States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown,
and that all political connection between them and the State of Great
Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that as free and
independent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce and to do all other acts and
things which independent States may of right do. And for the support of
this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and
our sacred honor.

Suggested Questions for Exploring Virginia's
Role in the Winning of Independence

Questions may serve to identify a problem or topic, and also serve as a
means to dissect and analyze the topic. The narrative section of this
publication entitled, THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE: VIRGINIA, 1763-1783,
deals with selected aspects of questions contained in this
section. However, in order to expand the scope and understanding of
Virginia's role in the winning of independence, as well as to provide an
improved perspective for students to see new meaning in familiar events,
the following questions have been prepared for the classroom teacher.

1. How did the "Intellectual Awakening" in Europe reflect the changing
image of man in relation to economic organization, religious reforms,
political activities, and social changes? How did this intellectual
ferment influence the American Revolution and the "American Experience"?

2. How will a study of the following topics establish a framework for an
inquiry into the Colonial Period?

(a) Historical forces which gave rise to exploration and which were
influencing European civilization centuries before Columbus' journey.

(b) Various reasons for colonization and objectives and methods of
colonization for different nations.

3. What contributions will an analysis of the emergence of capitalism
(with its wage system, market economy, banking structure, and corporate
organization) and the impetus which capitalism provided for
colonization make to the development of insights into the nature of
European society and the Colonial Period?

4. How did capitalism influence the American Revolution and how was
capitalism influenced and/or changed by the American Revolution?

5. Was there a discrepancy between the objectives of the European
colonizers and the growth and development of the Virginia c