Start
Next
The curator’s files are locked. To begin, you need to unlock the files and discover the DBQ Essential Question.
What’s an Essential Question?
It’s a big, open-ended question. There’s no single right answer. It helps you use evidence from the documents to make your own argument. You’ll need this question to complete your DBQ—and to solve this puzzle. Look! The curator left something behind—Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration of Independence. Could it help us unlock the files?
Next
Subjects to Citizens
The answer is 'subjects.'
According to the Library of Congress, hyperspectral imaging of Jefferson’s draft revealed that he originally wrote “subjects” but crossed it out and replaced it with “citizens.” This edit shows that Jefferson was moving away from the idea of people being ruled by a king and toward the idea of people participating in governing themselves.
To continue solving puzzles, select the NEXT button.
Next
You've unlocked the essential DBQ question:
How have Americans over the past 250 years viewed the Declaration of Independence?
Remember, you are helping curators design a new museum exhibit about the Declaration of Independence. Your mission is to show visitors how different Americans have understood the Declaration at different points in history. To guide your work, you’ll explore the essential question. Your answer may look different from your classmates’ answers, and that’s okay. What matters most is that you use evidence to support your ideas. The documents you’ll study are like the artifacts for your exhibit. Each document gives you clues about how people in that time period thought about the Declaration. Keep this essential question in mind as you unlock the puzzles ahead.
Next
DBQ Skill Practice: Using VIEW
If you aren't practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the puzzle.
Now that you’re preparing your museum exhibit, it’s time to study the Declaration of Independence using VIEW. VIEW helps us understand a document by breaking it into four parts:
- V = Voice → Who is speaking? What perspective or background do they bring?
- I = Intent → Why was this written? To persuade, inform, inspire, or something else?
- E = Environment → What was happening in the world when this was written? What events or conditions shaped it?
- W = Who (Audience) → Who was this written for? A king, the public, future generations?
As you read the Declaration, ask yourself:
- What were the Founders' voices and perspectives?
- What were their intent in writing this document?
- What was the environment in 1776 that influenced its creation?
- Who was the audience, and how might that shape the language used?
The Declaration is one of the “artifacts” for your museum exhibit. Using VIEW will help you understand it more deeply and explain how Americans have viewed it over time. Here is a transcript of the document. Use the graphic organizer to write down your ideas. Find Graphic Organizer here.
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Declaration of Independence (1776)
There’s a hidden message in the transcript of the Declaration of Independence (1776). Can you find it? What does it mean? Note: Once you find it, think like someone living in 1776. How many colonies were declaring independence?
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Finding the Voice
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the puzzle.
You’re ready to analyze your next document. First, look inside the envelope. Find the pieces of Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Henry Lee. Like a curator working with fragile artifacts, you can piece the letter together, or you can start by reading the transcript to see exactly what Jefferson wrote. Let’s get better at analyzing historic documents by focusing on one aspect of VIEW—Voice. When we study the Voice of a document, we ask: Who is speaking, and how does their background shape what they say? AS YOU READ JEFFERSON'S LETTER, THINK ABOU THIS POINT OF VIEW:
- Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence almost 50 years earlier.
- In 1825, he was an older man looking back on one of the most important moments of his life.
- How might his role in history, and his stage of life, affect the way he explains the Declaration now?
Use the graphic organizer to write down your ideas about Jefferson’s Voice. These notes will help you decide how to explain Jefferson’s perspective to visitors in your museum exhibit. Find the Graphic Organizer here. If you want to keep going, you can fill in the rest of the VIEW organizer to fully analyze the document. Here is a transcript of the document.
Next
Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee (1825)
You’re ready to analyze your next document. Look inside the envelope. Find the pieces of Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Henry Lee. Carefully arrange the strips so the document can be read like a real artifact. Once it’s complete, examine the letter for something hidden by the curators.
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Finding the Intent
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the next puzzle.
You’re ready for your next task! This time, we’re focusing on another part of VIEW—Intent.
When we look at Intent we ask:
- Why was this document written?
- What was the author trying to do—persuade, protest, inspire, demand, or explain?
Take out the Declaration of Sentiments transcript. This document was written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other leaders at the Seneca Falls Convention. It was an early and bold call for women’s rights in the United States.
As you read, ask yourself about the purpose of document:
- What were they trying to change?
- Who were they trying to convince?
- How does the structure—modeled after the Declaration of Independence—help them make their argument?
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you learn about the document’s Intent. Your notes will help you explain the purpose of this document to visitors in your museum exhibit. Find the Graphic Organizer here. If you want, you can also complete the rest of the VIEW organizer to fully analyze the document. Here is a trasncript of the document.
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Seneca Falls Convention,Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
Use the transcript of the document for this puzzle. Specific words are hidden in the text. Once you spot them, look closely at how many words are in a group. These numbers are the key to finding location of the next document. Important: There’s a 0 before the second 9. Don’t skip it!
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Exploring the Environment
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the puzzle.
You’re ready for your next task! This time, we’re focusing on another part of VIEW—Environment.
When we STUDY the Environment of a document, we’re ask:
- What was happening in the world when this was written?
- What events, tensions, or problems shaped the author’s message?
Take the Gettysburg Address out of your envelope. You can look at the printed copy or use the transcript. As you read, imagine the moment when this speech was delivered. President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address during the Civil War, just months after the Battle of Gettysburg, which was a turning point in one of the deadliest conflicts in American history.
Ask Yourself:
- What was the country going through at this time?
- How might the war, the huge loss of life, and the fight over the nation’s future have shaped Lincoln’s words?
- Why would he talk about unity, sacrifice, and a “new birth of freedom” in this moment?
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you learn about the document’s Environment. Find the Graphic Organizer here. If you want, you can fill out the rest of the VIEW organizer to fully analyze the speech. Here is a transcript of the document.
Next
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863
Your next clue is hidden in sound. Listen carefully to the audio clip. There’s a message tapped out in Morse code. What phrase did you hear?
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Discovering the Who
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the next puzzle.
You’re reached the final part of VIEW—Who.
When we look at Who, we’re asking:
- Who was this document written for?
- Was it meant for one person? A group? The whole country?
- How does knowing the audience help us understand the message?
Take out the speech by Theordore Roosevelt titled New Nationalism. As you read this speech, focus on who Roosevelt was talking to. He gave this speech in Kansas, after he had already served as president. At this point, he was shaping a new political identity and speaking about things that were important to him.
Ask Yourself:
- Was Roosevelt speaking to everyday Americans?
- Was he trying to influence political leaders or reformers?
- Was he hoping to inspire future voters?
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you learn about the audience, or the Who of the document. Your notes will help you explain how understanding the audience helps us better understand the document’s meaning and impact. Find the Graphic Organizer here. Here is a transcript of the document.
Next
Theodore Roosevelt, New Nationalism (1910)
Use Roosevelt’s speech to solve the crossword puzzle. As you work, pay close attention to the shaded squares—those letters matter!
ACROSS 3. month 5. the object of government 6. one of the main objects of human betterment 7. family name
DOWN 1. location 2. second crisis of the country 3. nickname
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Understanding Context
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button below to go to the next puzzle.
For this document, we’re focusing on context. Context means understanding what was happening in the world when a document was created. It’s the who, what, when, where, why, and how that helps us understand why a document matters.
Use the transcript of the speech. As you read it, ask yourself:
- What was happening in the country at this time?
- How did the events of 1963 shape the message of the speech?
- Why would King choose this moment and this location to call for change?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, that’s okay. You can do some research or use the clues below. Here’s what was happening in 1963:
- The speech was delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963.
- The Civil Rights Movement was growing stronger, but segregation and discrimination were still widespread.
- Only months earlier, the nation watched shocking police violence in Birmingham, Alabama.
- The speech took place in front of the Lincoln Memorial, exactly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Think about how all of this shaped King’s message.
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you discover about the speech’s context. Find the Graphic Organizer here. Here is a trasncript of the document.
Next
Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a Dream" (1963)
Look closely at the printed document from the envelope. Your job is to figure out the blacked‑out words. Recover each blacked‑out word, then gather the first letter of every word you uncover. When you line up those letters, you’ll reveal the code to unlock the next puzzle.
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Grouping
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the next puzzle.
Before we practice the next skill, let’s return to the essential question guiding all your work: How have Americans over the past 250 years viewed the Declaration of Independence? Grouping will help you answer this question by showing how different documents connect to each other. Grouping means sorting documents into 2–3 groups based on things they have in common. You’re looking for shared ideas, themes, reactions, or goals. Grouping helps you see patterns and build the main idea you’ll use in your final explanation.
ASK YOURSELF:
- Do any documents support the same idea or argument?
- Are any authors talking about the same issue?
- Do some documents point toward the same solution or vision?
You’re looking for the patterns that bring the documents together. Use the graphic organizer to record your ideas. Remember, there’s no one “right” way to group documents—but your groups should make sense and help you answer the DBQ question. Grouping helps you build the foundation for your exhibit’s thesis. It turns many pieces of evidence into one strong, organized explanation. Use the graphic organizer to write down what your ideas.
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Final Challenge
Good work, Declaration Decoders! You’ve solved every clue so far, but your final task will take all your smarts. Remember, you’re now part of a team building a brand‑new museum exhibit called “250 Years of the Declaration of Independence.” Your mission: Showcase important figures who shaped American history. The problem is that the museum has limited space.
- The museum has five exhibit panels,
- but only three walls available.
- Some panels must be placed next to each other,
- and others cannot be side‑by‑side.
To finish the challenge, you must figure out the one correct arrangement of all five panels. Use everything you’ve learned so far to place each historical figure where they belong.
rules
List of historic figures
exhibit layout
Next
- The portrait in A2 is a president.
- Abraham Lincoln is not in A1 or C2.
- Thomas Jefferson’s portrait is in either A1 or C2.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. is in a position that ends in 1.
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton is not in B1.
- Theodore Roosevelt’s portrait is in a position beginning with B or C.
- The portrait in B1 is not a president.
- Theodore Roosevelt is not in C1.
- Thomas Jefferson
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Abraham Lincoln
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are three walls:
- Wall A, Space 1
- Wall A, Space 2
- Wall B, Space 1 (center wall)
- Wall C, Space 1
- Wall C, Space 2
Next
Incorrect Answer
Try Again
Correct
Next Question
Incorrect Answer
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Correct
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Incorrect Answer
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Correct
Next Question
Incorrect Answer
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Next Question
Incorrect Answer
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Correct
Congrats!
Final Challenge
Congratulations! You did it! You have analyzed documents that span 250 years of American history. Now imagine you are standing in front of your finished exhibit, sharing it with visitors. Your final task is to explain what the Declaration of Independence means today. Reflect and explain what the Declaration means to you. You can think about your life, your community, or your generation.
Submit
A written reflection that is 3 to 5 sentences.
Next
DBQ Skill Practice : Thesis Writing
If you aren't practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to move on.
You are now ready to write the final piece of your DBQ: the thesis. A thesis is a clear statement that answers the essential question and sets up your argument. It tells readers your big idea and explains how the documents support it.
Essential question:
How have Americans used founding ideals to push for change throughout U.S. history?
Your documents:
Your documents:
Your Task:
- Jefferson’s Draft of the Declaration of Independence
- Declaration of Independence (1776)
- Jefferson’s 1825 letter (“wasn’t meant to be revolutionary”)
- Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
- Gettysburg Address (1863)
- Theodore Roosevelt’s “New Nationalism” speech (1910)
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” (1963)
- Jefferson’s Draft of the Declaration of Independence
- Declaration of Independence (1776)
- Jefferson’s 1825 letter
- Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
- Gettysburg Address (1863)
- Theodore Roosevelt’s “New Nationalism” speech (1910)
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” (1963)
Use your grouped documents to write a thesis that:
- Answers the essential question.
- Makes a claim about how founding ideals were used.
- Introduces your groups (your line of reasoning)
Your thesis should let readers know how Americans across time connected to founding ideals like liberty, equality, justice, and democracy. Use the graphic organizer to write down your ideas.
REMEMBER:
- Use your groupings to guide your thesis
- Be specific—mention the ideals (like liberty, equality, justice, democracy).
- Make sure your thesis can be supported by the documents.
- Keep it clear and focused. One or two sentences are perfect.
Next
Next
You're right! The year is 1848!
Something important happened this year. If you want a sneak peak, watch the video.
Click the button to see how women, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, viewed the words of the Declaration of Independece.
UNLOCK
You're in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania!
If you want more context of what happened in Gettysburg, watch the video. Click the button to understand how Abraham Lincoln referred to the Declaration of Independence.
UNLOCK
"DREAM" is the hidden code!
On August 28, 1963, about 250,000 people gathered in the nation's capital for the March on Washington. Watch the video to learn more. Click the button below to see how Martin Luther King, Jr. viewed the words of the Declaration of Independence.
UNLOCK
Materials Needed
- Printed Declaration of Independence (1776)
- Transcript of Declaration of Independence (1776)
"Right of the People" is the correct answer!
Our government is founded on the idea of the consent of the governed. The power of government comes from the people themselves. If the government stops protecting their rights, the people can change it or create a new one. Click the button below to see how Thomas Jefferson viewed the words of the Declaration of Independence 48 years later.
UNLOCK
Materials Needed
- Prices of Thomas Jefferson's letter to Henry Lee (1825)
- Magnifying Glass
Materials Needed
- Printed Theodore Roosevelt, New Nationalism (1910)
- Transcript of Theodore Roosevelt, New Nationalism (1910)
- Crossword Puzzle Sheet
Materials Needed
- Printed Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a Dream" (1963)
- Transcript of Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a Dream" (1963)
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Shift the letters by the number of original colonies.
Use a Caesar cipher to help you decode the hidden message.
Hint #1
Hint #2
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
"Good Citizen" is the correct answer!
The next primary source explains that one of the most important elements in a person’s life is being a good citizen. For more context on this document, you can watch the video up to about the 6‑minute mark. Click the botton to see how Theordore Roosvelet viewed the past and the future of our county.
UNLOCK
Look closely
In the final draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote the words “our fellow citizens.” But look closely at this image of his original draft. Do you see the marks and smudges around the word “citizens”? Use the magnifying glass to uncover the word Jefferson scratched out and wrote over with "citizens."
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
--. --- --- -.. / -.-. .. - .. --.. . -.
HINT
Title
Write a brief description here
Materials Needed
- Printed Seneca Falls Convention, Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
- Transcript of Seneca Falls Convention, Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
What letter starts each hidden word?
The hidden words are: five, rooted, evident, and equal.
HINT #1
HINT #2
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Materials Needed
- Printed Thomas Jefferson’s Draft of the Declaration of Independence (1776)
- Magnifying Glass
Need a hint?
List the Historical Figures down the left side of the grid. List the Wall Positions (Wall A1, A2, B1, C1, C2) across the top of the grid. Mark possibilities: Use an “X” for impossible placements and a “✓” for possible ones. Use the rules to gradually fill in the grid. For example: If a clue says “King’s panel cannot be on Wall A,” mark an X under A1 and A2 for King.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
This is a logic grid puzzle.
HINT #2
HINT #1
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Materials Needed
- Printed Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (1863)
- Transcript of Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (1863)
You found the hidden message,"FREE." Now it is time for the final challenge.
FINAL CHALLENGE
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Look for underlined words in the transcript. Count how many letters are in each group. Important: There’s a 0 before the second 9.
The coordinates are 39.8309° N, 77.2311° W. Where are you?
HINT #2
HINT #1
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use the magnifying glass to reveal the hidden codes.
HINT #2
HINT #1
The hidden code is 23. Use this number and follow the calculation.
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Declaration Decoders
Bill of Rights Institute
Created on March 18, 2026
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Transcript
Start
Next
The curator’s files are locked. To begin, you need to unlock the files and discover the DBQ Essential Question.
What’s an Essential Question?
It’s a big, open-ended question. There’s no single right answer. It helps you use evidence from the documents to make your own argument. You’ll need this question to complete your DBQ—and to solve this puzzle. Look! The curator left something behind—Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration of Independence. Could it help us unlock the files?
Next
Subjects to Citizens
The answer is 'subjects.' According to the Library of Congress, hyperspectral imaging of Jefferson’s draft revealed that he originally wrote “subjects” but crossed it out and replaced it with “citizens.” This edit shows that Jefferson was moving away from the idea of people being ruled by a king and toward the idea of people participating in governing themselves.
To continue solving puzzles, select the NEXT button.
Next
You've unlocked the essential DBQ question:
How have Americans over the past 250 years viewed the Declaration of Independence?
Remember, you are helping curators design a new museum exhibit about the Declaration of Independence. Your mission is to show visitors how different Americans have understood the Declaration at different points in history. To guide your work, you’ll explore the essential question. Your answer may look different from your classmates’ answers, and that’s okay. What matters most is that you use evidence to support your ideas. The documents you’ll study are like the artifacts for your exhibit. Each document gives you clues about how people in that time period thought about the Declaration. Keep this essential question in mind as you unlock the puzzles ahead.
Next
DBQ Skill Practice: Using VIEW
If you aren't practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the puzzle.
Now that you’re preparing your museum exhibit, it’s time to study the Declaration of Independence using VIEW. VIEW helps us understand a document by breaking it into four parts:
As you read the Declaration, ask yourself:
The Declaration is one of the “artifacts” for your museum exhibit. Using VIEW will help you understand it more deeply and explain how Americans have viewed it over time. Here is a transcript of the document. Use the graphic organizer to write down your ideas. Find Graphic Organizer here.
Next
Declaration of Independence (1776)
There’s a hidden message in the transcript of the Declaration of Independence (1776). Can you find it? What does it mean? Note: Once you find it, think like someone living in 1776. How many colonies were declaring independence?
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Finding the Voice
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the puzzle.
You’re ready to analyze your next document. First, look inside the envelope. Find the pieces of Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Henry Lee. Like a curator working with fragile artifacts, you can piece the letter together, or you can start by reading the transcript to see exactly what Jefferson wrote. Let’s get better at analyzing historic documents by focusing on one aspect of VIEW—Voice. When we study the Voice of a document, we ask: Who is speaking, and how does their background shape what they say? AS YOU READ JEFFERSON'S LETTER, THINK ABOU THIS POINT OF VIEW:
- How might his role in history, and his stage of life, affect the way he explains the Declaration now?
Use the graphic organizer to write down your ideas about Jefferson’s Voice. These notes will help you decide how to explain Jefferson’s perspective to visitors in your museum exhibit. Find the Graphic Organizer here. If you want to keep going, you can fill in the rest of the VIEW organizer to fully analyze the document. Here is a transcript of the document.Next
Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee (1825)
You’re ready to analyze your next document. Look inside the envelope. Find the pieces of Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Henry Lee. Carefully arrange the strips so the document can be read like a real artifact. Once it’s complete, examine the letter for something hidden by the curators.
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Finding the Intent
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the next puzzle.
You’re ready for your next task! This time, we’re focusing on another part of VIEW—Intent.
When we look at Intent we ask:
Take out the Declaration of Sentiments transcript. This document was written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other leaders at the Seneca Falls Convention. It was an early and bold call for women’s rights in the United States.
As you read, ask yourself about the purpose of document:
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you learn about the document’s Intent. Your notes will help you explain the purpose of this document to visitors in your museum exhibit. Find the Graphic Organizer here. If you want, you can also complete the rest of the VIEW organizer to fully analyze the document. Here is a trasncript of the document.
Next
Seneca Falls Convention,Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
Use the transcript of the document for this puzzle. Specific words are hidden in the text. Once you spot them, look closely at how many words are in a group. These numbers are the key to finding location of the next document. Important: There’s a 0 before the second 9. Don’t skip it!
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Exploring the Environment
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the puzzle.
You’re ready for your next task! This time, we’re focusing on another part of VIEW—Environment.
When we STUDY the Environment of a document, we’re ask:
Take the Gettysburg Address out of your envelope. You can look at the printed copy or use the transcript. As you read, imagine the moment when this speech was delivered. President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address during the Civil War, just months after the Battle of Gettysburg, which was a turning point in one of the deadliest conflicts in American history.
Ask Yourself:
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you learn about the document’s Environment. Find the Graphic Organizer here. If you want, you can fill out the rest of the VIEW organizer to fully analyze the speech. Here is a transcript of the document.
Next
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863
Your next clue is hidden in sound. Listen carefully to the audio clip. There’s a message tapped out in Morse code. What phrase did you hear?
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Discovering the Who
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the next puzzle.
You’re reached the final part of VIEW—Who.
When we look at Who, we’re asking:
Take out the speech by Theordore Roosevelt titled New Nationalism. As you read this speech, focus on who Roosevelt was talking to. He gave this speech in Kansas, after he had already served as president. At this point, he was shaping a new political identity and speaking about things that were important to him.
Ask Yourself:
Use the graphic organizer to write down what you learn about the audience, or the Who of the document. Your notes will help you explain how understanding the audience helps us better understand the document’s meaning and impact. Find the Graphic Organizer here. Here is a transcript of the document.
Next
Theodore Roosevelt, New Nationalism (1910)
Use Roosevelt’s speech to solve the crossword puzzle. As you work, pay close attention to the shaded squares—those letters matter!
ACROSS 3. month 5. the object of government 6. one of the main objects of human betterment 7. family name
DOWN 1. location 2. second crisis of the country 3. nickname
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Understanding Context
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button below to go to the next puzzle.
For this document, we’re focusing on context. Context means understanding what was happening in the world when a document was created. It’s the who, what, when, where, why, and how that helps us understand why a document matters.
Use the transcript of the speech. As you read it, ask yourself:
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, that’s okay. You can do some research or use the clues below. Here’s what was happening in 1963:
- The speech took place in front of the Lincoln Memorial, exactly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Think about how all of this shaped King’s message.Use the graphic organizer to write down what you discover about the speech’s context. Find the Graphic Organizer here. Here is a trasncript of the document.
Next
Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a Dream" (1963)
Look closely at the printed document from the envelope. Your job is to figure out the blacked‑out words. Recover each blacked‑out word, then gather the first letter of every word you uncover. When you line up those letters, you’ll reveal the code to unlock the next puzzle.
Next
CLICK HERE
DBQ Skill Practice: Grouping
If you aren’t practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to go to the next puzzle.
Before we practice the next skill, let’s return to the essential question guiding all your work: How have Americans over the past 250 years viewed the Declaration of Independence? Grouping will help you answer this question by showing how different documents connect to each other. Grouping means sorting documents into 2–3 groups based on things they have in common. You’re looking for shared ideas, themes, reactions, or goals. Grouping helps you see patterns and build the main idea you’ll use in your final explanation.
ASK YOURSELF:
You’re looking for the patterns that bring the documents together. Use the graphic organizer to record your ideas. Remember, there’s no one “right” way to group documents—but your groups should make sense and help you answer the DBQ question. Grouping helps you build the foundation for your exhibit’s thesis. It turns many pieces of evidence into one strong, organized explanation. Use the graphic organizer to write down what your ideas.
Next
Final Challenge
Good work, Declaration Decoders! You’ve solved every clue so far, but your final task will take all your smarts. Remember, you’re now part of a team building a brand‑new museum exhibit called “250 Years of the Declaration of Independence.” Your mission: Showcase important figures who shaped American history. The problem is that the museum has limited space.
- and others cannot be side‑by‑side.
To finish the challenge, you must figure out the one correct arrangement of all five panels. Use everything you’ve learned so far to place each historical figure where they belong.rules
List of historic figures
exhibit layout
Next
There are three walls:
Next
Incorrect Answer
Try Again
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Congrats!
Final Challenge
Congratulations! You did it! You have analyzed documents that span 250 years of American history. Now imagine you are standing in front of your finished exhibit, sharing it with visitors. Your final task is to explain what the Declaration of Independence means today. Reflect and explain what the Declaration means to you. You can think about your life, your community, or your generation.
Submit
A written reflection that is 3 to 5 sentences.
Next
DBQ Skill Practice : Thesis Writing
If you aren't practicing your DBQ skills right now, click the NEXT button to move on.
You are now ready to write the final piece of your DBQ: the thesis. A thesis is a clear statement that answers the essential question and sets up your argument. It tells readers your big idea and explains how the documents support it.
Essential question:
How have Americans used founding ideals to push for change throughout U.S. history?
Your documents:
Your documents:
Your Task:
Use your grouped documents to write a thesis that:
Your thesis should let readers know how Americans across time connected to founding ideals like liberty, equality, justice, and democracy. Use the graphic organizer to write down your ideas.
REMEMBER:
Next
Next
You're right! The year is 1848!
Something important happened this year. If you want a sneak peak, watch the video.
Click the button to see how women, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, viewed the words of the Declaration of Independece.
UNLOCK
You're in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania!
If you want more context of what happened in Gettysburg, watch the video. Click the button to understand how Abraham Lincoln referred to the Declaration of Independence.
UNLOCK
"DREAM" is the hidden code!
On August 28, 1963, about 250,000 people gathered in the nation's capital for the March on Washington. Watch the video to learn more. Click the button below to see how Martin Luther King, Jr. viewed the words of the Declaration of Independence.
UNLOCK
Materials Needed
"Right of the People" is the correct answer!
Our government is founded on the idea of the consent of the governed. The power of government comes from the people themselves. If the government stops protecting their rights, the people can change it or create a new one. Click the button below to see how Thomas Jefferson viewed the words of the Declaration of Independence 48 years later.
UNLOCK
Materials Needed
Materials Needed
Materials Needed
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Shift the letters by the number of original colonies.
Use a Caesar cipher to help you decode the hidden message.
Hint #1
Hint #2
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
"Good Citizen" is the correct answer!
The next primary source explains that one of the most important elements in a person’s life is being a good citizen. For more context on this document, you can watch the video up to about the 6‑minute mark. Click the botton to see how Theordore Roosvelet viewed the past and the future of our county.
UNLOCK
Look closely
In the final draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote the words “our fellow citizens.” But look closely at this image of his original draft. Do you see the marks and smudges around the word “citizens”? Use the magnifying glass to uncover the word Jefferson scratched out and wrote over with "citizens."
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
--. --- --- -.. / -.-. .. - .. --.. . -.
HINT
Title
Write a brief description here
Materials Needed
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
What letter starts each hidden word?
The hidden words are: five, rooted, evident, and equal.
HINT #1
HINT #2
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Materials Needed
Need a hint?
List the Historical Figures down the left side of the grid. List the Wall Positions (Wall A1, A2, B1, C1, C2) across the top of the grid. Mark possibilities: Use an “X” for impossible placements and a “✓” for possible ones. Use the rules to gradually fill in the grid. For example: If a clue says “King’s panel cannot be on Wall A,” mark an X under A1 and A2 for King.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
This is a logic grid puzzle.
HINT #2
HINT #1
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Materials Needed
You found the hidden message,"FREE." Now it is time for the final challenge.
FINAL CHALLENGE
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Look for underlined words in the transcript. Count how many letters are in each group. Important: There’s a 0 before the second 9.
The coordinates are 39.8309° N, 77.2311° W. Where are you?
HINT #2
HINT #1
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here
Need a hint?
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.
Use the magnifying glass to reveal the hidden codes.
HINT #2
HINT #1
The hidden code is 23. Use this number and follow the calculation.
Title
Title
Write a brief description here
Write a brief description here