With the 4th of July just a few days away, it’s the perfect opportunity for your readers to learn more about the beginning of the United States and our Founding Fathers. To celebrate Independence Day, we are featuring 5 American History resources, including one new video, for you to share with your students.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The 56 men who signed the Declaration had risked their lives. As Benjamin Franklin may have said: “Now we must all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately.” They would have to wait until the war was over to know their fate.
In the summer of 1776, delegates to the Second Continental Congress gave Thomas Jefferson the job of telling the world why the American colonies wanted to break free from Britain. He did just that. He also said what the new nation would stand for. His bold and beautiful words have rung out through the centuries.
You’ve probably seen the American flag thousands of times. But how closely have you looked? How many stripes are there? What color is the top stripe? The bottom stripe? How many stars are in each row? How are they arranged?
If you sometimes don’t want to do what your parents tell you, then you have an idea of how Great Britain’s 13 American colonies felt in the 1770s. Since 1607, people had been leaving Britain and coming to America. They did so for many reasons.
On June 11, 1776, the Founding Fathers agreed to form a committee to create a document. It would explain why the colonies wanted independence. They chose John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson. But the brilliant young Jefferson wrote most of the Declaration of Independence.
