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

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, 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, National Standards for Civics and Government, NCSS

Grades

9, 10, 11, 12

Subjects

Citizenship

Resource Types

Lesson Plans, Primary Sources

Teaching Strategies

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

Civic Days

Fourth of July

Duration

150 minutes

Tags

Declaration of Independence, slavery, Thomas Jefferson