Students examine how colonial leaders moved from seeking peace to declaring independence, exploring key events and changing perspectives that led to the break with Britain.
Students examine how colonial leaders moved from seeking peace to declaring independence, exploring key events and changing perspectives that led to the break with Britain.
Students review background information about the First Continental Congress and how colonial leaders initially sought to resolve tensions without breaking from Britain. They answer two review questions about why the First Continental Congress met and what actions it took, using these questions to recall earlier efforts at protest and reconciliation.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the lesson focus and objectives, emphasizing that independence was not the original goal of colonial leaders. Use the review questions to anchor students in the earlier moment of attempted compromise, then briefly discuss why the First Continental Congress was not yet ready to separate from Britain and what events might have been on colonists’ minds as they approached the Second Continental Congress.
Students learn that delegates at the Second Continental Congress brought differing goals and perspectives. They watch The Second Continental Congress Convenes to explore the main issues debated and the range of ideas about how to respond to Britain. Using two collaborative response walls, they identify the key issues under debate and one major goal of the Congress. Students then read The Olive Branch Petition: A Final Attempt at Peace to understand the colonies’ last effort to avoid a larger war, and respond to a poll explaining whether they would have supported sending the petition and why.
Teacher MovesHighlight that the Second Continental Congress was not unified and that delegates held conflicting views about loyalty, neutrality, and independence. Use the first wall prompt to surface students’ understanding of these divisions, and the second to focus on the Congress’s early goal of pursuing peace. After the poll, press students to justify their choices with specific evidence from prior events (such as the Intolerable Acts, Lexington and Concord, and the Olive Branch Petition). Conclude the scene with a brief discussion connecting the failure of reconciliation, the rejection of the petition, and the king’s Proclamation of Rebellion to the growing sense that peace with Britain was becoming unlikely.
Students examine how a sequence of events in 1776 pushed colonists from hoping for reconciliation to accepting independence as necessary. They read the Independence Timeline and analyze images from Declaring Independence Visuals, then choose four events they believe were most significant in leading to independence. Using a graphic organizer, they match selected events to the appropriate images, place them in chronological order, and write captions that explain each event’s importance in the move toward independence.
Teacher MovesModel how to connect written events from the timeline to visual clues in the images, emphasizing that the images are unlabeled and out of order. Remind students that their task is both to sequence events correctly and to explain why each event mattered. During review, invite students to share which events they chose and why, guiding discussion toward the broader theme of changing perspectives. Help students see how official actions of Congress and public responses—such as public readings of the Declaration and symbolic acts like tearing down the statue of King George III—revealed a growing acceptance that independence was the only remaining path.
Students take on the role of a delegate at the Second Continental Congress and write a journal entry describing their feelings before and after voting for independence. In their entries, they include at least three prior events that influenced their decision and explain how each event shaped their thinking about whether to remain connected to Britain or support independence. They share their journal entries on a class wall, with the option to read them aloud in character.
Teacher MovesFrame this scene as an opportunity to synthesize learning and practice evidence-based writing from a historical perspective. Support students in brainstorming relevant events from earlier in the unit—such as tax laws, British responses to resistance, the Olive Branch Petition, and the king’s rejection of peace—and coach them to connect each event clearly to their fictional vote. After writing, invite volunteers to read their entries in character and facilitate a discussion about how the atmosphere inside the Continental Congress might have felt as delegates weighed risks, debated options, and ultimately chose independence.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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