Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776 | Virginia Museum of History & Culture Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776
"In the Beginning, all America was Virginia."
William Byrd II
Featured Promotion
Exhibitions

Immerse yourself in Virginia's history by visiting one of our exhibitions.

 

The Story of Virginia
Virginia Museum of History & Culture @VirginiaMuseum
Did you see the feature in @TimesDispatch of Discover Richmond about Ella Fitzgerald? Take an Archive Dive into the… t.co/FuckmVxhF9
11 Apr
Reply Retweet Favorite
Back to the Virginia history explorer

Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776

The Writing of the Declaration of IndependenceWriting the Declaration of Independence, 1776, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin were named to a committee to prepare a declaration of independence. Jefferson (standing) did the actual writing because he was known as a good writer. Congress deleted Jefferson's most extravagant rhetoric and accusations.

You may view the original document online at the National Archives.

(VHS accession number: 1996.49.15)

Image rights owned by the Virginia Historical Society. Rights and reproductions

Stay engaged with our VIRTUAL events and DIGITAL programs. Click here for more info.

-----------------

Help Notes:

  1. Only update text copy above line.
  2. Do not use cut or past.
  3. Do not use line breaks or cariage returns.
  4. Do not remove or backspace over line.
  5. Do not insert images or lists.
  6. To add and remove alert change the region settigns below for the VHS-sub (default theme) field below. Set to none to not display alert. Set to Content to display alert.

------------------

Related articles in the Virginia History Explorer

Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia was the first popular uprising in the American colonies. It was long...

Find out more about Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia in the years 1675 & 1676

Learn about Robert E. Lee.

Find out more about Robert Edward Lee