Read the following documents. Most are found in the American Yawp Primary Document Reader (you can find the link at the top of PSA section under Modules). However, there may be other items to read or watch; if so you'll find those links under this assignment.

This PSA's main theme is "the creation of the American identity." The American colonies didn't just decide overnight to break away from Britain; it took nearly 170 years for the colonies to begin, grow, and eventually grow apart from British society. These documents illustrate life in the colonies, how it differed from Europe, how the colonists began thinking of themselves as a separate people than simply British subjects, and how that evolved into a call for independence from Britain.

Documents to Read:

Chapter Three: "Recruiting Settlers," "Letter from Carolina"

Chapter Four: Sarah Knight, Eliza Lucas, Gibson Clough

Chapter Five: Thomas Paine, Declaration of Independence

Chapter Six: Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur

Video Clips to Watch (you'll find the links on Canvas under this assignment): these are from the musical 1776 - not exactly primary documents, but still address every part of what this PSA is discussing:

Clip from 1776 "Why Independence" - John Adams and Ben Franklin debate John Dickinson on why the colonies need independence.

Once completed, type up your answers to the following questions in a single Microsoft Word document and submit it to this link when complete. Each individual response should be between 150-300 words (meaning that you have multiple 150-300-word responses to type!) You should also use specific examples from the documents to support your answers.

Questions to Answer:

1. Explain how the documents describe life in the colonies, using examples from the documents.

2. Explain some of the differences that the documents describe between life in the colonies and life back in Europe.

3. Explain how the differences you explained in the previous question helped to lead to tension between the colonies and Britain.