Independence Day Video Lessons
Help your students dive deeper into the history of the Fourth of July with these Edpuzzle Original video lessons on Independence Day and the Declaration of Independence!
Illustration by Edpuzzle Staff
Are you teaching summer school? Are you looking for the history behind the holiday of Independence Day? Or maybe you just need a great educational video on the Declaration of Independence for when school is back in session?
Whatever the case may be, we have you covered with these Edpuzzle Original video lessons on Independence Day !
Created by expert social studies teachers and tried and tested by the Edpuzzle community of teachers, take a look for yourself to see how you can use them with your students today.
An Independence Day Video Lesson for Grades 6-12
In this video lesson aimed at middle and high schoolers, students will explore the Declaration of Independence and decide whether or not they would have signed it. It's a great way to invite debate!
Video length: 7 mins. 8 secs.
An Independence Day Video Lesson for Grades 3-5
This video lesson gives a short history of what led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with an emphasis on the three “unalienable rights” guaranteed in the Constitution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Video length: 6 mins. 44 secs.
Key Takeaways from the Independence Day Video Lesson
Opening with footage of a Fourth of July picnic and a fireworks display, the video acknowledges that the holiday is a very important day in the United States… but not in other countries.
Students will learn that before July 4, 1776, there was no country called the United States of America. Many settlers in what would become the U.S. were citizens of Great Britain, and they had to follow all the rules and laws set forth by King George III.
They’ll also learn about how members of the Second Continental Congress wrote a letter to King George III asking him to change laws they thought were unfair, although King George III did not comply.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring the Thirteen Colonies’ independence from Great Britain.
The lesson goes on to analyze the following passage from the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Finally, the lesson discusses the American Revolutionary War and how it was fought to officially secure the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain.
So this year, have a side of history with your hot dog and watermelon! Happy Fourth of July!