The American Revolution: A Thematic Unit for Adult ESL learners

Joel D. WilsonAmerican Military University

EDUC601 B001 Spr 15

LESSON FOUR:THE DECLARATION OF

INDEPENDENCE JULY 4, 1776

• The 4th of July is a national holiday in the United States.

• On this day, there are parades, picnics and fireworks.

• It is Independence Day.

• Was it on this day in 1776 that the 13 colonies got their freedom from Great Britain?

….Well not exactly

THE 4TH OF JULY

• By the July 1776, the war had been going on for over a year.

• It was not going well for the colonists.

• The British had a powerful navy and a professional army.

THE WAR AGAINST GREAT BRITAIN

TAX DISPUTES, REPRESENTATION, INVASION• A tax dispute had escalated into a

full scale invasion and an all out war. British Army Redcoats occupied cities, towns, and homes across all 13 colonies. The colonists were losing the war in the summer of 1776. The Americans needed to do something. Stamp Act

Currency Act

• Townshend Act

• Intolerable Acts

• Quartering Act

• more taxes

THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

• Representative from all 13 colonies met in Philadelphia.

• They discussed what needed to be done.

• They came to a radical new decision.

• They decided the best way to deal with Great Britain was to declared the 13 colonies as a new independent nation.

• IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

• The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

• When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation…..

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

• Thomas Jefferson, a representative from Virginia's House of Burgesses, was selected to write the original draft of the Declaration of Independence.

• Congress would edit Jefferson’s text to produce the final version. 

• All 56 representatives from all 13 colonies agreed to sign this document.

• The American Revolution would be fought for eight more years.

• Great Britain was eventually defeated.

THOMAS JEFFERSON

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE&

GRAMMAR• Writing Style- many modern readers notice the Declaration of Independence’s

text sounds strange.

• British English vs. American English- In 1776, British and American English had not yet become distinct forms of language.

• Spelling Mistakes- A few words are misspelled by today’s standards. “Hath shewn,” “compleat,” and “Brittish” are the main offenders.

• Capitalization- non-standard capitalization of key words.

• Gendered Language- “…all men are created equal.” “…Governments are instituted among Men…” In 1776, men ruled the world. Today this style of writing in a government document would be inappropriate.

GRAMMAR: THAT VS. WHICH• The most troublesome grammar nuance for the modern reader of

the Declaration of Independence is Thomas Jefferson's use of “that” and “which”.

• Jefferson frequently uses “which” where “that” might be more appropriate.

• Janepenson. (Producer). (2010, November 23). That or Which? [Web Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDG4bc4ydmU

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (Producer). (2013, August 27). That vs. Which - Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor [Web Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1aWStx9O2Q

• U.S. National Archives (n.d.). Declaration of independence - text transcript. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

• VanNest, A. (2014, July 02). The declaration of independence: A lesson in language history. Retrieved from https://www.grammarly.com/blog/2014/declaration-independence-lesson-language-history/

REFERENCES