Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality

In her discussion of authorship and the Declaration of Independence, Allen acknowledges Thomas Jefferson’s central role but reminds the reader that “the text was written by a group” (47). This kind of authorship, which Allen calls “democratic writing,” is central to democracies, as it helps craft shared norms and ways of being. The Declaration was partly made possible by a group of politicians who became increasingly vocal in their support of independence from Britain. Allen singles out John Adams of Boston and the Virginian Richard Henry Lee as key figures in this movement and the eventual drafting of the Declaration. Adams and Lee were avid participants in the Continental Congress. 

Jefferson was less of a central figure at congressional meetings, as he frequently returned home to Virginia. Instead, he established himself as a writer. He first became famous for this in 1774, when he drafted “A Summary View of the Rights of British America.” He had intended it for use at the First Continental Congress, but it was declared too radical at the time. Nevertheless, the document circulated widely and was one of the first to blame King George III, especially his imposition of new taxes and suspension of colonial legislatures, for the colonists’ plight.