In Drafting the Declaration of Independence, Each Word Mattered

Two critical edits of Thomas Jefferson's words changed the course of history

In drafting the Declaration of Independence, 32-year-old Thomas Jefferson struggled for the proper word to describe the American public. He first called them “our fellow subjects” and then changed the word to “citizens,” digital technology has revealed. The Library of Congress, employing hyperspectral imaging from a high-resolution digital camera to the…