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Preamble: Second Paragraph

This paragraph begins “We hold these truths to be self–evident…”

What does this quote express?

The second paragraph states “…deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. What does “deriving” mean in this context?

What does “consent” mean in the same quote (copied below)?

“…deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

The Americans wrote “such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government”. What does “constrains” mean in this context?

In the same quote (below), what does “alter” mean?

“such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government”

What are the unalienable rights specifically listed in the Declaration of Independence?

Who creates government according to this document?

This document states that people can do three things to a government that is destructive to human rights. What are those three actions?

What does the phrase below mean?

“…all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

What else would you like to learn about why Americans wanted independence?