Lectures For Lifelong Learners!

When the Committee of Five reported out “The Unanimous Declaration of the 13 United States of America,” to the Second Continental Congress, June 28, 1776, we were a divided nation with a significant minority loyal to the British. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft, which was amended by John Adams, Ben Franklin, Robert Linvingston, and Roger Sherman. After serious discussion, Congress approved the document, July 4. The document did not spring out of thin air or the thoughts of one person. The major ideas derived from the dominant political philosophy of the day, The Enlightenment. Learn how this critical founding document came into existence. The fundamental elements are still debated, discussed, and dissected.