The Declaration of Independence: Created Equal?

This lesson focuses on a few key concepts of the Declaration of Independence, beginning with the phrase “All men are created equal.” Students gain an appreciation of Thomas Jefferson’s efforts to deal with the complex issues of equality and slavery in the Declaration of Independence.

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/equal/
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Resource provided by Library of Congress

Standards

Massachusetts, New York, Hawaii, Texas, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina, Idaho, Utah, Minnesota, Alaska, North Dakota, Illinois, Vermont, Mississippi, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Washington, Montana, California, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nebraska, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Nevada, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Delaware, South Carolina, Maine, Common Core, New Jersey, Florida, South Dakota, Maryland, New Mexico, Georgia, Tennessee, NCSS, National Standards for Civics and Government

Grades

9, 10, 11, 12

Subjects

Citizenship

Resource Types

Lesson Plans, Primary Sources

Teaching Strategies

Informational Text, Whole Class, Whole Class Discussion, Whole Class Deliberation, Small Group, Small Group Discussion, Small Group Deliberation, Individual Work, Writing, Debate

Civic Days

Fourth of July

Duration

150 minutes

Tags

Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, slavery