Organization of American Historians
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OAH Magazine of History
Volume 21, No 2
April 2007

Copyright ©
Organization of American Historians

Teaching Strategy

The Declaration of Independence: The Importance of Contextualization

Karen Cobb Carroll

Introduction

Documents provide a rich source from which students can study American history, but teachers must also remember to teach students to contextualize documents. Students must understand that the value of a document is not only in current times but also at the time the document was created; not understanding this distinction leads to shallow understanding, anachronistic analysis, and student misunderstanding. Historical perspective, acquired only with the passage of time, enhances the understanding of historical documents and times; for instance, historians rarely assess presidential legacies without the perspective of time. Documents are not only a product of an event; they are the product of the times in which they were produced. In like fashion, document analysis is informed by the times in which the analysis is conducted. Comparing the meaning and value of a document both when it was created and in current times is a challenge, and it requires students to engage in higher level critical thinking. An interesting source for this level of analysis is the American Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence is one of the more well-known documents of American history and is a common document in most history courses. Students tend to know its general content and can quote, "All men are created equal" When one mentions the Declaration students often consider it a natural document, one that was written in 1776 with not only a sense of importance but a sense of potential, a document whose birth and future was a natural assumption. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Historians realize that the Declaration was produced in a time of upheaval and its completion and future was anything but certain.

The purpose of the Declaration was to convince Americans and Europeans that what seemed to be an irrational action—declaring independence from England—was in fact the only rational action available to Americans. In what way was this argument developed? What were the weaknesses and dangers in the argument? Why was it successful? Why is the document important?

Time

This lesson can be adapted to last from 120 minutes to 240 minutes. To shorten the lesson, move some assignments, especially background reading, to homework.

Objectives & National Standards

At the close of this lesson, students will:

  1. understand the structure and content of the Declaration of Independence,
  2. understand the context in which the Declaration was originally written, and
  3. analyze the significance of the Declaration of Independence.

This lesson meets the following national standard:

1.B. The student understands the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence. Therefore the student is able to:

  1. Demonstrate the fundamental contradictions between the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the realities of chattel slavery.
  2. Draw upon the principles in the Declaration of Independence to construct a sound historical argument regarding whether it justified American independence.
  3. Explain how key principles in the Declaration of Independence grew in importance to become unifying ideas of American democracy.

Materials Needed

Students must access chapter three, "Declaring Independence", from After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection (Davidson, J.W., and Lytle, M.H., McGraw/Hill, 2004. ISBN 978-0072818536)

Students must access a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Method

  1. Students should read "Declaring Independence" from After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection.
  2. To test reading, students should take the reading quiz from "Declaring Independence." See appendix for the reading quiz and answers.
  3. In class, discuss the following questions:
    1. What did you learn from the article that you did not know before? That you found surprising? How does a study of the Declaration help us to understand the times in which it was written?
  4. Students should access and download a copy of the Declaration of Independence. See http://www.ushistory.org/ declaration/ document/index.htm
  5. Teacher should discuss the rhetorical organization of the Declaration.
    1. In the introduction, Jefferson establishes the philosophical basis for his argument, that "all people are created equal and enjoy certain unalienable rights."
    2. Jefferson then establishes the relationship between people and their government. People form governments to protect their rights, and therefore governments derive their power from the people. The people retain the power to, if necessary, replace the government if rights are not being protected.
    3. Jefferson then lists the charges against the King.
    4. As a result of these events Jefferson establishes independence as a solution, which he then declares.
  6. Students should read the rough draft of the Declaration at http://www.ushistory.org/ declaration/document/rough.htm. How was the argument strengthened with the rhetorical changes made?
  7. Students should read the history of the actual document at http://www.archives.gov/national-archives- experience/charters/declaration_history.html. This will provide additional background information for the Paideia discussion to follow.
  8. Students will now participate in a Paideia discussion. For information regarding Paideia, see www.paideia.org . Paideia discussion questions follow
    1. Introductory questions:
      1. Why is the Declaration an important document in American history? In other cultures or contexts?
    2. Discussion questions:
      1. In what ways was the Declaration successful as an argument? It what ways was it unsuccessful? What roles did any editorial changes play in its success?
      2. What role did the language of the document play in the success of the Declaration?
      3. What role did the times, the Revolutionary Era, play in the success of the Declaration?
      4. In what ways did the Declaration deal with slavery? Why? Should this have been handled differently? Why?
      5. Do you believe the Declaration is a successful document? Why/why not?
      6. In what ways has the Declaration changed since it was written?
      7. In what ways has the importance of the Declaration changed since it was written?
      8. Have you ever wished to declaration your independence from something? What? Why?
    3. Closure questions:
      1. Does the Declaration deserve a place as one of the founding documents in America? Why/why not?
  9. As a follow-up to the Paideia discussion, students will write a 500-word essay responding to the following prompt:

"Evaluate the significance of the Declaration of Independence."

Teacher Resources

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/ (biographies of the signers, Jefferson's notes)

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/ 20020704_mylchreest.html (influence of the Declaration of Independence)

http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/ charters/declaration_style.html (the Declaration as Literature)

http://www.kentlaw.edu/ilhs/doc29.html (The working man's declaration of independence, written in 1829)

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/ democrac/17.htm (Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, 1848)

http://oll.libertyfund.org/Texts/Becker0298 /DeclOfIndependence/HTMLs/0034_Pt04.html (literary elements of the Declaration of Independence)

http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/07/06/ reviews/970706.06ryersot.html (Book Review, American Scripture: Making of the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier [New York: Knopf, 1997])

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/ democrac/17.htm (Seneca Falls Declaration)

http://www.kentlaw.edu/ilhs/doc29.html (The Working Men's Declaration of Independence)

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/133/ (The Homestead Workers' Declaration of Independence)

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/ Writings/Essays/independence.html (A New Declaration of Independence by Emma Goldman)

www.paideia.org (information regarding Paideia protocols)

Eric Foner, editor, We the Other People: Alternative Declarations of Independence by Labor Groups, Farmers, Woman's Rights Advocates, Socialists, and Blacks, 1829-1975 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1976).

Appendix: Reading Quiz, "Declaring Independence" (true/false)

What is stated?

  1. Congress voted for independence on July 2. (true)
  2. Gilbert Stuart painted The Declaration of Independence. (false)
  3. Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence (true)
  4. The Declaration was adopted by the First Continental Congress (false)
  5. The Declaration was written before any battles were fought. (false)
  6. Everyone, especially the middle colonies, supported independence. (false)
  7. John Adams was the youngest delegate to Congress. (false)
  8. Thomas Jefferson offered the resolution for independence. (false)
  9. Four members served on the Declaration Committee. (false)
  10. Congress approved the Declaration on July 2. (false)
  11. Over 75 changes were made to the Declaration. (true)
  12. The Declaration barely mentioned Parliament because several members of Congress had family members serving in Parliament. (false)

What does it mean (what is implied or inferred)?

  1. Many people do not know what happened on July 4, 1776. (true)
  2. When you read a document, read it carefully and analytically. (true)
  3. The issue of independence was not an automatic conclusion. (true)
  4. The significance of a document involves more than simply the words of the document. (true)
  5. By 1776 many colonists saw themselves differently than they had in 1766. (true)
  6. The meanings of words stay constant over time. (false)
  7. One document can mean different things to different people at the same time. (true)

What generalizations can be drawn?

  1. Sometimes what we think is true is not really true. (true)
  2. Even excellent writers revise their work. (true)
  3. One document can tell us many things about an event. (true)
  4. To analyze a document, ask questions and seek answers. (true)
  5. To analyze a document, it helps to be able to put it into historical context. (true)

Karen Cobb Carroll currently teachers AP English Language, AP Psychology, Honors Civics/Economics, and Leadership Development at the Early College at Guilford, Greensboro, North Carolina. She has been teaching over twenty years at the middle and high school levels in both English and history departments, and recently finished her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. <carrolk2 at gcsnc dot com>