Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the vote to approve the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson restated Locke’s contract theory of government when he wrote in the Declaration that governments derived “their just Powers from the consent of the people.” Philosopher John Locke’s ideas were an important influence on the Declaration of Independence. Most of the other signers were in their 40s and 50s. and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina were both born in 1749 and were only 26 when they signed the Declaration. The two youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence were both from South Carolina. On December 13, 1952, the Declaration of Independence (along with the Constitution and Bill of Rights) was formally delivered to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where it has remained since then. This criticism of the slave trade was removed in spite of Jefferson’s objections. He had originally included language condemning the British promotion of the slave trade (even though Jefferson himself was a slave owner). Jefferson was quite unhappy about some of the edits made to his original draft of the Declaration of Independence. When writing the first draft of the Declaration, Jefferson primarily drew upon two sources: his own draft of a preamble to the Virginia Constitution and George Mason’s draft of Virginia’s Declaration of Rights. It wasn’t signed until August 2, 1776.Īfter Jefferson wrote his first draft of the Declaration, the other members of the Declaration committee and the Continental Congress made 86 changes to Jefferson’s draft, including shortening the overall length by more than a fourth. In fact, independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776, a date that John Adams believed would be “the most memorable epocha in the history of America.” On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final text of the Declaration. One of the most widely held misconceptions about the Declaration of Independence is that it was signed on July 4, 1776. He believed that it was too soon to declare independence and therefore refused to sign. Robert Livingston, one of the members of the committee who wrote the Declaration of Independence, never signed it. The committee included Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson was a member of a five-person committee appointed by the Continental Congress to write the Declaration. There are only 26 known surviving Dunlap Broadsides today.Īlthough Thomas Jefferson is often called the “author” of the Declaration of Independence, he wasn’t the only person who contributed important ideas. In 1989, someone discovered a previously unknown Dunlap Broadside. Today, the “Dunlap Broadsides” are extremely rare and valuable. Once the Declaration of Independence had been written and signed, printer John Dunlap was asked to make about 200 copies to be distributed throughout the colonies. No one knows who wrote this, but it was probably added as a label when the document was rolled up for storage many years ago. Instead, there are a few handwritten words that say, "Original Declaration of Independence/ dated 4th July 1776". There is something written on the back of the Declaration of Independence, but it isn't a secret map or code. Which Founding Father Would You Vote For?įascinating Facts about the Declaration of Independence OVERVIEW READ THE DECLARATION Drafting the Declaration ABOUT THE SIGNERS Women Behind the Signers FASCINATING FACTS DATES TO REMEMBER Sons of Liberty The Case for Revolution The Five Riders Two Great Thinkers Famous Loyalists The Shot Heard Round the World THE FOURTH OF JULY Treaty of Paris True Copy of Declaration DECLARATION QUIZ True Copy of Declaration of Independence.
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