The Birth of a Nation

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-birth-of-a-nation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the founding year?1776, marked by the adoption of the Declaration of Independence
2. What is the philosophical influences?Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, emphasizing natural rights and popular sovereignty
3. What ideas helped the colonies decide to become independent?Ideas from the Enlightenment, like John Locke's belief that everyone has a right to life, liberty, and property, helped the colonists decide they should be free.
4. Why did the colonists want to break away from Britain?They were unhappy with taxes that were taken without asking them, soldiers staying in their homes, and rules that limited their trade.

Popular Sovereignty: The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people.
Federalism: A system of government where power is divided between a central national government and regional state governments.
Checks and Balances: A system in government where each branch has some power to limit the powers of the other branches.