Declaration of Independence: Not Just Jefferson


ID : 2138   

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Ask almost anyone who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and the answer will be “Thomas Jefferson.” Well, yes, but it's much more complicated than that. We'll look at other declarations, The Committee of Five and other members of the Continental Congress, related documents (some of them even British), and others whose ideas and even language went into this iconic document. With its 250th anniversary coming up soon, it's time to take another look at what has been called “the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation.”
 
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Class Details

1 Session(s)
Thu

Location
OLLI

Instructor
Marilyn Harris 

 

Notice

Please read:  Suggested teading: The Declaration of Independence. A transcription of the original is available in many places. That of the National Archives is at: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Pauleen Maier: American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence (Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, 1997). Available through RI library system.

Joseph J. Ellis: The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783 (or one of the other titles by this author) (Liveright, 2021) Available in many formats and through the RI library system.

Assignment for the first class: Please read a transcription of The Declaration of Independence on the National Archives website: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Tuition: 

$15.00

Registration Closes On
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 @ 12:00 AM

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s) Instructional Method
7/9/2026 Thu 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM Kingston, OLLI  Map Marilyn Harris  ClassRoom

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