Draft
of the Virginia Constitution
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Draft of the Virginia Constitution
Page 2
Holograph manuscript, May 1776
Manuscript Division
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Immediately after learning that the Virginia Convention
had adopted its call for independence on May 15, 1776, Jefferson,
a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, drafted "the
fundamental constitutions of Virginia." This draft profoundly
influenced the Virginia government and was the direct predecessor
of the Declaration of Independence. Shown here is Jefferson's
litany of abuses by King George III, a topic of great weight in
the Declaration.
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