Student Question

How many drafts did Jefferson write for the Declaration of Independence?

Quick answer:

Thomas Jefferson wrote the initial draft of the Declaration of Independence, which underwent several revisions. After Jefferson's draft, John Adams and Ben Franklin made adjustments. It was then reviewed and emended by Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman. Finally, the Continental Congress made further changes, including the removal of a section on slavery, before approving it on July 2nd. The exact number of drafts is unknown, but several revisions were involved.

Expert Answers

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Although the exact number of revisions is unknow, we know the process the original version that Jefferson wrote went through.

Jefferson wrote the vast majority of the Declaration himself, although he did borrow heavily from philosphers of the time such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Jefferson then presented his first draft, which may have undergone several revisions made by himself, to a small committee of men appointed by the Continental Congress to write the document. The first two men to look it over and adjust the language where John Adams and Ben Franklin. These three submitted it to another pair of men, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman, both of which emended it as well.

After this first pass, it went to the congress itself where still more changes were made. An entire section of slavery was deleted after Southern delegates threatened to leave the congress. After a few other minor changes it was approved on July 2nd.

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