The Declaration of
Independence
Thomas Jefferson and the
Foundation of American
Liberty

Drafting the Declaration
• June 7, resolution put forward to declare
independence from Britain. Resolution tabled
until July 1. Comm. of 5 formed to put
forward articles of declaration until that time.
Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Sherman,
Livingston.
– All members of this committee overworked.
Congress spending great energies dealing
with the already brewing war.

Drafting the Declaration
• Jefferson not a happy man in Philadelphia
– Wanted to be in VA working on constitution.
– Wife ill at Monticello. Wanted to be with her.
– On no fewer than 34 committees.
– He could not afford to skip sessions of Cong.
to write- his presence was necessary for VA to
have sufficient numbers to vote.
– Jefferson’s work load and distractions caused
him to draw upon all available resources to get
his draft together.

Young Thomas Jefferson

Ben Franklin

John Adams

Drafting the Declaration
• Jefferson chosen to write the draft. Why?
– Known as a good writer- A Summary View
of the Rights of British America.
– Virginian- much of the conflict had been in
the North, so some wanted to put a
Southerner in the lead.

Drafting the Declaration
• Jefferson chosen to write the draft. Why?
– Perhaps no one else saw this as important
• Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill had already
happened.
• In May Congress had already commanded the states to
write constitutions- a clear statement of independence.
• Events clearly outstripping the ability of Congress to
issue “declarations”
• People had too much other work to do. Could not
predict the importance that subsequent generations
would give to it. Would it have had that importance if
other(s) had written it?

Drafting the Declaration
Jefferson sits down and writes.
– Writes over a period of about 2 weeks
in June (11th to 28th) but had many
other tasks to perform, so had much
less than two weeks.
– Writes in privacy of rented home. On
his new lap desk.

Jefferson’s Lap Desk

Lap Desk (cont’d)

Drafting the Declaration
• Consults “no books or pamphlets” in his
words. True, but…
– Heavily steeped in Locke. State of nature.
Life, liberty and property. Natural law.
– Used his draft of Const. for VA which had
most of his list of charges against the King.
– Obviously remembered his Summary View
• Had been very radical.
• Said parliament no right at all to govern
the colonies
• Had challenged the King in the Summary
View, now he pushed it further.

Drafting the Declaration
George Mason’s preamble to VA
Const. was published in
Pennsylvania Gazette.
• “All men are created equally free and
independent and have certain inherent
and natural rights…, among which are
the enjoyment of life and liberty, with
the means of acquiring and possessing
property, and pursuing and obtaining
happiness and safety.”

Drafting the Declaration
• Jefferson’s draft no effort to educate-
use logic and reason to persuade.
– Nothing new: ‘place the common
sense wisdom before the people’
• Also relies greatly on rhetoric.
• Moral truths he did not feel
compelled to explain- self-evident
truths. Axioms. Influence of the
Enlightenment here.

Drafting the Declaration
• Focuses on King, not Parliament
– Jefferson had already dealt with Parliament in
Summary View.
– Colonies had made appeals to King already and
got nowhere, so now break last tie (assuming that
tie to parliament already broken).
– Greater rhetorical value if attack king.
• Replaces property with pursuit of happiness-
TJ more interested in freedom of conscience
and person beyond mere property. Property a
means to happiness.

Draft of
Declaration

Declaration in Congress
• Declaration goes to Congress
– Makes some changes. Most in charges against King.
– Pained Jefferson greatly.
• Franklin and Hat story.
– Changes generally toned down Jefferson’s charges.
• “unsullied by falsehood” replaced
• attacks on British people generally edited out.
• slavery passage removed.
– Document probably improved by the edits.
• July 2 independence adopted.
• July 4 Declaration approved

Printed
Version

Declaration Approved

The Declaration Today