For 8th grade Social Studies
What are some of the thoughts that influenced the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the American Revolution?
Here are some sites that provide a great jumping off point:
First, you might check out AP Study Notes for an overview of the philosophies. usconstitution.net (not an official government site, though) gives an overview, as well.
Here are some documents:
The Magna Carta
The Mayflower Compact
The Articles of Confederation
The English Bill of Rights
You can also look at this site for some specifics about how the Enlightenment helped shape some of the thoughts.
Once you know who you are looking for, you can check out sites like Biography.com for more information about the specific philosopher. infoplease also has some great biographies, collected from different encyclopedias.
The National Archives has a history of the U.S. Constitution and a section for questions and answers about the document.
