USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -What isn’t widely known, however, is that Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, in an early version of the Declaration, drafted a 168-word passage that condemned slavery as one of the many evils foisted upon the colonies by the British crown. The passage was cut from the final wording.

Detailed explanation-2: -The final document does not mention slavery and, through its silence, condones enslavement, but the first draft includes a condemnation of slavery. These words, removed before it was finalized, underscored the contradiction between the founding fathers’ beliefs and actions. The Created Equal exhibition.

Detailed explanation-3: -Twelve of the first eighteen American presidents owned slaves. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration and called slavery an “abominable crime, ” yet he was a lifelong slaveholder.

Detailed explanation-4: -A document that changed the world: A passage, beginning with “He has waged cruel war, ” deleted by the Second Continental Congress from the Declaration of Independence, 1776.

Detailed explanation-5: -All told, there were 86 edits to the document, slashing about a quarter of its overall content. Most changes were made by the Congress, including eliminating a powerful passage condemning slavery. Records from the time say Jefferson grew increasingly salty as delegates continued to pile on edits (who can blame him?).