One of the most precious historical relics of the United States is the lap desk or writing box upon which Thomas Jefferson wrote his draft of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence Learn with flashcards, games, and more — for free. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Thomas Jefferson organized his argument in the body of the Declaration of Independence by listing the, In which section of the Declaration of Independence does Jefferson restate his thesis?, Jefferson begins the introduction to the Declaration of Independence by stating his major premise and giving examples, and then explains and The Declaration of Independence was written largely by Jefferson, who had displayed talent as a political philosopher and polemicist in his A Summary View of the Rights of British America, published in 1774. The Declaration of Independence is the foundational document of the United States of America. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, it explains why the Thirteen Colonies decided to separate from Great Britain during the American Revolution (1765-1789). Writing the Declaration On June 11, 1776, Jefferson holed up in his Philadelphia boarding house and began to write. He borrowed freely from existing documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights and incorporated accepted ideals of the Enlightenment. Jefferson later explained that “he was not striving for originality of principal or Drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 became the defining event in Thomas Jefferson's life. Despite Jefferson's desire to return to Virginia to help write that state's constitution, the Continental Congress appointed him to the five-person committee for drafting a declaration of independence. That committee subsequently assigned him the task of producing a draft document for its The Declaration of Independence was written solely by Thomas Jefferson and passed without revision by Congress. The Declaration of Independence was unanimously supported by the Continental Congress, which reflected the unanimity of popular opinion on the issue. In 1774, Jefferson wrote “A Summary View of the Rights of British America,” in which he claimed that the colonies were tied to the king only by voluntary bonds of loyalty. On July 4, 1776, the United States officially declared its independence from the British Empire when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was authored by a “Committee of Five”—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman—with Jefferson as the main drafter. But Jefferson himself later admitted Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflects the original. Jefferson largely wrote the Declaration in isolation between June 11 and June 28, 1776. The Declaration was a formal explanation of why the Continental Congress voted to declare American independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Settled in his second-floor lodgings at Jacob Graff's house on Seventh and Market streets in Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson set out to apply his knowledge about individual freedom, natural order and British oppression to the writing of a Declaration of Independence. The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence—written largely by Jefferson—in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence. On June 8, 1776, Congress voted to write a declaration of independence. It named men to form a writing committee. One of these men was Thomas Jefferson. He was a lawyer from Virginia. He was a respected leader there. Virginia had elected him to be a delegate to Congress. As we celebrate the 272nd birthday of Thomas Jefferson, this excerpt from Jeffery Rosen and David Rubenstein's pamphlet about the “Constituting Liberty” exhibition puts the Declaration of Independence in context. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin were named to a committee to prepare a declaration of independence. Jefferson (standing) did the actual writing because he was known as a good writer. Thomas Jefferson is remembered as the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Learn about the events that led to the writing of this historic document. Thomas Jefferson - Founding Father, Declaration, Revolution: Jefferson’s inveterate shyness prevented him from playing a significant role in the debates within the Congress. John Adams, a leader in those debates, remembered that Jefferson was silent even in committee meetings, though consistently staunch in his support for independence. His chief role was as a draftsman of resolutions. In Writing of Declaration of Independence To many in the Continental Congress, war was unthinkable. So why did they finally create this revolutionary document?
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