Draft of the Declaration of Independence

This is an 1826 engraving done by Thomas Jefferson's son of the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Before the document was ever sent to the king, John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, is said to have issued a warning (...) If the king sensed even the slightest sliver of division among them, the cause of liberty would be lost. He would exploit any weakness, he would drive a wedge between the colonies, and he would crush independence before it ever could take root.

So the delegates agreed, it needs to be unanimous. If one state objected, that passage would be removed. They moved DELIBERATELY, line by line, grievance by grievance, ensuring every word spoke with one unanimous voice.

But then came the most powerful section of all,(...) Thomas Jefferson's condemnation of slavery.

“He has waged cruel war against human nature itself.”

“This Christian king determined to keep an open market where men should be bought and sold.”

Jefferson didn't simply write "men," he capitalized it. Eleven of the thirteen colonies stood with Jefferson and those lines.(...) Only South Carolina and Georgia objected. At that founding moment, America stood on the edge of declaring liberty, not just for some, but for all.