The “original rough draught” of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence is now online thanks to the Library of Congress.
Just in time to celebrate the birth of our nation on the Fourth of July, high-resolution microfilm scans of Jefferson’s “original Rough draught,” or rough draft were made, the Library of Congress tweeted Friday. The tweet linked to its website, under the title, “Creating The United States.”(RELATED: Facebook Reveals Its Censorship Rules)
The second link on the page, “Battle Joined” then takes you to the section called, Declaration of Independence Rough Draft. The post was noted by Fox News in a post on Instagram.
To celebrate the Independence Day holiday, view our exhibition on the documents that founded America: https://t.co/wmz6X9KFLZ #FourthOfJuly #IndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/oK0IdJ8rJ7
— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) July 3, 2020
The description on the page read,” The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and heavily amended by the Continental Congress, boldly asserted humanity’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as well as the American colonies’ right to revolt against an oppressive British government.” (RELATED: Pearl Jam Postpones North American Tour Over Growing Coronavirus Concerns)
“Jefferson’s ‘original Rough draught’ illustrates Jefferson’s literary flair and records key changes made by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and the Continental Congress before its July 4, 1776 adoption,” it added of the document.
Check them out!
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“According to the Library of Congress, the drafters made 86 changes to the initial document,” per Fox News’ post. “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.”
Happy Fourth of July!