WEBVTT

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"All men are created equal

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and they are endowed with the rights to

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life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

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Not so fast, Mr. Jefferson!

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These words from the Declaration of Independence,

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and the facts behind them, are well known.

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In June of 1776,

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a littl more than a year after the war against England began

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with the shots fired at Lexington and Concord,

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the Continental Congress was meeting in Philadelphia

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to discuss American independence.

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After long debates, a resolution of independence

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was approved on July 2, 1776.

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America was free!

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And men like John Adams thought we would celebrate that date forever.

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But it was two days later that the gentlemen in congress

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voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence,

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largely written by Thomas Jefferson,

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offering all the reasons why the country should be free.

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More than 235 years later,

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we celebrate that day as America's birthday.

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But there are some pieces of the story you may not know.

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First of all, Thomas Jefferson gets the credit

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for writing the declaration.

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But five men had been given the job

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to come up with a document explaining why

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America should be independent:

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Robert Livingston,

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Roger Sherman,

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Benjamin Franklin and

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John Adams were all named first.

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And it was Adams who suggested

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that the young, and little known, Thomas Jefferson join them.