“The Revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected, from 1760 to 1775, in the course of fifteen years before a drop of blood was drawn at Lexington.”
- John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, August 24, 1815
In this module, you will examine the form of government established by the American Revolution and the Constitution, and its key ideas—including natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the rule of law. By examining the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, you will learn how these two documents set the foundation for American democracy.
In this activity, you will explore the ideas that shaped the American Revolution and read several prompts to engage in a conversation with your classmates. Together, you will discuss how ideas are shared, modified, and reused over time to build arguments.
Read the following quote by key Founder, Thomas Jefferson:
"This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before, but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, not yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion. All it's [sic] authority rests on the harmonizing sentiments of the day, whether expressed in conversation, letters, printed essays, or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, & c."
—Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee, May 8, 1825
Launch Information
Give students time to read the selected texts in advance. Encourage active reading and highlighting.
Activity Synthesis
Invite students to share their 3-2-1 and react to others. Questions to ask can be:
Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of Thomas Jefferson’s message, ask the following questions:
In this activity, you will identify the intellectual sources of the Declaration of Independence—the very thinkers that Jefferson mentioned in his letter. You will also explore the root of the principles—such as natural rights, popular sovereignty, rule of law, and the social contract—that influenced the American Revolution and led to the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Work in groups to review the information sheets on the following Ancient and Enlightenment Thinkers, who are from the classical world and the European Enlightenment, and whose ideas helped shape the American Revolution.
After you have reviewed each thinker, complete one of the following activity guides with your group.
After your group has prepared a profile sheet on your thinker, share with other groups without revealing the person. Give key ideas, but also let them ask questions about the person. This is a “Who Am I?” activity with other groups, so everyone gets to meet all of the thinkers listed.
Launch Information
Break students into four groups, assigning each group a thinker from the ancient world or the Enlightenment whose ideas shaped the American Revolution. Students will be given a short essay on their person. With the help of the info briefs, students will identify key details about the thinkers and the ideas they expressed that influenced the American Revolution. These profiles will allow students to jigsaw the information back together with other groups, so that each student gains insight into all four people listed. Students will then reveal to their classmates information about the thinker from their profile sheets that will allow other students to get to know their key figure and guess “Who am I?” The goal is to have other groups try and identify the person based on their profile and core idea(s).
Activity Synthesis
After the “Who Am I?” activity, students will reconvene in their original groups, compare the notes that they learned about the other thinkers, and finalize their activity guide. The teacher should use Q&A to review information about each thinker for the class, emphasizing what is most important. Final activity guides will be shared with all students for a full group study guide. Students should process the important information about all four thinkers. Then have students write a summary of the major contributions of each one.
Activity Extension
Create an Instagram account, a Facebook page, or a bio for their person.