Part a

read this sentence from the declaration of independence.

but when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

what does the word despotism refer to in this sentence?

a tyrannical government
a distant government
a controlling government
an inept government

part b

how does paragraph 2 expand on how despotism has led to the current tension between the colonies and great britain?

it explains the philosophy that supports separation from great britain.
it provides a list of specific grievances against the king.
it questions the legality of great britain's rule over the colonies.
it highlights how a government led by a monarch is different from a democracy.