What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis

"All men are created equal

and they are endowed with the rights to

life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Not so fast, Mr. Jefferson!

These words from the Declaration of Independence,

and the facts behind them, are well known.

In June of 1776,

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

with the shots fired at Lexington and Concord,

the Continental Congress was meeting in Philadelphia

to discuss American independence.

After long debates, a resolution of independence

was approved on July 2, 1776.

America was free!

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

But it was two days later that the gentlemen in congress

voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence,

largely written by Thomas Jefferson,

offering all the reasons why the country should be free.

More than 235 years later,

we celebrate that day as America's birthday.

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

First of all, Thomas Jefferson gets the credit

for writing the declaration.

But five men had been given the job

to come up with a document explaining why

America should be independent:

Robert Livingston,

Roger Sherman,

Benjamin Franklin and

John Adams were all named first.

And it was Adams who suggested

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