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and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and
Independent States, they have full Power to levy War,
conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce,
and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent
States may of right do. And for the support of this
Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives,
our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Jefferson completed the Declaration of Independence
on June 28. He showed it to Adams, Franklin, and the
other members of the Committee of Five. They made a
few changes, but for the most part the words that
Thomas Jefferson had written on the second floor of
Jacob Graff’s rooming house would be the words
debated in just a few days by the delegates to the
Continental Congress.
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Jacob Graff’s Boarder
Text-Dependent Question
Who were the five delegates to the Second Continental Congress that were asked to
write the Declaration of Independence?
Research Project
With a group of friends, write a skit re-enacting the drafting of the Declaration of
Independence. Make sure to explain in the dialogue why this document was drafted,
and discuss important points that the delegates to the Second Continental Congress
discussed in 1776. When your skit is completed, perform it for the class with your
friends.