Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
The Declaration of Independence is a peculiar document. It’s a literary masterpiece that was written jointly by a committee of five people. It’s short and punchy—just 1,310 words long—but still somehow daunting and difficult to fully understand (there’s a reason most people have never read it in full and can only quote the first third of its second sentence).
Historian Richard Bell explores the nature of the document, questioning whether it serves as a birth certificate heralding a new beginning, a petition for divorce steeped in grievance and score-settling, or something entirely different. He considers its intended audience—perhaps the American people, King George, or another group—and reflects on whether it marked the first declaration of independence or followed a well-established genre. He examines how contemporaries perceived it, what transformations it triggered, and why it continues to hold significance.
In a full-day seminar, Bell, a professor of history at the University of Maryland and a specialist in the American Revolutionary era, explores the fascinating origins, misunderstood purpose, and extraordinary global legacy of the Declaration of Independence.
10 –11:15 a.m. Time to Part
Bell traces the remarkable journey of the Declaration of Independence since 1776, including its protection at Fort Knox during WWII, its survival of the 1814 Burning of Washington, and its role in the 1876 Centennial. He rolls back the clock to examine the crisis of empire in the early 1770s that resulted in the formation of a five-person committee to draft a declaration of independence.
11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. These Truths
Bell explores that committee’s world-shaking draft by deconstructing Jefferson’s celebrated preamble, tracing its roots to the writings of John Locke, George Mason, Jefferson himself, and others, showing how he distilled complex Enlightenment ideas into simpler, more forceful sentences loaded with meaning. He also examines the declaration’s central section—a list of more than two dozen grievances—arguing they provide the essential motive for independence.
12:45–1:15 p.m. Break
1:15–2:30 p.m. Mr. Jefferson and His Critics
Bell examines the momentous events that unfolded after Congress finally opened debate on the question of independence on July 1, 1776. After dramatic turns—including a key Delaware vote—Congress approved independence on July 2. The next two days saw Jefferson’s draft declaration heavily edited—86 changes and a quarter of the text cut—resulting in a sharper, more persuasive document. Proclaimed on July 8, it spread rapidly, sparking public celebrations and sharp rebuttals.
2:45–4 p.m. The Fate of the World
Bell argues that the Declaration of Independence was crafted both to justify breaking from Britain and to attract foreign allies, leading to its immediate translation into French and Franklin’s mission to Paris. Its bold assertion of sovereignty later inspired more than a hundred similar documents worldwide, fueling independence movements against empires, while at home its language became a touchstone for struggles from abolition and women’s suffrage to civil rights.
General Information
