Preface: Specialist in Early American History Manuscript Division, Library of Congress / Gerard W. Gawalt 9 --
Foreword: Librarian of Congress from 1939 to 1944 / Archibald MacLeish 13 --
The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence: Historian, The Thomas Jefferson Bicentennial Commission Editor, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, from 1943 to 1980 / Julian P. Boyd 15 --
Document I George Mason's Draft of the Virginia Bill of Rights, 1776 41 --
Document II Jefferson's "First Ideas" on the Virginia Constitution, 1776 47 --
Document III Richard Henry Lee Resolution of Independence 51 --
Document IIIa Fragment of the Earliest Known Draft of the Declaration of Independence, Written by Thomas Jefferson in June 1776 55 --
Document IV John Adams' Copy of Jefferson's Original Draft 59 --
Document V Jefferson's Rough Draft of The Declaration of Independence 65 --
Document VI Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson for Richard Henry Lee 73 --
Document VII Unidentified Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson [Cassius F. Lee Copy] 79 --
Document VIII Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson for James Madison 85 --
Document IX Unidentified Copy of the Declaration Made by Jefferson [The Washburn Copy] 91 --
Document X The First Printing of the Declaration, As Inserted in the Rough Journal of Congress 97.
