Name Date Intellectual Devotional American History Worksheet: Declaration of Independence. Before reading the attached short article on The American Declaration of Independence, please use a dictionary to define the vocabulary words below. Then read the article and answer the questions about the text. Some of the questions ask for your opinions and thoughts about the subject; please remember that there are no wrong answers to these questions.

I. Vocabulary

A. Impel (verb):

B. Usurp (verb):

C. Taut (adjective):

D. Radical (adjective/noun):

E. Autocrat (noun):

F. Legitimate (adjective):

G. Eloquent (adjective):

H. Ideology (noun):

II. The Text

A. What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence? What do the long passages in the Declaration discuss in detail?

B. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? When did this person live? For what did the Declaration argue?

C. What form of government was most common in Europe when the Declaration of Independence was written?

1 D. What controversial assertion did the Declaration of Independence make?

E. What, in Thomas Jefferson’s view, must governments do to be considered legitimate? What must people do if governments trample on individual rights?

F. Who heavily influenced Thomas Jefferson and the way he wrote the Declaration of Independence?

G. Is the Declaration of Independence law? How do Americans view the Declaration of Independence?

H. What is one movement that cites Thomas Jefferson’s words from the Declaration of Independence?

III. Additional Facts

A. Does the original copy of the Declaration of Independence still exist?

B. How many people signed Declaration of Independence? Who was among them?

C. What was dropped from the Declaration of Independence to get support from southern delegates?

What is your source for this information?

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