Page 26 - Heavenly Signs III by Mel Gable

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writers such as Samuel Adams, James Wilson, and Thomas Jefferson were arguing that Parliament was the
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legislature of Great Britain only, and not that of the colonies.
While political maneuvering was setting the stage for an official declaration of independence, a document
explaining the decision had to be written. On June 11, 1776, Congress appointed a “Committee of Five” consisting
of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R.
Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut, to draft a declaration. Because the committee left
no minutes, there is some uncertainty about how the drafting process proceeded. Accounts written many years
later by Jefferson and Adams, although frequently cited, are contradictory and are not entirely reliable. What is
certain is that the committee, after discussing the general outline that the document should follow, decided that
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Jefferson would write the first draft.
Congress ordered that the draft “lie on the table.” For two days Congress methodically edited Jefferson's primary
document. It reduced the writing by one-quarter, removed unnecessary wording and improved sentence
structure. Congress removed Jefferson's assertion that Britain had forced slavery on the colonies in order to
moderate the document and appease persons in Britain who supported the Revolution. Although Jefferson wrote
that Congress had “mangled” his draft version, the Declaration that was finally produced, according to his
biographer John Ferling, was “the majestic document that inspired both contemporaries and posterity.” 25

During the writing process, Jefferson showed the rough draft to Adams and Franklin, and perhaps other

members of the drafting committee, who made a few more changes. Franklin, for example, may have been
responsible for changing Jefferson's original phrase “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable” to “We hold these
truths to be self-evident.” Jefferson incorporated these changes into a copy that was submitted to Congress in the
name of the committee. 26

Having served its original purpose in announcing the independence of the United States, the Declaration was
initially neglected in the years immediately following the American Revolution. Early celebrations of
Independence Day, like early histories of the Revolution, largely ignored the Declaration. Although the act of
declaring independence was considered important, the text announcing that act attracted little attention. The
Declaration was rarely mentioned during the debates about the United States Constitution and its language was
not incorporated into that document. George Mason's draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights was more
influential, and its language was echoed in state constitutions and state bills of rights more often than Jefferson's
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words.
Even though the independence from Britain was over their ruling authority and taxes, it was originally based on
religious freedom. It is the main reason the Pilgrims came to the New World. It isn’t hard to believe that this
nation was founded upon Biblical principles. This is because many written quotations of the founding fathers
refer to God. Several of the founders believed the Bible reveals the ultimate truth about governing principles.
Our nation has strayed from these Biblical principles when government declares it lawful to do what is an
abomination in the sight of the Almighty God. We do many things in the pursuit of happiness. But, God will not
bless a nation that pursues lawlessness. It will result in judgment and hardship in the land. If we could only
humble ourselves and turn from our wickedness, He is willing to heal the land. But, we no longer seek God.

23 Middlekauff, Glorious Cause, 241.
24 Jensen, Founding, 701.

25 John E. Ferling, Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution, Oxford University Press.

26 Becker, Declaration of Independence, Boyd (Papers of Jefferson, 1:427–28)
27 Armitage, Global History,