Massachusetts Historical Society: Declarations of Independence

There wasn’t just one. The Declaration of Independence, our beloved document, didn’t just spring, completely written, from the head of Thomas Jefferson. This great site from the Massachusetts Historical Society provides many of the documents that included ideas and themes that were being discussed and considered up to the final writing of the Declaration issued in July, 1776. Read the primary source documents from the Second Continental Congress, the Massachusetts and Virginia legislatures, and the drafts written by Jefferson himself. In addition, there are discussion questions suggested for students.

courtesy of Knovation