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Drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 became the defining event in Thomas Jefferson's life. Drawing on documents, such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights, state and local calls for independence, and his own draft of a Virginia constitution, Jefferson wrote a stunning statement of the colonists' right to rebel against the British government and establish their own based on the Fair Copy In 1823, Jefferson wrote a letter to James Madison in which he recounted the drafting process. After making alterations to his draft as suggested by Franklin and Adams, he recalled that "I then wrote a fair copy, reported it to the Committee, and from them, unaltered, to Congress." [8] On July 19, Congress ordered the production of an engrossed (officially inscribed) copy of the Declaration of Independence, which attending members of the Continental Congress, including some who had not voted for its adoption, began to sign on August 2, 1776. Seek out an exhibition of "a copy of the Declaration of Independence", or search for one online. But once you have finished, consider where the copy you just read came from, and how it relates to the complex textual tradition of the Declaration. Declaration of Independence, 17761 IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, links to related external websites, and a print bibliography. A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence is read in Congress. Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence. (Pictured: Jefferson's "rough Draught" of the Declaration) Jefferson, at the request of the committee, drafts a declaration, of which only a fragment exists. Jefferson's clean, or "fair" copy, the "original Rough draught," is reviewed by the committee. Both documents are in the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress. John Dunlap, official printer to the Continental Congress, produced the first printed versions of the American Declaration of Independence in his Philadelphia shop on the night of July 4, 1776. After the Declaration had been adopted by the Congress earlier that day, a committee took the manuscript document, possibly Thomas Jefferson's "fair copy" of his rough draft, to Dunlap for printing. On After four days of debate, July 1-4, the congress approved the final text late in the morning of July 4. The committee prepared a final fair copy, not known to have survived, for printing. Dunlap worked through the night. The broadsides were sent across the thirteen colonies to be read aloud and used by newspapers for further printing. The Dunlap Broadsides were the original means by which Each year before the Fourth of July, the New York Public Library puts its copy—from which this text is taken, one of only four to survive—on display; you can get a closer look at it yourself Our in-person and online exhibits explore how the Declaration of Independence went from the tip of Jefferson's quill in 1776 to become a global icon of democracy. The first copy is called the "fair copy" and no longer exists and may have been purposely destroyed the night it was adopted by Congress, on July 4, 1776. It was taken to a local printer that night, who transcribed it into typeface, and printed out 200 copies. II. Jefferson’s Fair Copy for the Committee < We > A Declaration < of > by the representatives of the United colonies of America now sitting in General Congress, < to all nations send greeting > < of > setting forth the causes & necessity of their tak [ing up arms]. 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. Series VI. Declaration of Independence Dates / Origin Date Created: 1483 - 1876 (Approximate) Date Created: 1776-07-04 Place: Philadelphia, Pa. Library locations Manuscripts and Archives Division Shelf locator: MssCol 927 Topics The committee appointed June 11, 1776, to prepare a declaration of independence consisted of Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. In his Autobiography, 1 written in 1805, and again in a letter to Pickering, written in 1822, Adams says that the Committee of Five decided upon “the articles of which the declaration was to consist,” and it then appointed Jefferson and Declaration of Independence. Draft in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson. Type of Resource Text Languages English Identifiers NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b11868616 MSS Unit ID: 927 Archives EAD ID: 275659 Calendar number: EM. 1524 NYPL Exhibition ID: TL 20.01.PROG15 Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): cc022cf0-c52e-012f-bf39-58d385a7bc34 Rights Statement The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Jefferson's copy of the Declaration of Independence has been safely preserved by The New York Public Library since it arrived as part of the collection of Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet in 1897.
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