You have studied three sources involving the establishment of American independence from Great Britain. The sources are: •“Declaration of Independence,” signed on July 4, 1776
•A passage from Patrick Henry’s March 23, 1776, “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention”
•The video “From Subjects to Citizens”

An important idea presented in the sources involves the colonists’ notions of the purpose of government. Write an essay in which you explore the perspectives offered in the source documents regarding government’s purpose and its relationship to the people it governs. Use evidence from all three source documents to support your ideas.