-up" letter the colonies are sending to
King George III, what are the strongest arguments
for ending the relationship?
Reasons for the break-up
Grievances against Great Britain and King George III
American colonists were unhappy with British rule for many reasons. Here are some of
the most important ones:
Parliament passed laws that the colonists considered unjust.
Colonists had no direct representation in Britain’s Parliament.
Parliament expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian
War.
Colonists weren’t allowed to sell products to any country except Britain.
Parliament placed high taxes on French and Dutch goods to force colonists to buy
only British products.
Let's do some research
Use these sites to identify additional reasons why the colonists wanted to break away from
Great Britain.
Watch the Stamp Act movies 1-3 to identify grievances in the early protest
movements.
Read the summary in Reasons for the Revolution to identify grievances the colonists
experienced in the years following the Stamp Act (1765-1776).
Refer to the research you have done so far to answer the following questions.

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The "break-up" Declaration
1 Why did the British want the colonists to pay a greater portion of the cost of
imperial governing?
2 Why did the colonists object to this increased taxation?
3 What was the impact of the 1773 Boston Tea Party?
4 How did Thomas Paine's 1776 Common Sense pamphlet help move the colonies
toward revolution?
Let’s start with an overview
The Declaration of Independence explained to the British king (and the rest of the world)
why the colonies were declaring independence. It has four major components:

8/16/2019 The Declaration of Independence: Analyzing Grievances | QL #210
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A statement of the new nation's ideals about equality and the rights of men
A list of the alleged abuses by King George III against the colonists
A description of the attempts by the colonies to solve these problems before
resorting to declaring independence
The actual declaration that the colonies would from then on be free and
independent states
Get ready to read
Open to de ne vocabulary you will encounter reading the Declaration of Independence.
eunalienable rights
natural rights that cannot be taken away
ecandid
honest, truth-seeking
erelinquish
give up
etyrants
dictators, unjust rulers

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enaturalization of foreigners
process by which foreign-born persons become citizens
erender
make
eusurpations
actions taking rights and power away from citizens
eassent
consent or permission
einestimable
priceless
eperfidy
violation of trust

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echarters
agreements for self-rule
eannihilation
destruction
etenure
term
eabdicated
given up
emercenaries
paid soldiers
einsurrections
rebellions
Read and analyze

8/16/2019 The Declaration of Independence: Analyzing Grievances | QL #210
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Open this link to read the Declaration of Independence (audio optional). Pay attention to
the list of abuses the colonists are presenting and remember to think of it as a break-up
letter.
Now that you have read the Declaration of Independence once, review the list of twenty-
seven abuses committed by Great Britain's King George III against the colonies to
determine which ve accusations o er the strongest evidence to back up the colonists'
justi cation for independence.
Strongest grievances against the king
Rewrite (in your own words) theve grievances you chose on the following chart.
1 The British were
tyrants and they only
wanted to rule without
taking care of the
2 The Stamp Act was
imposed without the
3 The British involved in
the war in France and
4 The armies exploited
the colonies and they
5 The British did not help
the colonies and the
St A t hibit d

8/16/2019 The Declaration of Independence: Analyzing Grievances | QL #210
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Write your own!
Try some role play
Pretend that you are the colonies and have been in a long-term relationship with King
George III. You feel mistreated and want to communicate that the relationship is no
longer working for you.
The rst thing to do is hold a committee meeting, right? Well that is how they did it in
1776.
This famous painting shows the Committee of Five (Thomas Je erson of Virginia, John
Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of
Connecticut, and Robert Livingston of New York) presenting the Declaration to the
Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
Get ready to write
Practice writing your own declaration by composing a text message written in
contemporary language that expresses the frustration relayed in each quotation
below. Return to the Declaration of Independence text if you want to review the full
context.
1 “He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their oces,
and the amount and payment of their salaries.”
The colonies wanted rulers that would take care of them and not only of the
crown.
2 “He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without Consent of our
legislatures.”
The armies would intimidate the colonies and not take care of them in anyway.

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3 “For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.”
The Stamp Act was imposed without the consent of the colonies and it was
said that it was a 'taxation without represntation.'
4 “For cutting o our Trade with other parts of the world.”
The Stamp Act would make sure that colonies were no longer able to export
goods anywhere else but Britain.
5 “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most
humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”
The Stamp Act was a way to manipulate the colonies.
Remember when you write your own
Be sure to also include the actions you (the colonies) have taken to improve the
situation.
Provide evidence that you have tried to make this relationship work, but George is being
impossible. Put some feeling in it!
In a series of text messages (or a more formal letter, if you prefer), complain about George
III’s behavior and give specic examples of his most outrageous o enses (the ones you
outlined in the chart you completed).

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For some additional examples, take a look at these:
The Most Famous Break-Up Letter of All Time
Break Up Letter Directions