National Archives and Records Administration

The Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country. We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration.

Important note: This image of the Declaration is taken from the engraving made by printer William J. Stone in 1823 and is the most frequently reproduced version of the document. The original Declaration, now exhibited in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, has faded badly--largely because of poor preservation techniques during the 19th century. Today, this priceless document is maintained under the most exacting archival conditions possible.

You can display a high-resolution version of the original Declaration (315K JPEG) or a high-resolution version of the Stone engraving (437K JPEG).

For additional information about the Declaration of Independence, we recommend:

• The article "The Declaration of Independence: A History," which provides a detailed account of the Declaration, from its drafting through its preservation today at the National Archives.
• "The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence" by Stephen Lucas. By closely examining its language, this perceptive article sheds light on the Declaration as a work of literature and of persuasion. From Prologue, Spring 1990.
• The Virginia Declaration of Rightsstrongly influenced Thomas Jefferson in writing the first part of the Declaration of Independence. It later provided the foundation for the Bill of Rights.
• The Writing and Publicizing of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States site at the Independence National Historical Park (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) provides a discussion of what happened in Philadelphia during the creation of the United States of America.
• The Library of Congress' Documents from the Continental and the Constitutional Convention, part of the Library's American Memory Web site, also has related manuscript, printed, and iconographic materials.

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Last updated: April 15, 1998