DISCUSSION FOR PRIMARY SOURCES ON CHAPTER 5

Read Chapter 5
Consult the Webpage for the links to the readings.

1. How open-minded does Franklin appear in this passage? How do his views fit with the ideals of the
Declaration of Independence? (Reading 1)

2. Compare Adams's passionate prose with the textbook's portrayal of him. What accounts for his seeming
democratic zeal at the time he wrote the letter and his later Federalist beliefs? (Reading 2)

3. Compare the Declaration of Independence draft and its guiding ideology of freedom with the hopes of
African Americans and women for the Revolution. Were their hopes fulfilled? What were the different ideas
of independence and rights expressed in these documents? (Reading 3, 4, 5, 6)

4. Look in your textbook and note the changing nature of the British Empire reflected in these documents.
What were the economic arguments against continued American membership in the British Empire?
(Readings 7, 8, 9, 10)

5. What actions did the colonists take? Did all colonists agree with these actions? (Readings 7, 8, 9, 10)