Is this a major revelation concerning a period in the Declaration of Independence? Here is the original version without a period after the pursuit of Happiness:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
According to our founding document, it is a self-evident truth that we must abolish our current federal government. Are we a nation endowed by our Creator with the public virtue to guide our future with Liberty? Or will we continue to submit to tyranny and slavery?
Got Faith?
David DeGerolamo
If Only Thomas Jefferson Could Settle the Issue
A scholar is now saying that the official transcript of the document produced by the National Archives and Records Administration contains a significant error — smack in the middle of the sentence beginning “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” no less.
The error, according to Danielle Allen, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., concerns a period that appears right after the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” in the transcript, but almost certainly not, she maintains, on the badly faded parchment original.
That errant spot of ink, she believes, makes a difference, contributing to what she calls a “routine but serious misunderstanding” of the document.
The period creates the impression that the list of self-evident truths ends with the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she says. But as intended by Thomas Jefferson, she argues, what comes next is just as important: the essential role of governments — “instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” — in securing those rights.
h/t John P
So, the “professor” says “The period creates the impression that the list of self-evident truths ends with the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she says. But as intended by Thomas Jefferson, she argues, what comes next is just as important: the essential role of governments — “instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” — in securing those rights.”
Let’s review two other sources.
http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
Regardless of the interpretation, I don’t need or want the .gov securing my Rights, I can do that quite effectively on my own.
Did you read the entire article from the NY Times?
Morning, David. Yes, I read the article yesterday before commenting, and I just read it again.
Discounting the fact that the NYTimes has a liberal bias in its writing, just like the NY Post has a conservative bias, this is a good topic for an academic discussion, partly for the historical knowledge and partly for the understanding of the Founders and their perspective, but how much discussion is needed? Why should this be studied to no end if the Rights detailed in the DOI are understood? Yes, it’s important to have accurate knowledge of this part of history, but from my view this article is similar to a dog chasing its tail.