When Did the U.S. Truly Become Independent?

Name: U.S. History

When Did the U.S. Truly Become Independent? Declaration of Independence v. Treaty of Paris (1783)

At what point in history did the United States become truly independent? This is a question often debated by historians. We are going to examine two events which are often viewed as the “starting point” of American independence. Then you are going to choose which event truly marks the beginning of America’s independence

Event #1: The Declaration of Independence:

In June of 1776, a group of wealthy colonists met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss the problems being caused by the tyrannical British government. This meeting was considered illegal under British law. They decided to write a letter to King George III (of England) informing him that the colonies were no longer a part of Great Britain. On July 4, 1776, the colonists sent the “Declaration of Independence” to the king. In their minds, this marked the beginning of their independence. They no longer considered themselves to be British – they considered themselves to be Americans. Most colonists ignored British laws. Instead they began setting up their own government. They called their new government the “Articles of Confederation.” They made their own laws and formed their own militia (army). Some colonists stopped using British currency (money) and began using their own form of American money.

Event #2: Treaty of Paris

King George III was furious when he received the Declaration of Independence. The British did not want to lose control over the colonies because the colonies brought great wealth to England. The British sent troops (called Red Coats) over to the American colonies. The British launched a war against the colonists. They tried to capture the leaders of the Sons of Liberty (colonial leaders) and steal the weapons that the colonists had been stockpiling. The British blocked all of the American ports to prevent the colonists from being able to trade with foreign countries. This hurt the colonist’s economy. After six long years of battle, the British finally surrendered. Representatives from Great Britain and the American colonies met in Paris, France to work out a peace treaty. In 1783, they signed the Treaty of Paris. In that document, Great Britain recognized the American colonies as a free and independent country. The British were forced to give the Americans some land (from the Appalachian Mountains west to the Mississippi River) because they lost the war.

In your opinion, which of the following events marked the time when the American Colonists became “independent”? Answer using ATITIC.

a. The Declaration of Independence, 1776

b. The Treaty of Paris, 1783

______

4 3 2 1 Exemplary Proficient Progressing Beginning

 Insightful, well  Thoughtful, organized,  Organized and  Disorganized or confusing organized, and fluent and fluent somewhat fluent  Limited or no  Deep understanding of  Clear understanding of  Basic understanding of understanding of text is text is demonstrated the text is demonstrated text is displayed displayed  Specific references to  Relevant references to  At least one relevant  Limited or no examples text are used to support text are used to support example from text is from text are used to ideas ideas used to support ideas support ideas  Text references are well  Text references are  Text references are  Text reference seems interpreted and clearly explained and connected somewhat connected to irrelevant to response connected to response to response response

Name: U.S. History

When Did the U.S. Truly Become Independent? Planning Sheet

1. A: Answer the question.

I think that the ______(Declaration of Independence, 1776 or Treaty of Paris, 1783) marks the time when the American Colonist became independent because: ______

______.

(hints: think about what it means to be independent – is it about the law? Is it about how the colonist’s feels? Is it about how a colonists acted?)

2. T: Text Support

Select two parts of the text that CLEARLY show why the event you selected mark the time when the colonists became independent. 1. In the text it says…

2. In the text it says…

3. I: Inference

Explain how each piece of text support shows that the event you selected proves that the American Colonists became independent at that time.

1. This proves that the colonists became independent because:

2. This proves that the colonists became independent because:

4. C: Conclusion.

As you can see, ______