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The Declaration of Independence - Reading Comprehension
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The Declaration of Independence Reading Comprehension
     The Declaration of Independence reading comprehension (sample is shown below)

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The Declaration of Independence By Phyllis Naegeli

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¹     In the 1760s, the American Colonies lived under British rule and were loyal to England. They each had their own system of self-government. The colonies traded with each other, with England, and with other countries of the world. They were thriving and had large bustling cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
 
²     When England found herself with a budget crisis, colonial loyalty was challenged. England had been at war with France for many years. They had fought from India to the Americas. England was victorious, but the debts needed to be paid. King George decided the American colonies would be taxed to raise the extra revenue. He put an aggressive tax plan in place and required the colonies to purchase all manufactured goods from England. The colonists were enraged and turned to smuggling goods from other countries to avoid the taxes. When King George discovered this, he sent soldiers to search colonial homes for smuggled items. The colonists cried "taxation without representation" and "unlawful searches." They pleaded with the king to stop, but King George ignored their cries.
 
³     King George's tyrannical practices caused the states to rethink their loyalty to the crown. They began to communicate with one another about the oppressive taxes. A united sense of purpose to end the tyranny arose. When King George added a tax stamp to newspapers and other official papers, tensions escalated.
 
⁴     With the growing tension, the king decided to eliminate all taxes except the tea tax. However, he also instituted "The Tea Act" which stated that tea could only be bought and sold through the British East India Company. Colonial tea companies were irate. They would be put out of business. Instead of relieving tensions, this act intensified them.

Paragraphs 5 to 13:
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