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The article fails to mention Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were the other two members of the committee charged with drafting the document. Producing a hard c
by jackfoxy 16y ago
The article fails to mention Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were the other two members of the committee charged with drafting the document. Producing a hard copy in those days was a real chore, and probably only done in order to present a working document to the full committee.
So did Jefferson make this change on his own, and take the extra care in changing the words so the rest of the committee wouldn't notice? Or in discussions with Adams and Franklin did they all recognize how momentous the change was and expunging "subjects" was a kind of ritual?
- sili 16y agoI guess it would be hard to make that change on a completed document where ink has already dried. I believe they used to have special rollers that would sock up fresh ink if one wanted to make a change.
- michael_dorfman 16y agoSo did Jefferson make this change on his own, and take the extra care in changing the words so the rest of the committee wouldn't notice? Or in discussions with Adams and Franklin did they all recognize how momentous the change was and expunging "subjects" was a kind of ritual? I don't think there's need for either alternative. The most parsimonious explanation, it seems to me, is that he wrote "subjects" out of habit, and then (quickly, I imagine) realized that it was no longer appropriate. No hiding, no ritual-- just a correction.