# data[].attributes.body
Thomas Jefferson was asked to write a draft for the deceleration of independence that was approved on July 4, 1776

# data[].attributes.body
In the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress, the colonists passed a series of measures, culminating in their declaration of independence from Great Britain. In the 1st continental congress, the delegates imposed an embargo on Britain and agreed to boycott British goods. The 2nd Continental Congress served as the government of the colonies during the war.

# data[].attributes.body
9 out of 13 states sent delegates to a meeting to organize a protest against the stamp act and King George's actions

# data[].attributes.body
The harsh conditions the colonists were going through brought them together like never before developing their own resources and economies. They also started thinking of themselves as Americans rather than British Subjects.

# data[].attributes.body
George III became king in 1760. To help pay for the war, the king and his ministers levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products. The Stamp Act of 1765 imposed the first direct tax on the colonists. It required them to pay a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, and even dice and playing cards. The British Parliament also passed laws regulating colonial trade in ways that benefited Great Britain but not the colonies. He basically wasn't very successful at managing the growing concerns of the colonists, rather he worsened them.

# data[].attributes.body
The French and Indian War started as a struggle between the French and British over lands in what is now western Pennsylvania and Ohio. The war was very costly and Britain was left with a huge debt. The British believed the colonists had an obligation to pay that debt—after all, they were defending the colonies from the French. In order to defend against Indian rebellions after the war, Britain also maintained a standing army in the colonies, which was also a financial strain

# data[].attributes.headline
Why and how did the colonists declare independence?

# data[].attributes.subject
Why and how did the colonists declare independence?

# data[].attributes.body
1a) French and Indian war + tax
2a) Crowning of King George III
1b) Colonial Unity
2b) Taking Action
3b) Continental Congress (1st + 2nd).
4b) Declaring Independence

# data[].attributes.body
The colonists firmly believed in representative government This notion was familiar to the colonists because Britain’s Parliament was a representative assembly with the power to enact laws.

# data[].attributes.body
The influence of the English Bill of Rights was felt directly in the American colonies. The colonists believed the document applied to them and that they had the same rights as people living in Britain. The bill placed limits on monarchs, gave people the right to petition, protected people from cruel and unusual punishments, and from excessive fines.

# data[].attributes.headline
Right to be free from unjust punishments

# data[].attributes.subject
Right to be free from unjust punishments

# data[].attributes.body
While the colonists’ ideas about government were rooted in Christianity, educated colonists were familiar with the ideas of Blackstone, Hobbes, Locke, and other Enlightenment thinkers. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution reflected these ideas.  These European intellectuals had an impact on the colonists' approach to creating their government. For example, Locke's idea that people have "natural right" simply because they are human beings still resonates with us today

# data[].attributes.headline
What influenced the development of our government institution?

# data[].attributes.subject
What influenced the development of our government institution?

# data[].attributes.body
1) The right to be free from unjust punishments by the government
2) The English bill of rights
3) The right to vote for representatives in the government