Thomas Jefferson -
Fragment of original draft of the Declaration of Independence

This is the only fragment from Thomas Jefferson of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence. It is currently held at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

The text of the fragment appears on this page. It contains Jefferson's own deletions and corrections. None of the words deleted on this fragment appear in the Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence, which is the draft the Committee of Five presented to Congress. However, all of the other 148 words on this fragment do appear in the Rough Draft. The writing at the bottom of the page is Jefferson's draft of a resolution receiving the resignation of General John Sullivan.

Read the Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence here. - This is the version edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams and presented to Congress.

Read the finally approved version of the Declaration of Independence here.

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Thomas Jefferson fragment of
Declaration of Independence

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Text of Thomas Jefferson fragment of
the Declaration of Independence

re-establishing them in po[wer...] ~~this conduct and~~ at this very time too, they are permitting their ~~sovereign~~ chief magistrate to send over not only soldiers of our ~~own~~ common blood but Scotch & foreign mercenaries to ~~destroy us~~ invade and deluge us in blood. ~~this is too much to be borne even by relations. enough then be it to say, we are now done with them.~~ these facts have given the last stab to agonizing affection, & manly spirit bids us to renounce for ever these unfeeling brethren! we must endeavor to forget our former love for them and to hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. we might have been a ~~great~~ free & a ~~happy~~ great people together, but a communicatedion of ~~happiness~~ [g]randeur & of ~~grandeur~~ freedom it seems is be~~neath~~low their dignity. ~~we will climb then the roads to glory & happiness apart~~ be it so, since they will have it: the road to ~~glory &~~ to happiness & to glory is open to us too, we will climb it ~~in a separate state~~ apart from them & acquiesce in the necessity which ~~pro~~ denounces our ~~everlasting Adieu~~ eternal separation. ~~these facts have given the last stab to agonizing affection, & manly spirit bids us to renounce for ever these unjust~~ ~~unfeeling~~ ~~brethren.~~

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Revolutionary War and Beyond!