Declaration of Independence: A Good Read
by Vera H-C Chan
The Declaration of Independence has made a comeback.
Not that the founding statement of breaking from the Mother Country ever went out of fashion. However, dramatic readings of the 1,337-word document have returned, just like in the late 1700s.
The History Channel website gives a detailed overview of how the declaration came to be written, first from Richard Henry Lee’s resolution to cut ties to the British Crown, to Thomas Jefferson hunkering over his handmade portable desk, to the arguments over changes and cuts—among them, criticism over the “execrable commerce” of the slave trade.
Incidentally, the National Archives in England just announced unearthing another original copy of the historical document. A researcher came across the find months ago, and by accident, but the Brits conveniently timed the news for the American holiday. As if they could hog all the attention.
The U.S. government archives has electronic copies, for people who want to do their own readings from the almost-real thing. For those who prefer being read to, NPR continues its tradition—now going on 21 years—of airing a reading by its newscasters, accessible here.
