The Good Ol ’ U. S. of A

1. The Good Ol’ U. S. of A • "May our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right."  -John Quincy Adams

2. "Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."  • "Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." -George Washington

3. "One man with courage is a majority." "That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."  -Thomas Jefferson

4. Revolution Background • Fourth and fifth generation Americans of European descent living in New England and Virginia • English subjects who did not give much thought to independence • Mid 1760’s to mid 1770’s attitudes changed • King George III and Parliament began to impose regulations, which threaten the liberties of the colonist • Finally war erupted.

5. The Age of Reason or “Enlightenment” • 18th century • Social contract as the form of basis of the government • Believed people by nature god, not evil • A perfect society was an idle dream • American statesmen of the Revolutionary period were themselves figures of the Enlightment • Famous Americans not only expressed ideas of the Age of Reason, but helped put them into practice. • Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry

6. Politics as Literature • The public writings and speeches of American statesmen of the 1770’s and 1780’s helped reshaped, not only the nation, but also the world. • Patrick Henry was a spellbinding orator, who spoke against the Stamp Act brought cries of treason. • Thomas Paine was influential in swaying public opinion in favor of independence. His 1776 pamphlet of “Common Sense” sold nearly 100,000 copies. • Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence is one of the most influential political statement ever made. • People hoped that the Declaration of Independence would last a generation and with 27 amendments it still survives today.

7. The Shot Heard Round the World • School House Roc k

8. Culture and Art • Theaters were built. • Colleges established in the south. • Painters emerged. • Patriotic hymns were wrote.

9. The Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson

10. T. J. • Born in Albermarle County, Virginia • Father died when T. J. was 14, but already provided him with classical education and large estate $$$$ • Attended College of William and Mary • Became a lawyer • Advocate for personal liberty and religious freedom • 1776 the Second Continental Congress chose him to help draft the Declaration of Independence

11. Political Power Figure • During the Revolution, Jefferson served as the governor of Virginia • Served as U.S. minister to France in 1782, secretary of state and Vice President • Served as Nation’s Prez. From 1801-1809 • Believed in rights of individuals • Doubled the size of the U.S. in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase • Despite being President, avoided public fanfare; thought the President should neither act nor look like a king

12. Some 411 • In 1826, both Jefferson(83) and previous president John Adams (90) became ill, but had hoped to live to see the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Independence • Jefferson died the morning of July 4th, several hours before Adams, whose last words were: “Thomas Jefferson still survives”

13. Jefferson and Parallelism • Parallelism is the repetition of sentences, clauses, or phrases with identical or similar structures. • Commonly used in public documents and speeches for Dramatic Effect • In the selection from The Declaration, Jefferson cites the truths that are “self evident” and begins each clause with that.

14. Jefferson Censored! • The selection we will be reading shows how the Second Continental Congress altered his original draft to produce the final draft of The Declaration of Independence. • Jefferson explains how Congress edited out passages that discussed breaking ties with the English people and ending slavery.