2. The Writing Process - Part 2
The U.S. Declaration of Independence announces the separation of the thirteen American colonies from
Great Britain. This makes the Declaration of Independence one of the most important documents ever
written in the United States. How did Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of
Independence, go about writing it? Did he sit down and compose it all at once? Did he write a perfect
draft on the first attempt? In fact, the composition of the Declaration of Independence was a process of
thinking, reading, discussing, writing, and rewriting. In creating this important document, Jefferson
engaged in all steps of the writing process: prewriting, writing, and revision.
Directions: While reading the following passage, try to distinguish the different stages of the writing
process—prewriting, writing, and revision—that the Declaration of Independence underwent. Then,
decide if each activity from the list that follows is an example of prewriting, writing, or revision. Make
your selection for each by clicking the underlined space and choosing from the dropdown menu.
The Process of Writing the Declaration of Independence
Although many Americans are familiar with the Declaration of Independence, how this important
historic document came into being is less well known. The composition of the Declaration didn't begin
and end with its famous primary author, Thomas Jefferson, writing the entire document in one sitting.
Rather, the process of creating the Declaration of Independence, from the first to the final draft, took
weeks of effort. The Declaration of Independence started as an idea, which the members of Congress
then went on to discuss. Congress didn't immediately support a resolution for the United States to
separate from Great Britain; they debated over the reasons it was the right moment for the colonies to
cut ties with the British Empire. Once Congress had decided to declare its independence, they selected
a "Committee of Five," which included Thomas Jefferson, to brainstorm the contents of the first draft of
the Declaration. The Committee of Five assigned the task of writing the first draft to Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson had read many political and historical books that had prepared him for the task of writing the
first draft of the Declaration.
Finding the heart of the city of Philadelphia uncomfortable, Jefferson retreated to an inn on the
outskirts of town to have a more peaceful setting in which to write. Jefferson wrote the first draft of the
Declaration of Independence in three weeks. Once Jefferson had written the first draft, the Declaration
underwent reviews by the Committee of Five and Congress. After this peer review, the Declaration
went through a final revision. On July 4th, 1776, Congressmen signed this version of the Declaration of
Independence and officially announced the country as a free and independent nation. The clean copy
of the revised Declaration, the document you know today, can be seen on display at the National
Archives in Washington, DC.
Excerpt from source: "The Declaration of Independence." Charters of Freedom.
Congress debates on whether to seek
independence from Great Britain.
Jefferson revisits the main ideas in other
political texts before writing the first draft of
the Declaration of Independence.
Activity
Thomas Jefferson writes the first draft of the
Declaration of Independence outside of
Philadelphia.
The "Committee of Five" makes changes to
the language in Jefferson's draft of the
Declaration of Independence.
Congress removes words from and adds
words to Jefferson's draft of the Declaration
of Independence.
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Prewriting, Writing, or Revision
Points:
1 / 1
Explanation:
Close Explanation
Activities
Prewriting:
Congress debates on whether
to seek independence from
Great Britain.
Jefferson revisits the main
ideas in other political texts
before writing the first draft
Explanation
The "prewriting" stage includes activities performed before
the writing stage to help a writer generate ideas. Jefferson
reviewed books on political theory in order to help sharpen
his ideas about why the colonies sought separation before
writing them in the Declaration. You might perform a
similar activity before writing a paper, such as reviewing
parts of a book or an article on the topic.
Activities
of the Declaration of
Independence.
Writing:
Thomas Jefferson writes the
first draft of the Declaration
of Independence outside of
Philadelphia.
Revision:
The "Committee of Five"
makes changes to the
language in Jefferson's draft
of the Declaration of
Independence.
Congress removes words
from and adds words to
Jefferson's draft of the
Declaration of Independence.
Explanation
Another prewriting activity is simply this: thinking.
Thinking about ideas, whether that includes jotting them
down or debating them with a group (as the members of
Congress did), helps you have a clear sense of what you
want to say and why.
The "writing" stage of the writing process involves
composing the first draft. Therefore, Jefferson's writing the
first draft of the Declaration of Independence is an example
of the writing phase.
The "revision" stage involves incorporating changes to
improve the first draft. This includes receiving and
responding to feedback from peers (a roommate or
classmate, for example) or from an instructor, as well as
reading over the draft and making revisions. Therefore,
when Jefferson received suggestions for revision to the
Declaration of Independence from Congress and the
"Committee of Five" and then made changes to the
document, he engaged in the revision stage of the writing
process.
