Declaration of Independence Had Several Drafts

July 3, 2007 — -- American history may have taken a different course if Congress had adopted the founders' original language for the Declaration of Independence.

In a rare look at some of the nation's founding documents on ABC's "Good Morning America," the Library of Congress' James Billington shared some of the library's most treasured artifacts, including the first-known draft of the Declaration of Independence, which includes an early condemnation of slavery. The draft refers to King George III's promotion of slavery as violating the "most sacred rights of life & liberty."

Billington called the slavery reference "a very eloquent statement," noting that "if it had been in there, we would have had a more inclusive conception of America right from the beginning."

Congress removed this wording in the final version of the Declaration, one of more than 80 changes made along the way.

Some of the most treasured language from America's founding documents can be traced back to the colonies, and, specifically the Virginia Declaration of Rights. This document, which served as a model for many states along with the republic, establishes men's inherent rights as, "the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety." Thomas Jefferson may well have adopted this language when he wrote into the Declaration that men have certain inalienable rights: "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"

Billington points out the Declaration of Independence did not, as its name suggests, actually declare the independence of the United States. "It was an ideological document," he said. "A powerful one."

The actual act of declaring independence occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Continental Congress adopted Richard Henry Lee's motion of independence. John Adams sought to celebrate July 2 as the day of deliverance, but his suggestion lost out to the Independence Day celebration we know today, on July 4.

While the events surrounding America's journey toward independence occurred more than 230 years ago, the library's collections have some parallels to current world events.