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Declaration Of Independence Dbq

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DBQ As the thirteen original colonies approached revolution, new attitudes began to emerge among the populace. Enlightenment thought gave rise to new perceptions of freedom, liberty, and natural rights, which many American colonists espoused with great vigor. Thus, people within the colonies began to see themselves not as subjects of the British crown, but as free men of an independent nation. This compelled the colonies to unite against a common enemy, Great Britain. Therefore, between 1750 and 1776, general perceptions of American sovereignty began to change, and a unique American identity emerged among a newly united nation. This new identity compelled many Americans at the time, and still pervades the very fabric of modern American society. …show more content…
On the eve of revolution, after fighting had already broken out between colonial militia and British regulars, the Continental Congress was convened. Within the “Declaration for the Causes of Taking up Arms,” the congress dubbed the fledgling nation “the United Colonies of North America” (Document E). Within this declaration, the delegates of the Congress stress that the colonies have taken up arms and unified in defense of liberty and natural rights. The true motives (which were often monetary) of the Continental Congress are often shrouded within Enlightenment rhetoric stressing the liberty and rights of all mankind. Regardless, by the time of the Continental Congress, the colonies had effectively unified. For example, after the passage of the Intolerable Acts and the ensuing blockade of Boston, many colonies contributed to the relief of Boston (Document G). Colonies such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina donated large amounts of food and livestock to Boston, in an attempt to undermine what they saw as a tyrannical institution of martial law by the British government. Therefore, as Revolution became imminent, unity among the colonies became a fundamental reality of the new American

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