1. Read the following excerpt from the Declaration of Independence and answer the question: "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them with another, and to assume on the earth the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect for the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." What was Thomas Jefferson's purpose in writing the Declaration? 2. The Declaration lists grievances against King George, including: "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the repository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures." In your own words, explain how this grievance undermines democracy.

Answer 1: Thomas Jefferson's purpose in writing the Declaration of Independence was to justify the American colonies' decision to declare independence from British rule. He wanted to explain to the international community and to history the reasons why the colonies felt compelled to break away and become a separate nation. Jefferson articulates the Enlightenment idea that when a government fails to protect the rights of the people, it is not only the right but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government and to establish a new governance system that would better serve their interests. In the excerpt, Jefferson emphasizes the belief that all peoples have a natural right to self-governance and that respect for global opinion necessitates a clear argument for why the colonies must separate from the British Crown.

Answer 2: This grievance suggests that King George III was undermining the principles of representative government by forcing legislative bodies to meet in inconvenient and far-off locations. By doing so, he was making it difficult for the legislators to perform their duties and was hindering the normal functioning of legislative governance. It effectively disrupted the operations of colonial government, making it harder for representatives to attend, discuss, and make decisions on behalf of the people they represented. This tactic could coerce them into agreeing with his policies, as they might comply with his demands simply to avoid the hardships of such meetings. This undermines democracy because it disrupts the free and fair representation of the people's will, and it manipulates the legislative process to dictate outcomes, rather than allowing it to reflect the collective decisions made by the representatives of the populace.