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| Perspectives on the Fourth of July |
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Extension Activities:
- Have students ask their parents what they believe
is most important about the Fourth of July.
- Have students read and discuss a copy of another
primary source from 1776 besides the Declaration of
Independence. In January 1776, Thomas Paine published
Common Sense, an influential political pamphlet that
argued for American independence and sold more than
500,000 copies in a few months. In the spring of 1776,
support for independence swept the colonies and the
Continental Congress called for states to form their
own governments. Ask students to compare and contrast
Common Sense with the Declaration of Independence.
Which document may have had more impact in its own
time? Which has more meaning for Americans today?
Explain.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website
has text of Common Sense available on line at http://www.gilderlehrman.org/search/
display_results.php?id=GLC03777
- Interested students may wish to explore more about
the Fourth of July online. Additional resources include:
Online copy of the Declaration of Independence from
the National Archives:
http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/
charters/declaration_transcript.html
"Making Sense of the Fourth of July," by
Pauline Maier, Reprinted from AMERICAN HERITAGE, August
7, 1997.
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/symbols/sense.htm
U.S. Embassy Jakarta/Indonesia Home Page about Public
Holidays in the United States
http://www.usembassyjakarta.org/moreholidays.html
Census information based on July 2002 about how much
money was spent on flags and fireworks.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02ff10.html
Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic
Past. Ray Raphael.The New Press. 2004. pages
248-251.
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