American Scripture: Making the
Declaration of Independence by
Pauline Maier
Excellent, If A Little Long-Winded
This is a well-written, well-researched, entertaining account of the creation
of the United States Declaration of Independence as well as an analysis
of how the declaration has been enshrined as something of a sacred
document (a place it did not always hold). Pauline Maier, a history
professor at MIT, will no doubt surprise many readers with detective work
demonstrating that Jeffersons Declaration of Independence was actually
preceded by many local declarations, which have been generally
overlooked by historians but which were published throughout the
colonies and were well known in their day. American Scripture holds
many surprises as it details Jeffersons drafting of the document, the
editing process, and the varying regard with which the Declaration of
Independence has been held in the past two centuries.

Personal Review: American Scripture: Making the Declaration of
Independence by Pauline Maier
This was a required reading for a graduate humanities class. Pauline
Maier expertly researched the events leading up to the birth of the
Declaration. The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in
May of 1775, and included delegates from all of the thirteen colonies. Not
all of the delegates to the Congress were in favor of separating from Great
Britain, even though several of the colonies' militias were involved in
military actions against the British forces in places like Ft. Ticonderoga.
Politically forceful men, such as Robert R. Livingstone of New York, led the
majority of delegates. They were primarily interested in the Congress
petitioning King George III to hear the colonies grievances and amicably
settle their differences. In June, Thomas Jefferson, a delegate from
Virginia was chosen to serve on a committee to draft a declaration
delineating the colonies grievances to the king. This would be Jefferson's
first of many writing assignments while a member of the congress. As is
so often the case in history, a great catalyst would have to move the
delegates of the congress to overcome their fears and finally break with
the Mother country. That catalyst came from Great Britain to the colonies
in 1775; and in January 1776, the name Thomas Paine, was virtually on
the lips of every adult colonist.
Tom Paine (1737-1809) was the consummate revolutionary and a daring
adventurer. Not only was he an important figure in the American
Revolution, but he also traveled to France in 1791 to give that revolution a
push. Paine traveled from England, just in time to stoke the flames of the
revolution with his pamphlet Common Sense, in January 1776. To call
Common Sense a sensation in the colonies is actually a bit of an
understatement. It was an unparallel sensation and monumental work of
Enlightenment rhetoric that quickly fanned the flames of rebellion
throughout the colonies. In four months, over 120,000 copies were printed
in the colonies--over 500,000 copies by years end. No other pamphlet
printed in seventeenth century America came close to its success. Most
importantly, Common Sense served to get the colonial patriots to drop their
fear of open rebellion, and also emboldened those delegates who favored
declaring independence from Britain. The delegates now had the
confidence that a large segment of the colonists would support rebellion.
The most moving quote from the pamphlet became quite prophetic, when
one considers the impact it ultimately had on the delegates in the
congress, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and on the
world. "We have it in our power to begin the world over again."
By June 7, 1776, events had progressed to a point that Richard Henry Lee,
a delegate from Virginia, made a motion to dissolve all ties to Great Britain
and declare independence.
After the motion passed, the Continental Congress appointed a committee
comprised of five men John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, to draft a Declaration of
Independence. The members of the committee left it to John Adams and

Thomas Jefferson to write a draft for the rest of the committee members to
edit. Adams relayed in his autobiography, that when the two men were left
alone, he asked Jefferson to draw up the draft by himself, for several
reasons. First, Jefferson was a Southerner and Adams a New Englander,
and Adams knew it was important to gain the support of the Southern
delegates to pass the resolution in congress. Second, Jefferson had not
been vociferous for independence during the past months, and Adams had
been the most zealous delegate for independence; thus, Adams thought
that a draft from him would get undue scrutiny. Lastly, Adams thought that
Jefferson was a more eloquent writer then he was. These historical events
would make The Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson
icons of Enlightenment philosophy.
The other important quality that Jefferson possessed was that he
could write quickly. It is even a more remarkable act of genius, when one
realizes that Jefferson had his draft in front of the committee to edit in two
days. To gain a better understanding of the philosophical principles in the
Declaration, it is important to note what historical and philosophical works
influenced Jefferson's thinking which found their way into the Declaration.
He did not have access to a library and he only had two documents in his
room. One was a draft of the preamble of the Virginia constitution that he
had just completed, and the other was a draft version of The Virginia
Declaration of Rights that George Mason, its author, had recently sent him.
As soon as one compares the Declaration of Independence with Mason's
Virginia Declaration of Rights, one finds many similarities in language and
ideas. To illustrate the point, one famous example is as follows. "The
original draft of the Declaration says: `All men are created equal and
independent.' The original draft of the Virginia Declaration says: `All men
are created equally free and independent." It is detailed facts that makes
Maier's book a must read for those interested in the history of the
Declaration of Independence.
As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this
timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and
history.
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