Declaration of Independence Signed

Declaration of Independence

When copying it out, Jefferson included text (indicated with underlining) that appeared in the version submitted to Congress by the so-called Committee of Five charged with producing a declaration, but that Congress removed before approving the final version. Next year, the library’s copy will appear in an exhibit at the British Library — the document’s first trip to George III’s home turf. To call the loans to the British Library a coup is perhaps understatement. The Declaration of Independence is on loan from the New York Public Library. The text is that which Thomas Jefferson copied in his own hand, incorporating changes by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. It is particularly interesting because it shows passages subsequently excised in Congress, such as Jefferson's lengthy condemnation of slavery. Neither document has been in the UK before. Breay, the library's lead curator of medieval and earlier manuscripts, who is curating the show, said the documents represented "an amazing opportunity" for the British public. Colonists in America were driven by a desire and demand to have the same rights as the English, the rights embodied in Magna Carta. 

There are four copies of Magna Carta, which was issued by King John and established for the first time that the king was subject to the law, not above it. "There are four copies of the 1215 Magna Carta, one of the most famous historical documents in the world – two at the British Library and one each in Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals." Breay said she hoped the exhibition would encourage people to think about the document in a broader way. Tony Marx, president of New York's public library, said he was proud that his organisation was taking part. "The bedrock of our modern day society is rooted in the historic documents of the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights – the result of brave citizens who understood the importance of change and reform." The Magna Carta exhibition will run from 13 March 2015 to 1 September.