Historical Documents Rough draft of the Declaration Of Independence 1776 Resource Bank Contents “where MEN should be bought & sold” The deleted slave-trade clause in Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence, 1776 * In June 1776, the United States and Britain had been at war for over a year, and the Second Continental Congress was nearing agreement to issue a formal declaration of independence. Those who drafted the Declaration believed that it was better to remove the section dealing with slavery than risk a long debate over the issue of slavery. They needed the support for independence from the southern states. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like How does the Slavery Grievance describe slavery? Who does Jefferson blame for the continuation of the slave trade?, Why does Jefferson italicize the word 'Christian' at the end of the first paragraph?, Why do you think that Thomas Jefferson wrote a paragraph about slavery when he wrote the Declaration of Independence? and more. The lost paragraph of the Declaration of Independence stands as one of history’s great “what-ifs.” Its deletion reveals how the founders chose political expedience over moral clarity, unity over justice. That said, the reasons for removing Jefferson’s anti-slavery paragraph were both political and practical: Southern Opposition 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. The latest installment of Information School professor Joe Janes’ podcast series Documents that Changed the World discusses the 168 powerful words condemning slavery that were removed from the Declaration of Independence. Though the Declaration of Independence states all men are created equal, one-fifth of the population were enslaved people, and one-third of the Declaration’s signers were personally enslavers. The final document does not mention slavery and, through its silence, condones enslavement, but the first draft includes a condemnation of slavery. These words, removed before it was finalized Most everyone knows the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. But most don't know about a very big edit before the final draft. Discover the shocking truth behind the Declaration of Independence! In this video, we reveal how Thomas Jefferson’s original draft directly blamed King George III for perpetuating the brutal The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it. Jefferson's "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence A Declaration of the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress assembled. The Declaration of Independence, formally adopted on July 4, 1776, by members of the Second Continental Congress, was America’s manifesto against British tyranny. Thomas Jefferson, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress (and eventually a U.S. president), had been charged with composing the draft of this document. Most people are familiar with these iconic lines from the Declaration The passage was cut from the final wording. Writing of Declaration of Independence To many in the Continental Congress, war was unthinkable. So why did they finally create this revolutionary document? The primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, included a passage attacking slavery in an earlier draft of the Declaration of Independence. Read the passage and in this section you will analyze its historical context. The entire paragraph on slavery and the slave trade was deleted by Congress sitting in the Committee of the Whole on July 3–4, 1776. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND THE DEBATE OVER SLAVERY When Thomas Jefferson included a passage attacking slavery in his draft of the Declaration of Independence, it initiated the most intense debate among the delegates gathered at Philadelphia in the spring and early summer of 1776. Jefferson’s passage on slavery was the most important section removed from the final document. As a Those who drafted the Declaration believed that it was better to remove the section dealing with slavery than risk a long debate over the issue of slavery. They needed the support for independence from the southern states. Was slavery included in the Declaration of Independence? What isn’t widely known, however, [] The removal of the anti-slavery clause of the declaration was not the only time Jefferson’s efforts might have led to the premature end of the “peculiar institution.” In his original rough draft of the Declaration, he included slavery as one of the grievances against King George III. Jefferson’s paragraph sharply contrasted slavery with the ideals of equality and liberty expressed in the Declaration.
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