Editing Thomas Jefferson (section)

===Declaration of Independence===
{{Main|United States Declaration of Independence}}
[[File:United States Declaration of Independence.jpg|thumb|The [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], which Jefferson largely wrote in isolation between June 11 and 28, 1776, from a floor he was renting in a home at 700 [[Market Street (Philadelphia)|Market Street]] in [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City Philadelphia]],<ref name="nps.gov">[https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/independence-dechousehistory.htm "The Declaration House Through Time"], National Park Service</ref> contain "the most potent and consequential words in American history," historian [[Joseph Ellis]] later wrote.]]

Jefferson was the primary author of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]].<ref>[[#Bowers45|Bowers, 1945]], p. v</ref> At age 33, he was one of the youngest delegates to the [[Second Continental Congress]], which convened in the colonial capital of [[Philadelphia]] following the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], which launched the [[American Revolutionary War]] in 1775. Delegates to the Congress overwhelmingly favored authoring, ratifying, and issuing a formal declaration of independence from Britain.<ref>[[#Tucker37|Tucker, 1837]], v. 1, p. 77.</ref> Jefferson was inspired by the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] ideals of the sanctity of the individual, and the writings of [[John Locke|Locke]] and [[Montesquieu]].<ref>[[#Meacham|Meacham, 2012]], pp. 103–104.</ref>

Jefferson sought out [[John Adams]], a Continental Congress delegate from [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]] and an emerging leader in the Congress.<ref>[[#Peterson70|Peterson, 1970]], p. 87.</ref> They became close friends, and Adams supported Jefferson's appointment to the [[Committee of Five]], which the Congress charged with authoring the Declaration: Adams, Jefferson, [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Robert R. Livingston]], and [[Roger Sherman]]. The committee initially thought that Adams should write the document, but Adams persuaded the committee to choose Jefferson due to Jefferson being a Virginian, popular, and a good writer by Adams.{{efn|Adams recorded his exchange with Jefferson on the question. Jefferson asked, "Why will you not? You ought to do it." To which Adams responded, "I will not—reasons enough." Jefferson replied, "What can be your reasons?" and Adams responded, "Reason first, you are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can." "Well," said Jefferson, "if you are decided, I will do as well as I can." Adams concluded, "Very well. When you have drawn it up, we will have a meeting."<ref>[[#Meacham|Meacham, 2012]], p. 102.</ref>}}

Jefferson consulted with his fellow committee members, but mostly wrote the Declaration of Independence in isolation between June 11 and 28, 1776.<ref name="nps.gov"/> Jefferson drew considerably on his proposed draft of the [[Constitution of Virginia|Virginia Constitution]], [[George Mason]]'s draft of the [[Virginia Declaration of Rights]], and other sources.<ref>[[#Maier|Maier, 1997]], p. 104.</ref> Other committee members made some changes, and a final draft was presented to Congress on June 28, 1776.<ref name="Meacham, 2012, p. 105">[[#Meacham|Meacham, 2012]], p. 105.</ref> Congress began debate over its contents on Monday, July 1,<ref name="Meacham, 2012, p. 105"/> resulting in the removal of roughly a fourth of Jefferson's original draft.<ref>[[David K. Shipler|Shipler, David K.]], ''[https://shiplerreport.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-paragraph-missing-from-declaration.html The Paragraph Missing From The Declaration of Independence]'', The Shipler Report, July 4, 2020</ref><ref name="Ellis, 1996, p. 50">[[#Ellis96|Ellis, 1996]], p. 50.</ref> Jefferson resented the changes, but he did not speak publicly about them.{{efn|Franklin, seated beside the author, observed him "writhing a little under the acrimonious criticisms on some of its parts."<ref>[[#Tucker37|Tucker, 1837]], p. 90.</ref>}} On July 4, 1776, the Congress voted unanimously to ratify the Declaration, and delegates signed it on August 2. Jefferson and the other delegates knew they were committing [[High treason in the United Kingdom|high treason]] against [[the Crown]], which was punishable by [[Hanged, drawn and quartered|torture and death]].<ref>[[#Meacham|Meacham, 2012]], p. 110.</ref>

Following its ratification, the Declaration was released publicly. Two days after its ratification, on July 6, ''[[The Pennsylvania Evening Post]]'', was the first newspaper to publish it. On July 8 at noon, it was read publicly and simultaneously for the first time at three designated locations: [[Trenton, New Jersey]]; [[Easton, Pennsylvania]]; and Philadelphia.<ref>[https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=86216 "The Declaration of Independence in Easton"], Historical Marker Datatbase</ref>

Contemporary historians generally view the Declaration of Independence as one of the most significant and influential written documents in world history, and Jefferson's preamble is regarded as an enduring statement on [[Individual and group rights|individual]] and [[human rights]]. Jefferson's phrase "[[all men are created equal]]" has been called "one of the best-known sentences in the English language". [[Harvard University]] history chairman [[David Armitage (historian)|David Armitage]] has written that, "No American document has had a greater global impact than the Declaration of Independence",<ref>[https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/declaration-independence-global-perspective "The Declaration of Independence in Global Perspective"], [[Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History]]</ref> and historian [[Joseph Ellis]] has written that the Declaration includes "the most potent and consequential words in American history".<ref name="Ellis, 1996, p. 50"/><ref>[[#Ellis2008|Ellis, 2008]], pp. 55–56.</ref>