New Library of Congress exhibit features rare draft of Declaration of Independence: "You can see them changing words throughout"
The Library of Congress has launched a new exhibit featuring a rare draft of the Declaration of Independence. The display highlights the evolution of the document's language and the collaborative editing process between Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams.
Why it matters
It provides historical insight into the foundational principles of the United States and how the document's language was refined to shape American identity.
Washington â They are words etched into America's conscience: "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."Visitors to the Library of Congress can rediscover those foundational principles in a rare, original draft of the Declaration of Independence written by President Thomas Jefferson. It's on display in a new exhibit titled "The Declaration's Promise" that debuted this month for America's semiquincentennial and will continue through July 2027."This is Jefferson's fully-realized draft," Ryan Reft, lead curator for the exhibit, told CBS News. "You can see them changing words throughout and kind of distilling the initial draft into the draft that we know today." The document contains edits from fellow Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, like using the word "citizens" instead of "subjects."
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