One of the various ways to understand a primary source is by placing yourself in that document′s time. So for this particular assignment, I want you to put yourself in the mindset of the early months of 1776. Try to set aside anything you might know about what came after — like the Declaration of Independence, the war, and the very existence of the United States of America. Instead, imagine yourself as a colonist reading these two documents, or hearing them read in a tavern, and reacting to them. Write a response essay about : Are you convinced by the arguments from one of the authors? Are you developing a strong set of opinions either for or against independence? What arguments are the most compelling to you? You′re encouraged to be creative in doing this. Are you writing from the point of view of a large landowner? Or a poor laborer? Or a woman? Or a Black person, free or enslaved? Where would your particular interests lie? You can imagine yourself as another pamphleteer entering the public debate, or arguing in the pub, or even making a speech in the Continental Congress.
