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Declaration Decoders Interactive
Digital interactive with guided challenges to decode clues using the available resources.

Document 1: The Declaration of Independence 

1. Puzzle Draft of Declaration of Independence
   Uncover the code in Draft of Declaration of Independence using magnifying glass.
   ANSWER: SUBJECTS
2. DBQ Skill Practice 
   Analyze the Declaration of Independence transcript using the graphic organizer
3. Puzzle Declaration of Independence
   Locate the code in the transcript. Use a Caesar Cipher and shift the letters by 13.
   ANSWER: RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE

 

Document 2: Jefferson to Henry Lee

1. DBQ Skill Practice
   Analyze Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Henry Lee transcript using the graphic organizer.
2. Puzzle Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee
   Prep this puzzle by cutting the facsimile along the dotted lines. Arrange the strips pieces in order.
   ANSWER: 184

 

Document 3: Declaration of Sentiments

1. DBQ Skill Practice
   Analyze Declaration of Sentiments transcript using the graphic organizer.
2. Puzzle Declaration of Sentiments
   Find the red words. Count the number of red words in a line. Put the numbers together with an additional 0 before the second 9.
   ANSWER: GETTYSBURG

 

Document 4: Gettysburg Address 

1. DBQ Skill Practice
   Analyze the Gettysburg Address transcript using the graphic organizer.
2. Puzzle Gettysburg Address
   Use Morse Code: –. — — -.. / -.-. .. – .. –.. . -.
   ANSWER: GOOD CITIZEN

 

Document 5: New Nationalism

1. Puzzle: New Nationalism — Crossword
   Use the transcript to fill in the crossword. Decode the shaded boxes to reveal the hidden word.
2. DBQ Skill Practice
   Analyze New Nationalism transcript using the graphic organizer.
   SHADED ANSWER: GOOD CITIZEN

 

Document 6: “I Have a Dream”

1. DBQ Skill Practice
   Analyze the “I have a Dream” speech transcript using the graphic organizer.
2. Puzzle “I have a Dream”
   Find the blacked-out words in the facsimile. Locate blacked-out words in the transcript.
   ANSWER: FREE

 

Group the Documents
Use the graphic organizer to group documents.

Final Challenge
Match each historical figure to their wall position using the logic grid to uncover the final code.
ANSWER

• WA L L A 1: Thomas Jefferson
• WA L L A 2: Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• WA L L B 1: Abraham Lincoln
• WA L L C 1: Theodore Roosevelt
• WA L L C 2: Martin Luther King Jr.

Reflect
Students submit their written reflection on the full activity.

DBQ Skill Practice — Write a Thesis
Write a thesis statement using the graphic organizer, drawing on all documents analyzed throughout the activity.