Question

the second continental congress

1. determine central ideas list five responsibilities of the second continental congress as

the acting government of the colonies.

1. compare and contrast think about the work undertaken by the second continental

congress. name one way that it differed from the work of the first continental congress.

the declaration of independence

1. determine meaning look at the text of the declaration of independence. according to

this document, why are governments created?

1. determine central ideas what made the political system described in the declaration of

independence groundbreaking?

the first state constitutions

1. integrate information from diverse sources what features of the first state constitutions

were similar to ideas expressed in the declaration of independence?

Explanation:

For Question 4:

The Second Continental Congress acted as the colonies' governing body, with core administrative, military, and diplomatic duties.

For Question 5:

The First Continental Congress focused on petitioning Britain for redress, while the Second took decisive steps toward independence.

For Question 6:

The Declaration of Independence outlines the explicit purpose of government based on its core philosophical tenets.

For Question 7:

The document's political framework represented a radical shift from European monarchical norms.

For Question 8:

Early state constitutions reflected the foundational principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence.

Answer:

1. (Question 4)

• Organizing and leading the colonial militia (Continental Army) during the American Revolutionary War
• Authorizing and overseeing the drafting and adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776
• Negotiating foreign alliances, most notably the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France
• Managing the colonies' finances, including issuing paper currency and securing loans to fund the war effort
• Establishing rules for governance and coordinating communication between the individual colonies

1. (Question 5)

Unlike the First Continental Congress, which primarily sent petitions to the British Crown to protest colonial policies and seek reconciliation, the Second Continental Congress formally declared the colonies' independence from Britain and established a functioning wartime government for the new nation.

1. (Question 6)

According to the Declaration of Independence, governments are created to secure the unalienable rights of the people—specifically life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

1. (Question 7)

The political system described was groundbreaking because it was based on the principle of popular sovereignty: it asserted that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, rather than from a monarch's divine right, and that people have the right to alter or abolish a government that fails to protect their rights.

1. (Question 8)

Many first state constitutions included statements of individual rights (mirroring the Declaration's focus on unalienable rights), established republican forms of government where power rested with the people (not a monarch), and included provisions that allowed for the people to alter their government if it failed to serve their interests.