WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Library of Congress debuted a new exhibit titled "The Declaration's Promise" this month. The exhibit will remain on display through July 2027 and explores the evolving interpretation of equality in American history through foundational documents.

Central to the exhibition is a rare, original draft of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. The displayed draft contains handwritten edits made by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, illustrating how the document was refined before its final adoption. One notable revision includes changing the word "subjects" to "citizens," reflecting a deliberate shift in political identity during the nation’s founding.

Ryan Reft, the lead curator for the exhibit, described the draft as "Jefferson's fully-realized draft." He added, "You can see them changing words throughout and kind of distilling the initial draft into the draft that we know today." Reft explained that these revisions were part of a larger ideological break: "They were breaking from a monarchy and they were breaking from the idea of kinship through ethnicity, creating a country based on this critical idea established in the Declaration that was new and that we were not subject to anyone." He emphasized the significance of the term "citizens," stating, "We were subject to each other. We were citizens."

The exhibit also examines the limitations of the Declaration’s original vision. "The 'all men are created' probably only applied to White men," Reft said. "It ignored women and enslaved folks, Native Americans and others." Yet he noted the document’s enduring influence, saying, "But that's the great thing about the Declaration -- even in its weaknesses there is strength -- the sense that the language he created, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, consent of the governed, enabled those folks who were unequal at the time to get to judge for themselves what equality was."

Kevin Butterfield, acting chief of the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress, highlighted a key editorial change: "Initially, Thomas Jefferson had said, 'We hold these rights to be sacred and undeniable.' And Ben Franklin said, no, actually, maybe we should say 'self-evident.'" Jefferson originally used the phrase "sacred and undeniable" in the draft before Franklin’s suggested revision.

Expanding beyond the founding era, the exhibit includes a draft of the Gettysburg Address written by Abraham Lincoln. Reft noted Lincoln’s reinterpretation of the nation’s purpose: "He (Lincoln) says, well, why are we here? Why did we fight this war? And he comes down to one basic idea, equality." The exhibition also features a Declaration of Rights read by Susan B. Anthony in support of women's suffrage and speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis from the Civil Rights Movement. Reft concluded, "These are moments to kind of look back and see where we are, and see where we should be."