Declaring Independence

JOHN ADAMS, who later became vice president in the Washington administration and then served one term as president, was largely responsible for the fact that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He kept hurrying the young thirty three year old Jefferson along, knowing how talented he was, and in late June Adams predicted that the document would be presented, formally adopted the the continental congress, and issued to the world on the first of July, 1776. Adams wrote that for generations co come, July the first would be celebrated as the greatest holiday in the United States. Considering our inability to predict the future, Adams was really not that far off. Jefferson had no interest in writing the later to George III,, and had to be coerced by extreme peer pressure into doing it. he was by far the youngest man in the room, and the committee appointed to draft the document, which included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston, were not Jefferson's peers they were his social superiors. but they were not his intellectual superiors, or even equals. When young Thomas basically protested 'why me?", he asked Adams; :why don't you write it"? Adams was ready. "Because, young man, you are ten times more intelligent than I, ten times the better writer, and whereas i am abrasive and unpopular, you are pleasant and well liked." Franklin, seventy years old but still six four two forty, loomed over the skinny six foot two Jefferson and glowered at him, Benjamin had run out of patience. he said:"young man, I can assure you that you shall do your duty for your country." Out manned and outvoted, ganged up upon, reluctantly, Jefferson acceded. They gave him paper and pen, locked him in a vacant room, and said 'go get 'em tiger". Franklin was in charge of editing. he worked over Jefferson's work extensively, so much so that Jefferson's work was barely recognizable in language. Franklin knew, however, that the young man had basically produced a masterpiece, and his changes were purely cosmetic, without disturbing the substance of the text. One major change. The document is essentially a long list of complaints against the treatment of the Americans by the British government. It begins by stating our intent to become independent of British rule, lists the reasons why, the many complaints, and concludes by proclaiming "we really mean it". Among the complaints Jefferson, who was a slave owner, lists is that the British allowed the Americans to own slaves, and did nothing to stop slavery. Everyone agreed that this particular complaint must not be included in the final draft, for several reasons, all of them obvious. Here, Jefferson's tendency towards complexity of personality and hypocrisy was "self evident". Jefferson was at first not pleased with Franklin's alternations; writers naturally resist being edited, but Franklin explained them all so well that Thomas came around. Jefferson had written "we hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable". Franklin thought the passages sounded too religious, to much like a preacher, and after all, they wanted a document replete with scientific reason, not religious fervor. So he replaced the term 'sacred and undeniable' with "self evident", after the fashion of a scientific proof. Jefferson was proud enough pf his work that on his tombstone he claims authorship of it, and well as mentioning his service as ambassador to France, and as founder of the University of Virginia. his tombstone does not mention that he served as president of the United States, of which Jefferson was not proud. he thought his two terms in the white house, consumed in political turmoil, were largely a failure, nothing but inefficient political conflict, and described the American presidency as "splendid misery". Everyone should read the Declaration of Independence, for its dramatic, linguistic beauty, and magnanimous, courageous tone. Everyone who had anything to do with its composition and issuance was putting his their in dire peril. They were, after all, traitors.