The earliest known draft of the Declaration of Independence is a fragment known as the “Composition Draft” (shown above) which was written in June 1776 by Thomas Jefferson.

Historian Julian P. Boyd discovered this document in 1947 while reviewing Jefferson’s papers at the Library of Congress for publication in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 

This piece of paper contains a small part of the text of the Declaration, as well as a few unrelated notes by Jefferson. Prior to Boyd’s discovery, the only known draft of the Declaration had been a more detailed document known as the “Rough Draft” (shown below).

Original Phrases From Jefferson’s Rough Draft Worth Considering on Independence Day

Read Jefferson’s “original Rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence

Read a transcription of the Rough Draft 

Take A Closer Look at Jefferson’s Declaration

The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they formed a new nation—the United States of America. -Wiki.

Happy Birthday America!
Wishing all a safe and pleasant holiday weekend!