Question

Which of the following describes a difference between the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution?

Answer 1

SB's Answer:
B. The United States Constitution listed the colonists' reasons for rebelling against Great Britain, while the Declaration of Independence did not.
Why:
The Declaration of Independence was written during the period when America was still just 13 colonies and a part of Britain. In other words, the Declaration of Independence was a written declaration of America's wish for Independence from Britain. On the other hand, the Constitution was basically written as the standard laws and freedoms that all men are entitled to in order to prevent future generations from destroying the greatness that the founding fathers had worked so hard to create.

Answer 2

Correct answer:  

C. The United States Constitution established rules for the US government, while the Declaration of Independence did not.

Answer B, as chosen by previous response posted here, is incorrect.  The Declaration of Independence was all about listing the colonists' reasons for rebelling against Great Britain.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson used a list of "facts to be submitted to a candid world" to demonstrate that the British king had been seeking to establish "an absolute Tyranny over these States" (the colonial states which were declaring their independence).  Revolution was justified if it could be shown that the British government was acting in tyrannical ways toward the colonies.

The Declaration of Independence's list of grievances included items such as:

• The king refused to assent to laws that were wholesome and necessary for the public good.
• The king had forbidden colonial governors to enact laws or implement laws without his assent (which, as the prior point noted, he was in no hurry to give).
• The king forced people to give up their rights to legislative assembly or forced legislative bodies to meet in difficult places that imposed hardships on them.
• The king dissolved legislative assemblies and then refused for a long time to have other assemblies elected.
• The king obstructed justice in the colonies and made judges dependent on his will alone for their salaries and their tenure in office.
• The king kept standing armies in place in the colonies in peacetime, without the consent of the colonial legislatures.
• The king imposed taxes without the colonists' consent.

There were more items listed by Jefferson, but you get the idea.  He was justifying revolution by proving tyranny was standard operating procedure by the British monarchy.