Investigation Declaration

Track Enlightenment ideas to and through the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

"An international crime of epic proportions has occurred. Members of a global crime ring, Baddies Against Rights & Freedom (B.A.R.F. for short), have hacked the most elite of institutions… the Bureau of Ideas!

B.A.R.F. aims to destroy any and all files related to freedom, democracy, and rights.

As Secret Agent 6, you will travel across time and the Atlantic world to investigate records that connect Enlightenment to the United States Declaration of Independence and beyond. Find how ideas have spread, track evidence of natural rights, state sovereignty, and the Social Contract, and restore the corrupted files.

Game Features:

• Multiple paths to completion: track Natural Rights, State Sovereignty, the Social Contract, or complete them all!
• Explore 10 locations across the Atlantic world to collect evidence and connect.
• Historical scenes enhanced by a narrative and rich material culture.
• Mad-lib style activity links locations based on the evidence you collect along the way.

For English Language Learners: This game offers a support tool, Spanish translation, English voiceover, and glossary.

Teachers: Visit the iCivics """"teach"""" page to check out classroom resources for Investigation Declaration!

Learning Objectives:

• Track a set of Enlightenment ideas that inspired and followed the Declaration of Independence, particularly between 1750 and 1850.
• Draw ideological cause-and-effect connections between historical events.
• Identify and define the concepts of natural rights, the Social Contract, and state sovereignty.
• Understand the roles of time and geography in the spread of ideas.
• Describe methods by which ideas were transmitted during this time period: trade, written communications, migration, and print.
• Become familiar with ideas, people, locations, and events that influenced declarations of rights and freedoms during this time period.

Made in partnership with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation "