Evening star., 1944-04-30
A Declaration That
Grew With Courage
By James Waldo Faucet.

told with the scientific precision that
many studiouS Americans might wish.
An approximate fulf1llment of the ideal
treatment, however, has been achieved
in a beautiful brochure recently issued
by the Library of Congress under the
editorial direction of Julian P. Boyd,
librarian of Princeton University and
historian of the Thomas Jefferson BIZ
centennial Commission.
A single glance at the production
thus described, let it be mentioned at
once, suffices to demonstrate the logic
of its compilation and publication. 1t
proves that the Declaration evolved"
and that ''in broad sense" the author
of it was "the American people" The
brochure contains facsimile COPIES of
George Mason's draft of the Virginia
Bill of Rights, Jeffersons first ideas"
on the Virginia constitution, Richard
Henry Lees resolution of independence,
John Adams copy of Jefferson's original
draft of the Declaration, Jefferson's
own rough draft" copy made by
Jefferson for Lee, an unidentified
copy" made by Jefferson and now in
the New York Public Library, a copy
made by Jefferson for James Madison.
a second Unidentified copy made by
Jefferson and now in the Massachu-
sets Historical Society and the first
printing inserted in the trough journal"
of Congress.
Referring to these priceless documents
in their assembled connotation. Mr..
Boyd recalls that Timothy Pickering in
1923 undertook to argue that jefferson
had contributed nothing original,
nothing distinctively new, nothing SOLE
ly Jeffersonian to the great apologize of
the American Revolution" The Sage
OF Monticello, disturbed in his retire
ment, replied: II know only that I
turned to neither book nor pamphlet
while writing it," Jefferson further
answered in 1925 that the important
task was mot to find out new princi-
pies, or new arguments never before
thought of, not merely to say things
which had never been said before: but
to place before mankind the common
sense of the subject, in terms so plain
ana flrm as to command their assent,
and to justify ourselves in the inde-
pendent stand we were impelled to take.
Neither aiming at originality of princi-
pie or sentiment, nor yet copied from
any particular or previous writing, it
was intended to be an expression of the
American mind. All its authority
rests then on the harmonizing senti-
ments OF the day, whether expressed in
conversation, in letters, printed ESSAYS
or the elementary books of public right,
as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, etc."
IL is not alleged that the ideas" of
the Declaration were in the air." but
neither is it denied that many of Jeffer-
sons contemporaries were familiar with
the doctrines of human liberty and re-
sponslbllity TO be found in commentators
from Sophocles to Blackstone. Mr., Boyd
mentions among the sources of the the
ory OF American freedom such philoso-
phers as Grotius, Pufendorf. Vattol
Burlamaqui, Montesquieu, Hooker, Hoad-
ley, Buchanan, Marmontel, Bolingbroke
and Hobbes-names currently forgotten
by the heirs of their labors.
Such was the background against
which Jefferson composed "one of the
outstanding literary documents of the
world and of all time" If he failed To
be original in an enterprise where orig
lnaLty would have been fatal" all the
better. He identified" the Declarations
sublime purpose" with ''the roots of lib
eral traditions that spread back to Eng
land, to Scotland, to Geneva, to Holland
TO Germany, to Rome and to Athens"
Mr.. Boyd affirms: I'm the fundamental
statement OF national purpose for peo-
pie who were to embrace many races and
many creeds, nothing could have been
more appropriate than that the act re-
nounclng the ties of consaneuinitv
should at the same time have drawn it's
phl4oSophlcal justification from tradi-
tlons common to all"
Not every man, not any average man.
could have done the needed work. I'm
consciously, Jefferson had been prenar.
ing for it for third of century. He ar
rlVeo IN Congress on May Is, 1776. On
Chat same day the Virginia Convention
aI Williamsburg adopted a resolution
proposing to the colonial assembly in
Fhlladelphla statement absolying the
peoples OF the United Colonies from al
4egIance to the crown and Parliament of
Great Britain. Simultaneously and he-
lore VTglnlas action was reported in
pennsylvania, Congress adopted a reso-
Iutlon offered by Adams recommending
that the various Colonies assume ali
the powers Of government" Bv June T
f1!charo Henry Lees proposal that
THESE United Colonies are, and of riobt
ought to be, free and indenendent
states was agreed upon Thus, after
months OF debate, was the great issue
Drought to the point of decisive action"
some delay, however, even then uas
considered necessary. The ultimate
passage of Lees resolution was
4oFe9one conclusion" nonetheless and
MI Boyd says: 1T was thought nr,1deot
TO appoint a committee to draft O
lecIaraton' Members designated were:
Je1erSon' Adams, Benjamin Franklin
roger Sherman and Robert r. Livinp-
9Ioh A reputation for literature sci
ehce ano happy talent for compost
tloh qualified the actual author of the
text reported to Congress on June "a
JehcISon for II days shut himself I'm
III parIor on the second floor of tho
nC" rrlck home of young German
ny the name of Graaf or Graft at tho
southwest corner of Market and Sew
ehCh street. and penned the original
.ldIu9CflDt. Mr Rnu6 hnlin,1or 49,.