Reading Between the Lines: The Declaration of Independence

With the assistance of maps, posters, and a lively discussion of what daily life was like for the original colonists, this reading workshop will attempt to explore the historical context of the Declaration of Independence and the issues that were facing the colonists. Workshop participants will attempt to define the range of the colonists' complaints against the Crown. This discussion is intended to bring the situation to life for the participants by establishing the cultural norms of the times and helping participants understand and perhaps even feel the tension and frustration that colonists were experiencing on a daily basis.

Continuing with the historical context, we will look at the fact that the Declaration of Independence was written at a time when slavery was the economic backbone of the colonies, and Jefferson, along with the rest of the Continental Congress, was a slave owner. In spite of this fact, Jefferson frequently declared that he was a reluctant owner of slaves and opposed to its practice. In the original version of the Declaration, Jefferson included an outright attack on the slave trade. Through discussion, we will explore whether or not Jefferson's position as a slaveholder invalidates the Declaration, as some have claimed.

We will also examine Jefferson's writing style, and how he used this particular style to build importance and create meaning for his reading audience. We will discuss Jefferson's skillful use of the periodic sentence and parallelism, techniques that help build importance in each word and help to move Jefferson's reading audience toward his logical "call to action." Finally, we will look at whether or not this document still holds the same meaning for contemporary readers as it did for the original reading audience.

Email: dbunnell@lamar.colostate.edu
Enrollment Limit: No Limit