Teacher’s Guide

Got Grievances?
Time Needed: 2 class periods Objectives: Students will be able to...
Materials: • Identify key causes resulting in the Declaration
• Student Handouts of Independence and the Revolutionary War
• Scissors • Describe the colonies’ grievances with Britain
• Visual Analysis Activity (optional) • Explain the effects of British economic and
• Projector political policies on the colonies
• Explain social factors that influenced the writing
Handouts:
of the Declaration of Independence
• Reading (4 pages; class set)
• Analyze ideals found in the Declaration of
• Activities (4 pages; class set)
Independence
• In Their Own Words Cards (1 page; class set)
• Primary Source Analysis (2 pages; class set)

Step by Step
 Anticipate by asking students to share an example of a grievance. If students are unsure
what the word means, give an example sentence (i.e. When Shawn met with the
manager, he explained each of his grievances and asked to be compensated for
the poor service he received.) Clarify: a grievance is a complaint or a wrong.
 Ask students: Should a grievance always be addressed? Why? In what way?
 Tell students that they will learn about some of the grievances colonists had with
Britain leading up to the Revolutionary War.
 Distribute the reading to the class. Read the reading pages with the class, pausing to
discuss as needed.
 Check for understanding by asking: What were the colonists’ grievances? How were
they addressed?
 Distribute the activities to the class. Allow time for students to complete each activity.
 Distribute one In Their Own Words sheet to each student or to groups of two or three. Tell
students that the colonists had many more grievances. Have students cut and
match the cards. Ask: What do you notice about how the grievances are written?
Extend the activity by asking students to discuss if each grievance was a violation
of a natural or an English right.
 Complete the Visual Analysis activity if you wish. Directions are included with the activity.
 Distribute the Wait... What Does That Say? primary source activity to the class. Tell
students that the Declaration of Independence includes the principles that
justified the colonists’ fight for independence. Tell students that these ideals
stood in direct contrast to a common practice of the time: slavery.
 Allow time for students to complete the reading and activity. You may wish to read and
discuss the text dependent questions together.
 Reflect with students. Share that an early draft of the Declaration included a grievance
attacking King George for the practice of slavery in the colonies. This passage
was removed. Ask students why they think this may be. Ask if there are political
grievances people have today and if/how they see them addressed.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. You may copy, distribute, or transmit this work for noncommercial purposes only. This copyright notice or a legally valid equivalent such as “© 2019 iCivics Inc.” shall be
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Got Grievances? Name:
Ah, Freedom…
Imagine having the freedom to make your own decisions all the time. Your parents don’t ask you
anything, not what you’re doing, or even where you’re going. It’s great! After a time, you really get
used to the lack of supervision. Now, suppose this all comes to an abrupt end. For some reason,
they’ve decided that you now have to get permission to go anywhere or do anything. You might try
to explain that you’re mature enough to handle the freedom—after all, you were doing so well. And if
after all your explaining, they don’t ease up, you’ll probably be pretty angry about having to go back to
such a tight parental watch.
Just like you’d be annoyed with a strict tightening of rules after a
long period (of what seems like endless) freedom, by 1776, so
Mercantilism were British colonists living in America. Britain had followed
Even though an “unofficial” policy called salutary neglect when it came
Britain largely to managing the colonies in the past, which meant that they
neglected colonial pretty much left the colonies to themselves. Parliament, Britain’s
affairs, products legislature, didn’t worry about making colonial laws. Instead,
manufactured in the they let the colonies govern themselves. Britain was so far away
colonies, like rice and tobacco, provided that unless the colonies were really getting into trouble, it was
a way for Britain to build their wealth. just easier to leave them alone. And as long as the colonies
Early regulations like the Navigation were making money, colonists bought British goods which meant
Acts gave Britain the power to that British merchants made money that they put right back into
regulate colonial trade. This building the country’s wealth. As far as Britain was concerned,
economic system was there really was no reason to mess with a good thing.
called mercantilism.
But Not for Long War Debts
Eventually, Britain stopped turning a blind eye. For nine years,
from 1754-1763, Britain paid a large amount of money to keep the colonies safe
and happy by fighting a war with France over control of the land in the Ohio River
valley. After the French and Indian War, salutary neglect wasn’t economically
advantageous anymore. The colonies had become an expensive drain. There were
war debts to be paid. So, like it or not, things were about to change.

Mother May I? ...As If!

Pamphlets!
Much like a viral post, paper pamphlets
were the social media of the 1700s.
They spread ideas and information to
every day citizens. Common Sense is
credited with uniting colonists around
the idea of American independence.
Just like the teenager whose parents suddenly lay down
the law, the Founders of our country found themselves
upset. Their mother country had tightened the reins and
began taxing the colonists’ goods to help recover the
funds they’d lost during the war. The colonies rebelled.
The British punished the colonies for their rebellion,
and the colonies called the punishment unfair. By 1776,
Thomas Paine declared in his best-selling pamphlet
Common Sense that England was not even a mother, but
a cruel monster. He said that the colonies had a natural
right to their own government since men are born equal
and one man cannot claim to have a God-given right to
rule any of the others. It was time for colonies to claim
their freedom. That same year, the colonies declared
independence.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Reading ̶ Side A

 Got Grievances? Name:
Let Facts be Submitted... He Has Wronged Us!
The colonists were a year into war with Great Britain when the
Second Continental Congress met to formally adopt the Declaration

Source: National Archives

of Independence in 1776. This document officially stated that
the 13 colonies were cutting ties with Great Britain and the King.
(No more parental rule!) One by one, they listed every single
grievance they had with their mother country’s most recent rule. The
complaints were long. They said that the King was interfering with
their law making ability, taxing them without their consent, and had
forced them to make room for British soldiers in their colonies!
Just Who’s In Charge?
Thousands of miles of land and sea and policies like salutary This print of the Declaration of
neglect had left the colonists relatively free to govern their own Independence lists 27 grievances
way. But after the French and Indian War, the colonies and Britain the colonists had with the King.
found themselves in a power struggle. Much like Parliament,
colonial legislatures made laws necessary to keep things orderly and running smoothly. But, unlike
Parliament, the colonies had established systems of government where officials who were elected to
make laws directly represented the needs of the people who elected them.
In Britain, members of Parliament virtually represented all British citizens, not
just the ones who lived where they did. The idea was that Parliament’s members
had the wisdom to know how to make laws that took everyone’s interests into
account. Sounds great, right? Just imagine someone from a place that knows
nothing about your life making all the rules. The problem was that up until now
Parliament hadn’t really been “virtually” representing the colonists. They had
been successfully governing themselves. So which of these governments had
the true authority and right to tax?
No Stamps, No Tax!
In 1765, Parliament introduced the Stamp Act, a new tax that required
a stamp for all printed items including newspapers, legal documents, and
even playing cards. Colonists were angry that the tax was being imposed
without the consent of their colonial legislatures. They feared this would
Source: National Archives

set a precedent of “taxation without representation”. Parliament was

The Stamp Act Congress
approved this Declaration of
Rights and Grievances. It said
taxes could only be imposed
by colonial legislatures.
confused. There was a need for money, and to raise it they had no choice
but to levy taxes on all British subjects, including those in the colonies.
This logic did little to win over the colonists who had been in charge
of setting their own taxes for so long. English governing documents,
like the Magna Carta, had long established the rights of British citizens.
They couldn’t just be taxed without in some way having their say. By
October 1765, the colonies decided to organize and sent representatives
to a meeting in New York City that became known as the Stamp Act
Congress. They met to discuss the colonists’ rights as British subjects,
declaring that only their colonial legislatures had the power to tax them.
They elected no representative to Parliament, and therefore had not
given their consent to any taxes Parliament decided to impose.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Reading ̶ Side B

 Got Grievances? Name:
We Said, “NO STAMPS, NO TAX!”
Source: Boston Public Library

While the Congress decided on a political response, men and

women began protests using boycotts, publications, and,
sometimes, violence. They wrote letters and newspaper articles
urging colonists to refuse to pay the tax. In Boston, a new political
group known as the Sons of Liberty formed and attacked the
office and home of the stamp commissioner. They burned an effigy,
a dummy that represented him, as a warning. The commissioner
The repeal of the Stamp Act is quickly resigned. By November 1, 1765, when the Stamp Act was
personified as a funeral procession on to go into effect, there were no longer any stamp commissioners
a London dock in this 1766 print.
left in the colonies to collect the tax.
Now Who’s in Charge?
In ALL Under all the pressure from the colonies, Britain ultimately decided to repeal
cases the Stamp Act in 1766. But that very same year, Parliament passed the
WHAT Declaratory Act stating that it had all power to make laws that were
SO
strong enough to keep the people in the colonies under Great Britain’s

EVER!
control. The Act said, “in all cases whatsoever.” It also said that any laws the
colonies made that denied or called into question the right of Britain to control
the colonies would be null and void. Now, in addition to being taxed without
representation, Britain was going to legislate without representation, too. Was
this how a government was supposed to treat its people?

Time to Stand Up For Our Rights!

In 1767, the Townshend Acts were enacted, taxing British
imports, products shipped from other countries such as glass,
tea, lead, paint, and paper. These were things the colonists
couldn’t get or easily make for themselves. When John
Hancock, a prominent Boston citizen, refused to pay the tax on
wine he had aboard his ship, Liberty, customs officials seized
the ship. The move set off a riot. The British responded by
sending troops to occupy the city, requiring the Massachusetts Today, the 3rd Amendment to the U.S.
Council to quarter them in public spaces in the city according Constitution prohibits the quartering of
to the Quartering Act of 1765. soldiers without your consent.

The Council refused. Colonists saw the Quartering Act as

another means of British control. Once again, a law had
Source: National Archives

Crispus Attucks was a runaway slave. He
became a seaman in Boston, MA, and was the
first casualty in the Boston Massacre.
been passed without their consent. And the war was over.
Why would the British want soldiers stationed in colonies
now if not to keep the colonists in line? Plus, housing
soldiers in colonial barracks and inns required money, which
would only be raised through more colonial tax.
By March 5, 1770, tensions were high. British soldiers were
guarding the Boston customs house, where taxes were
collected, when an angry mob began throwing rocks and
snowballs at them. Shots rang out, killing five colonists, in
the event known as the Boston Massacre.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Reading ̶ Side C

Got Grievances? Name:
Coming Together Over Tea
No Tea! That year, Britain mostly repealed the Townshend Acts, but the
tax on tea remained. To avoid paying the tax, many colonists
bought smuggled tea or made their own tea from herbs. The
Daughters of Liberty were women who boycotted all sorts
of taxed British goods. Their refusal to buy British products—
choosing to go without or to make do with locally made goods—
had large economic impacts as women made most of the
purchases for their homes and some even ran small shops.
By 1773, the British East India Company was losing money selling
their tea. Parliament passed the Tea Act allowing only the British
BOYCOTT! East India Company to sell tea in the colonies. The Tea Act wasn’t
like the other acts Parliament had passed. Since there was already
an existing tax on tea still in place from the Townshend Acts, the
Tea Act wasn’t really raising any money from the colonists. In fact, it lowered the price of tea because
the act allowed the East India Company to ship its tea to the colonies directly. But colonists just saw
this as a trick. If they purchased the East India Company’s tea, then it would be like saying they
accepted Britain’s right to levy taxes.
We’ve Had Enough! The King is a tyrant.
These new
On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk laws...
Indians, boarded British ships in Boston, and dumped the cargo INTOLERABLE!
of tea into the harbor. This event became known as the Boston
Tea Party. An outraged Parliament punished the Boston rebels
in 1774 by passing the Coercive Acts (known in the colonies
as the Intolerable Acts). Boston Harbor would be closed until
the destroyed tea was paid for. This economically hurt merchants and people
in Boston who relied on trade conducted in the harbor for goods and supplies.
The King appointed a British governor and limited the power of the Massachusetts
legislature. He also gave judicial authority in the colony over to British judges.
Just the Beginning
Where was Georgia??
Britain thought the punishment would caution other
Compared to America’s other colonies from acting as Massachusetts had, but the Coercive Acts did
British colonies, Georgia the opposite. The colonies united behind the belief that their rights
was a fairly new. And they were being violated by a would-be tyrant—the King! Each colony,
still needed Britain’s help. except for Georgia, sent delegates to meet in Philadelphia in 1774 for
During the First Continental the First Continental Congress. Whispers of independence were
in the air. But most colonists still saw themselves as British subjects.
Congress, the colony
They were loyal to the Crown and only wanted to be treated in
was engaged in fighting
accordance with the rights of their English citizenship. The Congress
with Native drafted a petition to the king, naming their grievances with the
American Intolerable Acts, and asking the King to repeal them. The petition,
tribes and known as the Declaration of Rights, was ignored. But the colonies
relied on would not be. The King would hear every single complaint! Two
supplies from years later, at the Second Continental Congress, delegates signed the
the British. Declaration of Independence. Though the fighting and the war had
already begun, independence was at last formally declared.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Reading ̶ Side D

Got Grievances? Name:
A. Fed Up Yet? Independence wasn’t declared in a day. Use the events from the reading to make a
timeline for independence in the box. Remember to label and add dates in the correct places.

• Second Continental
Congress (1775)
• Stamp Act Congress
• French and Indian War
ends
• Coercive Acts passed • Stamp Act repealed • First Continental
• Boston Tea Party • Boston Massacre Congress
• Stamp Act passed • Townshend Acts repealed • Declaratory Act passed
• Declaration of • Tea Act Passed • Revolutionary War begins
Independence signed (1775)
• Townshend Acts passed

B. Theorize. The first tax was passed in 1765 and colonists were already at war before all 13 colonies
officially agreed to make a formal split from Great Britain in 1776. What were the colonists thinking
and why was there such a long wait? Check off the reasons you think apply. Then use your choices to
propose a theory to explain why independence couldn’t be declared in a day.

I’m a British subject. Loyalty above Sending delegates to meet in one central location
everything else! takes an awful lot of travel time.
Liberty or... If we fight and fail, we could be Look, I’m sure we can work this out and find a
executed as traitors. peaceful resolution.
Are we really all united? I don’t want to risk Can we really win this thing? Honestly, I’d just
having to fight other colonies. rather pay the taxes.
Britain has the largest military in the world. If we’re really doing this, we need time to
War? No thank you! organize and build our armies.
Who cares what’s happening in Massachusetts? If we keep boycotting, Britain will eventually lift
I live in Georgia. the taxes. Trust the process.
Theory:

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side A

Got Grievances? Name:
C. Respect Our Rights! The colonists believed their rights came from two sources. First, they had
natural rights that all people are born with. Second, they had rights as Englishmen, which were
protected by law and shared by all British people. Read through the sources of these rights and the
grievances below. Decide if each grievance is an abuse of a natural right or English right, then explain
why the abuse might make you angry.

Rights of Englishmen
Natural Rights of Man (Magna Carta, Petition of Right,
& English Bill of Rights)
(John Locke)
• No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned
without fair administration of justice
• Life
• The King’s subjects should not be taxed but by
• Liberty consent in Parliament
• Property • A standing army within the kingdom in time
of peace without the consent of Parliament is
against the law
• Excessive bail, fines, or unusual punishment are
not to be imposed of inflicted

Grievances Abuse of... I would be angry because...

For quartering large bodies of  Natural Right

armed troops among us.  English Right

For cutting off our trade with all  Natural Right

parts of the world.  English Right

For imposing taxes on us  Natural Right

without our consent.  English Right

For depriving us in many cases,  Natural Right

of the benefits of trial by jury.  English Right

For transporting us beyond  Natural Right

seas to be tried for pretended
offences.  English Right

For… declaring themselves  Natural Right

invested with power to legislate
for us in all cases whatsoever.  English Right

Think: The colonists believed that by committing these offenses, King George had become a tyrant
(an unreasonably controlling and cruel leader). How does a tyrannical government threaten a person’s
natural rights?

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side B

Got Grievances? Name:
D. Tea Time. Colonists boycotted British tea when they were forced to pay a tax for it without their
consent. Use the table to examine the effectiveness of their boycott.

Tea Imported from England by America Colonies: 1768-1775*

(In pounds. For years ending December 24)

Virginia &
Year Total New England New York Pennsylvania Carolina Georgia
Maryland
1775 22,198 8,005 8,825
1774 73,274 30,161 1,304 31,273 4,332 3,661
1773 739,221 206,312 208,385 208,191 26,491 83,959 5,070
1772 264,882 151,184 530 128 78,117 22,916 10,265
1771 362,257 282,857 1,035 495 32,961 36,385 5,420
1770 110,386 85,935 269 18,270 1,175 2,980
1769 229,439 86,004 4,282 81,729 37,355 12,982 4,426
1768 873,744 291,899 320,214 174,883 41,944 94,639 5,212
1767 480,376 152,435 177,111 87,741 36,088 24,261 2,325
*Adapted from U.S. Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial and Pre-Federal Statistics

1. In what years did American colonies import the most tea? _________________________________

a. How might you explain these increases? _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773. Based on data from the chart, how do you

infer the colonies reacted? Explain. _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

3. In what years did American colonies import the least amount of tea? __________________________

a. How might you explain why this occurred? ____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Given the numbers in the chart, do you think the colonial boycott on imported British tea was an
effective form of protest? Explain your answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side C

Got Grievances? Name:
E. Have You Heard? Imagine that you are a citizen of Boston, Massachusetts in 1774. Your father has
just left for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he will meet up with representatives from other colonies
at the Continental Congress. Write a letter to your cousin in Virginia to discuss this important congress
meeting. (Remember, it won’t be called the first for some time yet!)
In your letter, include how you feel about what’s been happening in the colonies, some of the
grievances and events the representatives may discuss, and, most importantly, what you are hoping
the representatives will do and why.

My Dearest Cousin,

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side D

Got Grievances? Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
A. Fed Up Yet? Independence wasn’t declared in a day. Use the events from the reading to make a
timeline for independence in the box. Remember to label and add dates in the correct places.

• Second Continental
Congress
• Stamp Act Congress
• French and Indian War
ends
• Coercive Acts passed
• Boston Tea Party
• Stamp Act passed
• Declaration of
Independence signed
• Stamp Act repealed • First Continental
• Boston Massacre Congress
• Townshend Acts repealed • Declaratory Act passed
• Tea Act Passed • Revolutionary War begins
(1775)
• Townshend Acts passed

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B. Theorize. The first tax was passed in 1765 and colonists were already at war before all 13 colonies
officially agreed to make a formal split from Great Britain in 1776. What were the colonists thinking
and why was there such a long wait? Check off the reasons you think apply. Then use your choices to
propose a theory to explain why independence couldn’t be declared in a day.

I’m a British subject. Loyalty above Sending delegates to meet in one central location
everything else! takes an awful lot of travel time.
Liberty or... If we fight and fail, we could be Look, I’m sure we can work this out and find a
executed as traitors. peaceful resolution.
Are we really all united? I don’t want to risk Can we really win this thing? Honestly, I’d just
having to fight other colonies. rather pay the taxes.
Britain has the largest military in the world. If we’re really doing this, we need time to
War? No thank you! organize and build our armies.
Who cares what’s happening in Massachusetts? If we keep boycotting, Britain will eventually lift
I live in Georgia. the taxes. Trust the process.
Theory:

Accept all reasonable responses.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side A

Got Grievances? Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
C. Respect Our Rights! The colonists believed their rights came from two sources. First, they had
natural rights that all people are born with. Second, they had rights as Englishmen, which were
protected by law and shared by all British people. Read through the sources of these rights and the
grievances below. Decide if each grievance is an abuse of a natural right or English right, then explain
why the abuse might make you angry.

Rights of Englishmen
Natural Rights of Man (Magna Carta, Petition of Right,
& English Bill of Rights)
(John Locke)
• No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned
without fair administration of justice
• Life
• The King’s subjects should not be taxed but by
• Liberty consent in Parliament
• Property • A standing army within the kingdom in time
of peace without the consent of Parliament is
against the law
• Excessive bail, fines, or unusual punishment are
not to be imposed of inflicted

Grievances Abuse of... I would be angry because...

For quartering large bodies of  Natural Right Accept all reasonable responses.
armed troops among us.  English Right


For cutting off our trade with all  Natural Right


parts of the world.  English Right

For imposing taxes on us  Natural Right

without our consent.  English Right


For depriving us in many cases,  Natural Right

of the benefits of trial by jury.  English Right


For transporting us beyond  Natural Right

seas to be tried for pretended
offences.  English Right


For… declaring themselves  Natural Right

invested with power to legislate
for us in all cases whatsoever.  English Right


Think: The colonists believed that by committing these offenses, King George had become a tyrant
(an unreasonably controlling and cruel leader). How does a tyrannical government threaten a person’s
natural rights? Discuss and review as time allows. Accept all reasonable responses.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side B

Got Grievances? Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
D. Tea Time. Colonists boycotted British tea when they were forced to pay a tax for it without their
consent. Use the table to examine the effectiveness of their boycott.

Tea Imported from England by America Colonies: 1768-1775*

(In pounds. For years ending December 24)

Virginia &
Year Total New England New York Pennsylvania Carolina Georgia
Maryland
1775 22,198 8,005 8,825
1774 73,274 30,161 1,304 31,273 4,332 3,661
1773 739,221 206,312 208,385 208,191 26,491 83,959 5,070
1772 264,882 151,184 530 128 78,117 22,916 10,265
1771 362,257 282,857 1,035 495 32,961 36,385 5,420
1770 110,386 85,935 269 18,270 1,175 2,980
1769 229,439 86,004 4,282 81,729 37,355 12,982 4,426
1768 873,744 291,899 320,214 174,883 41,944 94,639 5,212
1767 480,376 152,435 177,111 87,741 36,088 24,261 2,325
*Adapted from U.S. Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial and Pre-Federal Statistics

1768 and 1773

1. In what years did American colonies import the most tea? _________________________________

a. How might you explain these increases? Accept all reasonable responses. Look for students to
_____________________________________________

justify answers with plausible, informed reasoning.

________________________________________________________________________________

2. The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773. Based on data from the chart, how do you

infer the colonies reacted? Explain. _______________________________________________________

Students should note that there was a sharp decline in tea

___________________________________________________________________________________
imported from England in 1774.

___________________________________________________________________________________

1774 and 1775

3. In what years did American colonies import the least amount of tea? __________________________

Colonists were angry about British policies and

a. How might you explain why this occurred? ____________________________________________

banded together to successfully boycott tea.

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Given the numbers in the chart, do you think the colonial boycott on imported British tea was an
effective form of protest? Explain your answer.

Accept all reasonable responses and explanations. Students should note the decline of tea imports
___________________________________________________________________________________

surrounding the time of the Townshend Acts and the Boston Tea Party.
___________________________________________________________________________________

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side C

Got Grievances? Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
E. Have You Heard? Imagine that you are a citizen of Boston, Massachusetts in 1774. Your father has
just left for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he will meet up with representatives from other colonies
at the Continental Congress. Write a letter to your cousin in Virginia to discuss this important congress
meeting. (Remember, it won’t be called the first for some time yet!)
In your letter, include how you feel about what’s been happening in the colonies, some of the
grievances and events the representatives may discuss, and, most importantly, what you are hoping
the representatives will do and why.

My Dearest Cousin,

Accept all reasonable responses. Award points for:

- Addressing each aspect of the prompt:
1. Your feelings about what’s been happening
2. Some the grievances and events that will be discussed
3. What you hope the representatives will do and why
- Use of letter format written in first person point of view
- Appropriate voice and tone
- Appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Activity ̶ Side D

Got Grievances? Name:
In Their Own Words. Read a few of the grievances straight from the Declaration of Independence.
Then translate them into modern day English by matching the real text to the correct meaning.

He is at this time transporting large Armies

He has refused to pass other Laws for the
of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works
accommodation of large districts of people,
of death, desolation and tyranny, already
unless those people would relinquish the right
begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy
of Representation in the Legislature, a right
scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages,
inestimable to them and formidable to
and totally unworthy the Head of a
tyrants only.
civilized nation.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts,
Standing Armies without the Consent of burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of
our legislatures. our people.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken
of these States; for that purpose obstructing the
Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against
Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing
their Country, to become the executioners of
to pass others to encourage their migrations
their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves
hither, and raising the conditions of new
by their Hands.
Appropriations of Lands.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring

He has affected to render the Military
us out of his Protection and waging War
independent of and superior to the Civil power.
against us.

He has dissolved Representative Houses He has made Judges dependent on his Will
repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the
invasions on the rights of the people. amount and payment of their salaries.

The King restricted immigration to the The King has made soldiers to be above the
colonies and raised property taxes. law and system of justice.

The King has allowed the British Navy to be

The King has kept an army in the colonies
like pirates; forcing colonists captured at sea
when we are not at war without the consent
to kill family and friends to have their own
of the colonial legislatures.
lives spared.

The King has hired and paid a foreign army The King has put an end to the colonial
to fight and kill colonists. legislatures.

The King wouldn’t pass laws unless colonists The King has authorized the destruction of
gave up their right to representation. colonial property.

Instead of protecting the colonies, the King The King hired, paid, and fired judges so no
is waging war against us. trials are fair.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. In Their Own Words

Got Grievances?
In Their Own Words. Read a few of the grievances straight from the Declaration of Independence.
Then translate them into modern day English by matching the real text to the correct meaning.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the
accommodation of large districts of people,
unless those people would relinquish the right
of Representation in the Legislature, a right
inestimable to them and formidable to
tyrants only.
He has kept among us, in times of peace,
Standing Armies without the Consent of
our legislatures.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population
of these States; for that purpose obstructing the
Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing
to pass others to encourage their migrations
hither, and raising the conditions of new
Appropriations of Lands.
He has affected to render the Military
independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has dissolved Representative Houses
repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his
invasions on the rights of the people.
C. The King restricted immigration to the
colonies and raised property taxes.
H. The King has allowed the British Navy to
be like pirates; forcing colonists captured at
sea to kill family and friends to have their
own lives spared.
F. The King has hired and paid a foreign
army to fight and kill colonists.
A. King wouldn’t pass laws unless colonists
gave up their right to representation.
I. Instead of protecting the colonies, the
King is waging war against us.
© 2019 iCivics, Inc.
Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
He is at this time transporting large Armies
of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works
of death, desolation and tyranny, already
begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy
scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages,
and totally unworthy the Head of a
A civilized nation. F
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts,
burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of
our people.
B G
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken
Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against
their Country, to become the executioners of
their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves
by their Hands.
C H
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring
us out of his Protection and waging War
against us.
D I
He has made Judges dependent on his Will
alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the
amount and payment of their salaries.
E J
D. The King has made soldiers to be above
the law and system of justice.
B. The King has kept an army in the colonies
when we are not at war without the consent
of the colonial legislatures.
E. The King has put an end to the colonial
legislatures.
G. The King has authorized the destruction
of colonial property.
J. The King hired, paid, and fired judges so
no trials are fair.
In Their Own Words
Got Grievances? Name:
Wait...What Does That Say? Read one of the most famous parts of the Declaration of
Independence. It outlines many of the ideas that helped form the government we have today.
Meanings have been added in [brackets] following some of the words and ideas that may be unfamiliar.

We hold these truths to be self-evident [easy for anyone to see], that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
[given] by their Creator with certain unalienable rights [basic rights that cannot be taken away], that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. —That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted [established] among
Men, deriving [getting] their just powers from the consent of the governed [agreement of the people being ruled].
— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to
abolish [to change or end] it and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing
its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness… it is their right, it is their
duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Part II. Now read this 1777 excerpt from a slave petition for freedom presented to the Massachusetts
Legislature. Compare the ideas in this document to those in the Declaration. Some spellings have been
corrected in [brackets] and meanings of unfamiliar words are in (parenthesis).

To The Honorable Counsel & House of [Representa]tives for the State of Massachusitte
[Massachusetts] Bay in General Court assembled, Jan. 13, 1777.
The petition of A Great Number of Blackes detained in a State of slavery in the Bowels of a free
& Christian Country Humbly shuwith [showeth] that your Petitioners apprehend (understand)
that thay [they] have in Common with all other men a Natural and Unaliable [unalienable] Right
to that freedom which the Grat Parent of the Unavers (God) hath Bestowed equalley on all
menkind and which they have Never forfuted [forfeited] (lost) by any Compact or agreement
whatever—but thay wher Unjustly Dragged by the hand of cruel Power from their Derest friends
and sum [some] of them Even torn from the Embraces of their tender Parents—from A popolous
Pleasant and plentiful contry and in violation of Laws of Nature and off [of] Nations and in
defiance of all the tender feelings of humanity Brough [brought] hear [here] Either to Be sold Like
Beast of Burthen & Like them Condemnd (sentenced) to Slavery for Life [...]
[In Imitat]ion of the Lawdable Example of the Good People of these States your petitiononers
have Long and Patiently waited the Evnt of petition after petition By them presented to the
Legislative Body of this state and cannot but with Grief Reflect that their Success hath ben but
too similar they Cannot but express their Astonishment (amazement) that It has Never Bin
Consirdered that Every Principle form [from] which Amarica [America] has Acted in the Cours
[course] of their unhappy Dificultes with Great Briton [Britain] Pleads Stronger than A thousand
arguments in favowrs [favor] of your petioners they therfor humble Beseech (ask) your honours
to give this petion [petition] its due weight & consideration & cause an act of the Legislatur to
be past [passed] Wherby they may be Restored (returned) to the Enjoyments of that which is
the Naturel Right of all men—and their Children who wher Born in this Land of Liberty may not
be heald [held] as Slaves after they arrive at the age of twenty one years so may the Inhabitance
of this Stats No longer chargeable (connected) with the inconsistancey [inconsistency] of acting
themselves the part which they condem [condemn] (disapprove of) and oppose in others Be
prospered (grow) in their present Glorious struggle for Liberty and have those Blessing to
them, &c.

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Primary Source

Got Grievances? Name:
Wait... What Does That Say? Now use the excerpts to answer the questions for each document.
Refer back to the documents as needed. It may help to read each document more than once.

Excerpt One: The Declaration of Independence Excerpt Two: Petition for Freedom to the
Massachusetts Legislature

1. What unalienable rights do all people have? 1. What grievance do the petitioners have?

______________________________________ ______________________________________

______________________________________
2. What do they say that they understand?
______________________________________
______________________________________

______________________________________
2. Where did they get these rights?
______________________________________
______________________________________

______________________________________ 3. How did their capture from their own

country violate laws of nature?
______________________________________
______________________________________

3. Why do we need government? ______________________________________

______________________________________ ______________________________________

______________________________________
4. What have they been waiting for? And why
______________________________________ are they amazed?

______________________________________
4. Where do governments get their power?
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

5. Why do you think they feel that America’s

5. What right do people have if government principles plead stronger than a thousand of
becomes destructive? their own arguments for freedom?

______________________________________ ______________________________________

______________________________________ ______________________________________

______________________________________ ______________________________________

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Primary Source

Got Grievances? Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
Wait... What Does That Say? Now use the excerpts to answer the questions for each document.
Refer back to the documents as needed. It may help to read each document more than once.

Excerpt One: The Declaration of Independence Excerpt Two: Petition for Freedom to the
Massachusetts Legislature

1. What unalienable rights do all people have? 1. What grievance do the petitioners have?

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”

______________________________________ They have been denied their natural rights.
______________________________________

______________________________________
2. What do they say that they understand?
______________________________________
“Thay have in Common with all other men a
______________________________________

Natural and Unaliable Right to that freedom which

______________________________________
2. Where did they get these rights?
the Grat Parent of the Unavers hath Bestowed”
______________________________________
From “their Creator”
______________________________________

______________________________________ 3. How did their capture from their own

country violate laws of nature?
______________________________________
The petitioners call the capture unjust because
______________________________________

3. Why do we need government? “they have Never forfuted by any Compact or

______________________________________

“To secure these rights”

______________________________________ agreement [their natural right to freedom]”
______________________________________

______________________________________
4. What have they been waiting for? And why
______________________________________ are they amazed?

For their petition to be answered. They are

______________________________________
4. Where do governments get their power?
amazed that the similarity of their plea and that
______________________________________
“from the consent of the governed”
______________________________________
of America’s has not been acknowledged.
______________________________________
______________________________________

5. Why do you think they feel that America’s

5. What right do people have if government principles plead stronger than a thousand of
becomes destructive? their own arguments for freedom?

“It is the right of the people to alter or to

______________________________________ Accept all reasonable responses.
______________________________________

abolish it and institute new Government.”

______________________________________ ______________________________________

______________________________________ ______________________________________

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Primary Source

Got Grievances? Name: ** TEACHER GUIDE **
Visual Analysis - Watch Where You Step!
Directions: Display the images and use the prompts to guide students through a visual analysis of each
image. For each question, accept and discuss all reasonable responses. For some questions, teacher
notes have been added in red. Encourage students to use what they know and what they have learned
from the reading to inform their responses.

Image #1: Tell students that the first image is a copy of Benjamin Franklin’s woodcut printed in
newspapers during the French and Indian War in 1754. Display the image. Give students time to
observe, then ask:
1. What do you see? You may wish to circle or highlight what students see.
2. What do the letters represent? Abbreviations for American British colonies. (New England colonies
are grouped together as N.E., Georgia is omitted. At the time Delaware was a part of Pennsylvania.)
3. How does the slogan “Join, or Die” relate to the image?
4. What message was Franklin trying to convey through the image? Why do you think it was
necessary at the time? Remind students that at the time of the war, colonies were separate entities.
5. How might the memory of this image have been relevant to colonists during the events leading up
to the Revolutionary War?

Image #2: Next, show Franklin’s 1767 cartoon, “The Colonies Reduced”. Tell students newspapers
were using Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon in protest of the Stamp Act, but that Franklin disagreed
with its use and made this cartoon instead, which he shared with British members of Parliament. Give
students time to study the image, then ask:
1. What do you see? You may wish to circle or highlight what students see.
2. Who do you think the woman is? What does she represent? Ask students to justify their thoughts.
(You may wish to tell students that the woman represents Great Britain.)
3. What words do you see? Why would Franklin include this sentence? Tell students what the words
on the banner mean: “Date Obolum Belli Sario” - Give a penny for Belisarius.
4. What message was Franklin trying to convey through this image? Do you think colonists thought
the message was effective?

Image #3: Next show the Gadsden Flag. Tell students that this flag was carried during the American
Revolution in 1776. Give students time to study the image, then ask:
1. What do you see? You may wish to circle or highlight what students see.
2. How is the slogan on this image different from that of Franklin’s snake print?
3. How does the snake differ from the snake in Franklin’s image? Draw students’ attention beyond the
obvious and ask them to consider what the snakes’ postures might symbolize.
4. What message was Gadsden trying to convey in the image? Why do you think it was necessary at
the time? (Note: Students may recognize and wish to discuss that the flag is still in use today.)
5. How did messages change from the end of the French and Indian War to the Revolutionary War?

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Visual Analysis

Got Grievances? ** TEACHER GUIDE **

Image #1

Source: Library of Congress

Image #2

Source: Library of Congress

Great Notions © 123RF.com

Image #3

© 2019 iCivics, Inc. Visual Analysis