Powerful Signatures
OBJECTIVE
Students will use critical-thinking skills to analyze historical documents and gain an understanding of the value that their signatures impart.
MATERIALS
Powerful Signatures Student Reproducible 2; Classroom Poster; pen or pencil
REPRODUCIBLES
DIRECTIONS
- Introduce students to famous historical documents that were initiated and propelled by signatures (e.g., Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Sentiments). Explain that each document was signed by many individuals, all of whom were committed to a specific cause or idea. Ask questions such as:
a. Who were the primary authors of these documents, and what were some of their reasons for writing and signing them? The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. The signers wanted to formally declare their reasons for seeking independence from England. The United States Constitution was primarily authored by James Madison, who is sometimes called The Father of the Constitution. Seeking a unified federal government for the United States, Madison and the other delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 signed the document, which was later ratified by the 13 original states. The Declaration of Sentiments was authored by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an early advocate for women's liberty, at the first Woman's Rights Convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. The document was modeled after the Declaration of Independence as a way of bringing the issue of feminine equality to the forefront of American discussion.
b. Why was it important to have many people sign these documents? A person's signature can be a strong tool for change because it represents the power of an individual voice. Signing your name to a document is a serious expression of the willingness to commit to an idea, cause, or contractual agreement. When many people who share the same ideals are willing to add their signatures to one document, it strengthens their convictions.
c. How did the signers of these documents leave a permanent mark on history? What type of political or social change did they help to bring about? The Declaration of Independence declared our commitment to freedom and guaranteed our basic rights. Every freedom we have as Americans comes from the Declaration of Independence. It is the foundation for both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Sentiments propelled the discussion regarding women's right to vote and own property into American culture, ultimately culminating in the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which granted women the right to vote.
d. What risks did the signers of these documents face when they committed their names and support to these causes? The delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence knew that adding their signatures would be considered an act of treason by the British government, punishable by death; the framers of the Constitution took an enormous risk by creating an entirely new form of government; the men and women who signed the Declaration of Sentiments faced the possibility of ridicule from those in the nation not yet willing to take the issue of women's rights seriously. - Distribute Powerful Signatures Student Reproducible 2. Have students create a school amendment, using the information they have learned in Lesson 2.
Introduce students to the historic figures pictured on the bottom of the Classroom Poster and discuss their achievements. (Jimmy Carter made strides toward peace in the Middle East by signing the Camp David Accords, Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, has been a key voice in defining American law, Frederick Douglass strengthened the antislavery movement by writing his autobiography, and Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American author to publish poetry.)
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