The Declaration of Independence: The Evolution of the Text

by Boyd, Julian P.; Gawalt, Gerard W.

• ISBN13: 9780844409801
• ISBN10: 0844409804
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-06-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of New England

Summary

For more than 50 years, Jefferson scholar Julian P. Boyd's study of the evolution of the text of the Declaration of Independence, which the Library of Congress undertook while the nation was in the throes of World War II, has remained the preeminent textual presentation of the most fundamental document of the United States. First published in 1943 and out of print for over 40 years, this new edition once again presents photographic prints of all known drafts in one large-format book. It now adds the fragment of a rough draft Boyd found in 1947. In an introductory essay, Gerard W. Gawalt relates the story behind the fragment's discovery, and why it sheds new light on the writing of the Declaration. A moving wartime foreword by Archibald MacLeish, Librarian of Congress in 1939 - 44, and Boyd's expert insights into Jefferson's writing and editing process, set the stage for the superlative color reproductions. Readers can examine documents, such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights, that Jefferson drew upon in preparing the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, the documents show that writing the Declaration was not an easy individual undertaking, but rather that its composition involved diligent, determined cooperation by many in the midst of wartime chaos.

Author Biography

Julian P. Boyd (1903-1980) was Librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1934-40, and librarian of Princeton University, 1940-43.

Table of Contents

Preface: Specialist in Early American History Manuscript Division, Library of Congress	p. 9
Foreword: Librarian of Congress from 1939 to 1944	p. 13
The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence: Historian, The Thomas Jefferson Bicentennial Commission Editor, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, from 1943 to 1980	p. 15
George Mason's Draft of the Virginia Bill of Rights, 1776	p. 41
Jefferson's "First Ideas" on the Virginia Constitution, 1776	p. 47
Richard Henry Lee Resolution of Independence	p. 51
Fragment of the Earliest Known Draft of the Declaration of Independence, Written by Thomas Jefferson in June 1776	p. 55
John Adams' Copy of Jefferson's Original Draft	p. 59
Jefferson's Rough Draft of The Declaration of Independence	p. 65
Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson for Richard Henry Lee	p. 73
Unidentified Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson [Cassius F. Lee Copy]	p. 79
Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson for James Madison	p. 85
Unidentified Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson [The Washburn Copy]	p. 91
The First Printing of the Declaration, As Inserted in the Rough Journal of Congress	p. 97
Notes	p. 99
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