we communicate with each other, verbal or written, we constantly correct ourselves. Spell check and self-interruptions, “wait, I didn’t mean to say that”, are daily things in our lives today. But it’s fascinating to think that one word in an important document, let’s say the Declaration of Independence, could have changed the tone and/or scope of the whole thing. Chemists and archivists discovered that Thomas Jefferson understood the importance of editing. Read on for this whole story, in which Jefferson initially wrote the word ‘subjects’ in the Declaration of Independence, thought twice, and replaced it with the word ‘citizens’.
Jefferson Made Slip in Declaration of Independence
One word and a world of difference. I’ll be paying extra attention to choosing my words carefully from now on.
