Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence

Hand Antiqued Parchment Paper. Looks and Feels Old!

This antiqued parchment poster depicts a replica of one of Thomas Jefferson's rough drafts of the Declaration of Independence.  This rough draft tells the story of the creation of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson's own handwriting, through his editorial notes and scratched out text, which offer deeper insight into one of America's most important texts and its author.

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Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence
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'Signing the Declaration of Independence, 28th June 1776' - painting by John Trumbull, commissioned 1817. Oil on canvas, 12 inches x 18 inches. Thomas Jefferson and the drafting committee presenting document to John Hancock. TJ, principal author of t (Culture Club/Getty Images)

Thomas Jefferson's "original Rough draught," or rough draft, of the Declaration of Independence, written in June 1776, includes dozens of edits from historical figures, including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The Library of Congress has made high-resolution microfilm scans of the document available online.

Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence

Congress appointed a committee to draft the declaration on June 11, 1776. It included Jefferson, Franklin and Adams along with Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston. Jefferson had previously drafted the Virginia Constitution in May of that year, and historians say that earlier writing influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence

The drafters made 86 changes to the initial manuscript, according to the Library of Congress. The early version shows one of the edits added the iconic phrase, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” which originally read, "We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable."

The final draft's line, "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," was initially wordier. It read: "that from that equal creation they derive in rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness."

See the high-resolution microfilm scans of the document by clicking here.

Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence

Jefferson, the committee and Congress itself made many revisions before releasing the document -- some of which reportedly displeased Jefferson. For example, an entire paragraph blaming Britain's King George III for the American slave trade was omitted from the final version, according to the Library of Congress.

Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence

The Declaration of Independence was submitted to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776, approved on July 2 and declared on July 4, which is now celebrated as Independence Day.

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Jeffersons original draft of the declaration of independence

Photograph by Robert Kato

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence

Between July 4 and July 10, 1776
Thomas Addis Emmet Collection, Manuscripts and Archives Division

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Transcript below

Actor: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent & inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness.” 

Anna Deavere Smith: That’s the famous second sentence of the Declaration of Independence. Or is it? 

Congress spent two days debating and editing Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration before they adopted it on July 4th, 1776. Jefferson wrote out this version shortly afterward to preserve his original text. He underlined places where Congress had made changes—which today serves as a reminder that even the most foundational texts emerge through a process of revision.

Some of Congress’s textual changes altered the Declaration in fundamental ways. Completely left out of the final version, but present here, is a fiery denunciation of the slave trade, which Jefferson calls a “cruel war against human nature itself” and “an assemblage of horrors”—this, despite the fact that Jefferson himself was an enslaver. He owned over 600 human beings throughout his life and granted but few of them liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

But Jefferson's omitted passage allows us a solemn opportunity: to imagine how history might have been different if, from the beginning, the United States had taken a stand against the evils of enslavement.

End of Transcript

We gratefully acknowledge the editorial guidance of Dr. Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Dr. Alpen Razi of California Polytechnic University.

No copyright: United States

What did the original draft of the Declaration of Independence say?

We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these ends, governments are instituted among men, ...

What did Jefferson say about slavery in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence?

What isn't widely known, however, is that Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, in an early version of the Declaration, drafted a 168-word passage that condemned slavery as one of the many evils foisted upon the colonies by the British crown. The passage was cut from the final wording.

How did Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence?

In a rented room not far from the State House, he wrote the Declaration with few books and pamphlets beside him, except for a copy of George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights and the draft Virginia Constitution, which Jefferson had written himself.

Did Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence?

Original Rough Draft of the Declaration Written in June 1776, Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence, included eighty-six changes made later by John Adams (1735–1826), Benjamin Franklin 1706–1790), other members of the committee appointed to draft the document, and by Congress.