Innovative course award on the topic of ordinary lives in the American Revolution. And his book stolen, which tells the true story about five boys who were kidnapped in the north and smuggled into slavery in the deep south is being published in october. So thank you once again for joining us this evening. And without any further ado, please join me in welcoming dr. Rick bell. All right, folks, thanks to heather and cspan for covering this. Those of you might have heard me give other programs wont be surprised to hear my strange accept which is not exactly a maryland natives accent. I born and raised in england yet find myself teaching about American Revolution, which is a blessing and a curse in an under graduate classroom to teach with an accent like this. Im very proud where i grew up. I often carry in my back pocket on occasions like this a giant british flag, which i might drape around the scenery for cspan to drink in. But i was also naturalized as a u. S. Citizen a couple of years ago, something im incredibly proud of. And so its wonderful to be part of the programming here as we move into the july 4th weekend. So when you hear me say our declaration as i go forward tonight, im talking about us americans, okay . The down side of cspan being here, unfortunately is that i dont get to swear. At least i will try not to. It also means i dont get to so you any cute videos of my kids or anything from hamilton the musical for copyright reasons. But that still leaves us with a lot and i have to lot to say so lets get started. Folks, the document on display in the National Archives that we call the declaration of independence has lived an interesting life. Its only been on display in that massive bombproof building since 1952. Before that, it lived in the library of congress. Though for two years during world war ii it hunkered down in a deep vomit of fort knox in kentucky. Before that it bounced back and forth, though during the centennial back in 1876 it did briefly return to philadelphia, the city of its birth. There a grandson of one of its original signers read it publicly as part of this countrys 100th birthday celebrations. And reports tell us that the massive crowd of people there that day burst into cheers at the sight of it. In its first 50 years it traveled much more frequently. When the british burned down washington, d. C. During the war of 1812 the document we think of as the declaration of independence was not there, it was hiding in leesburg, virginia. And you may know it spent the second half of the American Revolution years earlier rolled up and stuffed in a linen bag as it accompanied congress from one temporary capitol city to another. But, folks, i have shocking news. The document that our government has gone to such lengths to preserve and protect over the centuries, that one, is not actually the declaration of independence. Or at least that document is not the first declaration of independence or the last declaration of independence. And it is far from being the only declaration of independence. The document on display at the National Archives, the one this gentleman is peering at is in fact a special comemerative edition that congress ordered up at the end of july, 1776 to memorialize the independence tat the delegates have actually declared in a simple vote weeks earlier on july 2nd and who then formalized that vote in writing on july 4th. The document on display in the National Archives is really a souvenir, a beautiful souvenir made after the fact. It was engrossed on parchment in the calligraphic hand of a junior named timothy matlack. And was latered signed by 56 of the delegates to the Continental Congress including several who had not been present for the actual vote and at least one delegate who had voted against the delegation for independence. This is all interesting stuff. This is solid Cocktail Party trivia im giving you so far. But to borrow a word from the declaration itself that we use to describe the declaration all of what ive said so far is just my preamble. My talk tonight is not actually about this matlack parchment. Instead of its about all the other declarations of independence, that the prominence of this lovely keepsake has obscured over the past 2 1 2 centuries. So im thinking here of jeffersons own drafts. We have seven copies in his handwriting. And of the final version approved by congress on july 4th, the one that was disseminated in print across america and across the world. Im also thinking of several other sets of declarations, some that predate july 4th by several months, others that were written much more recently. Some written here, others written far away. Some written by propertied elite men like jefferson, others written by people who kpt be more different to him. Putting all these declarations of independence into conversation with one another this evening, will i hope give us some fresh perspective on the famous matlack parchment that peeks out from behind bulletproof glass in the national rotunda. We can be reminded this mat pm lack parchment people go to see, it honors something unambiguously momentous. It commemorates the creation, adoption and dissemination of a 1,310 word statement that foernged the American People in union, justified their rebellion, that asserted their independence and announced this countrys appearance on the world stage. That famous statement, the declaration of independence, it is our midwife, it is our birth certificate, and it is our promise to ourselves. There is much to admire about it, and therefore much to discuss. And because i want to leave time for questions and comments, we need to get going. Theres a founding moment in our history. Declaring independence from Great Britain can seem to us today like this countrys first date with destiny. But it didnt seem like that at the time. And declaring independence, the decision to do it was a long, long time in coming. Open rebellion was treason, remember. And in april 1775 when new england militias took potshots at the british army in lexington and concord in april 1775, the number of americans contemplating unambiguous revolution could probably still be counted on a couple of hands. When the second Continental Congress assembled in philadelphia in may 1775, the delegates to that second Continental Congress were under instructions from their colonial legislators to find a way to patch things up with britain. Thats what theyd been sent to philadelphia to do, to patch things up. Reconciliation and redress were the order of the day. Few at that point in may 1775 were thinking of using this congress for surrection against the monarchy or to use it to break from the empire upon which the columnists obviously depended for trade and security. In fact, it was actually king george iii who first declared it colonists independence for them. Heres how he did it. On august 23rd, 1775, the king over in london issued a proclamation, the word of the king, saying that the caolonist had proceeded to open rebellion and because of that they were outside his protection and because of that they should be punished as traitors. Thats august 17, 1775. And in december of that year the British Parliament acted on the kings proclamation and declared war on the colonists maritime commerce, beginning a series of stop and search raids on american Merchant Shipping up and down these coasts. Now, britains belligerence was one of several things that finally nudged the delegates in philadelphia toward their famous written declaration. Another thing that numged them in that direction was the appearance of a pungent new politic political pamphlet. And it told readers that it was common sense for the colonists to respond to georges bullying by walking away and starting afresh. His cheap 46page pam pamfphlet sold like hot cakes and it changed people. It worked to bind people throughout the colonies into a common struggle giving southerns a common cause for new englanders for the first time and by laying the blame for all the chaos and trauma of the past ten years directly at one mans feet to king george iii. This plainspoken little pamphlet, it was a fact that readers across the colonies made pretty obvious over the following months. As the historian demonstrated in her brilliant 197 look american scripture, thousands of local government officials in towns, counties and provincial legislators spent the months after common sense was sp published, spent the spring of 1976 issuing their own miniature declarations of independence. Formal statements proclaiming their commitment to separate nation hood and summarizing the chain of events that have pushed them to make that decision. Some of these local declaration of independence were short, and in your hand outs theres one short one paragraph version, an example from the town of ashby, massachusetts, by the way. But others were much longer. And theres one in your hands that runs several paragraphs from buckingham county, virginia. But all these local declarations said the same. In justifying their support for independence, they came back again and again to the kings contempt for the colonists petitions for reconciliation. They came back to the threats posed by the fleets and armies hed already sent to repress and divide them. They came back again and again to the now escalating rumors that the British Government had recently dispatched a large invading force of hessian mercenaries to the colonies. Pauline mayer identified 90 of this state and local declarations of independence, and they were written to serve all ties with britain. And they soon began getting attention as john adams one of those delegates in philadelphia observed on may 20th every post and every day rolls in upon us, independence like a torrent. Theyre writing to the delegates about independents and the delegates are starting to get the message. And it wasnt just john adams. Other delegates too were starting to get this message from their own constituents june 7, 1776 this man introduced to the Continental Congress the first formal proposal for american independence in that bodys history, a resolution to declare lets read it, to declare these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown and to all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain ought to be finally dissolved. Two days of intense debate followed Richard Henry lees resolution, though the outcome of that debate may not be the result you are expecting. Richard henry lee, john adams and other delegates in favor of independence didnt have the votes to carry the day. At least not yet. So the members did what congress has always done best. They kicked the can down the road. They delayed a final vote, and they agreed instead to setup a committee to study the issue. This is what they agreed, resolved that that first resolution be postponed to this day three weeks or so from now. And that in the meantime lest any time should be lost in case the congress does somehow agree to that resolution, a committee be appointed to prepare a declaration to the effect of the said first resolution. This is hardly the rousing nation birthing moment that patriots might have been hoping for. Still, it was enough to keep things moving, to keep things moving forward. And john adams himself vowed to spend those next three weeks or so lobbying his fellow delegates to vote yes when the vote for independence finally came along. John adams also agreed to serve on this new committee, a fiveperson team tasked to draft a declaration of independence that congress could quickly rollout in the event that lees original revolutionary resolution did somehow later pass. If we ever vote yes well need to have a declaration to show people, so we better get cracking on it. So a committee of five. The other delegates assigned to this committee which by the way was not a plum assignment, there was probably some arm twisting involved, were Benjamin Franklin of pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of connecticut, Robert Livingston of new york and anyone remember the fifth member . Maybe a picture will help. Thomas jefferson of virginia. Now, all of these guys, all of them were busy with other committee assignments. And so it made sense for just one of them to take the lead drafting the little document that theyd been tasked to prepare. Now, Benjamin Franklin, a gifted stylist and zealous supporter of independence by this time, he might seem to us like the obvious choice to be the lead draftsman. He was a good writer who believed in the cost, but he was also plagued by gout at this time, and he was exhausted. Robert livingston this is Robert Livingston the fourth person across here. Robert livingston was on the Committee Really just as the token conservative. He was not there to do actual work. He had been urging reconciliation. Hed been urging patching things up, not independence. And he was there to make sure things did want get too crazy and run out of hand. Roger sherman, too, the guy in the middle was largely window dressing. Now, sherman was a good man. John adams once described him as being as honest as an angel. But Roger Sherman spoke and wrote like he was still in the 17th century. And his colleagues found him strange if not weird. That left john adams, the short lawyer who was an outspoken advocate for independence and Thomas Jefferson the tall sandy haired plantar who had a reputation as a writer but who had barely said a word on the Congress Floor so far. Now, john adams later recalled these two men actually bickered and argued about which one of them shouldnt do the work and who the other person should be who should lead the drafting, who should be the lead draftman. And to reconstruct that exciting conversation we are going to do some theater live on cspan. Im going to call up two randomly selected volunteers. Chuck, could you come around . Catherine, could you come around . Give them a round of applause as they come up. Now, adams later wrote a reconstruction of the conversation, the bickering, the argument that supposedly happened between Thomas Jefferson say hello Thomas Jefferson. Hello. Why dont we move you around. You were right the first time, catherine. The conversation between Thomas Jefferson and john adams and if im remembering correctly the conversation began like this. Will you write . I will not. You should write it. Oh, no. Well, why not . You ought to do it. I will not. Why . Reason enough. What can be your reasons . Reason one you are a virginian and a virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason two, i am obnoxious, suspect and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason three, you can write ten times better than i can. Well, if youre decided, i will do as well as i can. Very well. When you have drawn it up we will have a meeting. Thank you. [ applause ] that took 30 minutes of rehearsal before we got started. I want to thank chuck and catherine who were just marvelous. The rehearsal was for technical reasons. When jefferson was asked is that how it happened he said absolutely not. So jeffersons lead draftsman. The five men met a few times over the next few days to outline what exactly this document should cob tain but they left it to jefferson to write it up on his own. And he did as he was told. He wrote quickly, he used a portable writing desk he brought with him from virginia. And he had a first draft done within perhaps as few as two days. Well, jefferson later claimed that he lent on no other sources while he was scribbling away for those two days. Still, jefferson was already deeply versed enlightened political philosophy, and that fact is evident in the draft he came up with. The draft he came up owes a considerable debt to several texts including englands 1689 declaration of rights, including john locks second treaties of civil government published that same year, including Thomas Jeffersons own 1774 pamphlet, and his more repeat draft of a constitution for virginia and george masons virginia declaration of rights, an early copy of which jefferson received just days earlier. The powerful opening lines of jeffersons draft drew directly from this well spring of ideas and language. Though as you can see onscreen, jeffersons language, jeffersons language was decidedly simpler and more forceful. So heres john locke saying let me give you two examples here. John locke, all tending the same way make the design visible to the people now look for the influence in jeffersons writing. But when a long train of abuses and use of patience pursuing invariably the same object of a design to reduce them and under absolute despotism, we can debate whether jeffersons is better than lockes and vice versa. George mason had written all men are created equally free and independent and have certain inherent natural rights of which they cannot by any compact deprive or divest with the means of acquiring or investing property and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety and jeffersons version in his first draft reads we hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable among which the preservation of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Now, thats all im going to say for the moment about jeffersons famous opening paragraph. I will return to them a little later on. And for more on those philosophies that inform the first two paragraphs of the declaration, i recommend these wonderfully learned and sophisticated books if you want to learn more. I want to keep going because instead i want us to think about his declarations long middle section, the least quotable bit. The paragraphs that everyone skips over between the famous opening and the rousing conclusion. Im talking about jeffersons list of grievances. They are hugely important because without