Dateline June, 11 1776

On this day in history, the Continental Congress appointed a committee of five to write the Declaration of Independence from their mother country, England. The men chosen for this committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjament Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New York. Adams and Jefferson would one day become presidents of the United States. We all know that Franklin became a world ambassador and played with kites occasionally. Very little is known about the other two men, so curiousity got hold of this Kat to delve into the history.

Roger Sherman would go on to be a U.S. senator. He started his career as a lawyer, went on to become a judge and was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence to go on to sign all four of the great state papers of the United States, including the Declaration,  the Continental Association, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. He was 55 years old when the Declaration was drawn up and lived to be 72.

Robert R. Livingston – 1746-1813 became the Chancellor of New York in 1777 at the age of 31. He became a lawyer and joined a prominent law office and later became quite eminent in his profession. He administered the Oath of Office to George Washington when he became the first president of the United States in 1789. He later became the ambassador to France and negotioated the Louisiana Purchase.

It took a while for the Declaration to be completed before being presented to the Congress. Thomas Jefferson, because of his way with words, was assigned to write the first draft. This document has served our country along with the Constitution for many years. It’s hard to imagine a document maintaining itself for over two hundred years.

So today take a look at the Declaration and imagine, if you will, five men determining the way of the American people. The rough draft would undergo changes, with regard to slavery. It would seem that the slave trade would be untouched for another hundred years. I believe that God was in control during the writing of these ancient documents. His brand is written within the words. Unfortunately our country has nearly forgotten about the American dream and hopes of a government that would work for the people and be governed by the people still needs to be revisited. It might be a good idea to put God back into the equation.