Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Declaration of Independence Unit Study

Independence Day is a great inspiration for some summer homeschooling! Check out these ideas for a Declaration of Independence unit study and take advantage of the opportunity to discuss United States history, the founding fathers, government structure, and much more!

A great resource for younger students, Ducksters.com offers a history lesson about the Declaration of Independence, along with additional activities and interesting facts. You’ll find a brief history of the timeline leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a short quiz to test your knowledge, a full list of the signers of the declaration, and a full transcript of the document itself.

Improve retention skills, vocabulary, and understanding of the message itself by memorizing all—or even part—of the Declaration. Learn some great memorization tips and techniques and explore some helpful resources in this blog post. Memorization skills are excellent tools to use in a variety of subjects, and learning them early can be key to forming a basis of knowledge throughout life. The Declaration of Independence is also a beautifully and masterfully written document, and exploring the writing style is a great language arts exercise in and of itself.

Declaration of Independence Foundations

Marilyn Boyer of Character Concepts authored the inspirational history and devotional book, For You They Signed, as a resource to teach our children about the godly foundations of our nation. Look for it at your local library or consider purchasing a copy of your own.

Test your knowledge of the history of the Declaration of Independence with this online quiz. You can even challenge your family to a competition and pick out a fun prize for the winner!

Expand your studies of US history with the Liberty Bell unit study ideas from this Homeschool Living post, “Let Freedom Ring!: Liberty Bell Unit Study” and enrich your summer homeschool!