What specific events and ideas influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence? How are these influences manifested in the Declaration of Independence?

HIST 120 Dr. Schaffer

Essay Assignment (40 points)

Due by 10 PM on Thursday 7/14

The Essay Assignment

In an essay of at least 500 words, answer the following question:

What specific events and ideas influenced Thomas Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of

Independence? How are these influences manifested in the Declaration of Independence?

How to do the Essay Assignment

 Re-read the Tips for Doing the Reading and Writing. (In the Course Information folder of D2L.)

 Draw on Out of Many and any relevant sources, as well as the Declaration of Independence.

 Link specific statements Jefferson makes in the Declaration of Independence to specific issues, events,

people, images, and/or key terms that you learned about in Topic 5. Moreover, make sure to clearly

explain how the latter are reflected in Jefferson’s statements in the Declaration of Independence.

o For example: What was the Stamp Act and where in the Declaration of Independence does

Jefferson refer to it? What was the Enlightenment and how does the Declaration of

Independence reflect core Enlightenment values? (Do not focus solely on the examples I give

you here – find some of your own!)

 Please do not waste my time and yours by plagiarizing any part of your essay.

Submitting Your Essay Assignment  Save your assignment in a word, RTF, or text file. (Do not save your assignment in a pdf file.)

 To submit your assignment: click the drop-down menu for “Assessment” and then click “Dropbox”.

There you will see the Essay Assignment; click on it and attach your file. Submit your assignment no

later than 10 PM on Thursday 7/14.

 Do not wait until the last minute to submit your Essay Assignment! That way, if you encounter any

technical difficulties, you have time to sort them out and still submit your assignment on time.