A 250-Year-Old Promise Worth Reading Again

Download the Declaration Keepsake

Prepared in honor of America’s 250th anniversary and Boyd & Boyd, P.C.’s 50th anniversary, this PDF includes the Declaration of Independence and a supplement containing Jefferson’s original rough draft.

The Declaration is the central resource on this page. We invite you to read it, print it, and share it with the next generation.

Included in the PDF:

· The Declaration of Independence
· A Boyd & Boyd commemorative presentation
· Jefferson’s original rough draft as a supplement

Download PDF

The file will open or download depending on the visitor’s browser settings.

Independence Day Message

Dear Clients and Friends, Each year, as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we like to pause and reflect on the principles that gave birth to the United States of America. This year is especially meaningful. In 2026, our country marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Boyd & Boyd, P.C. also marks its 50th year of service to families across Cape Cod, Southeastern Massachusetts, and beyond. To honor both anniversaries, we have prepared a complimentary keepsake copy of the Declaration of Independence. The PDF also includes a supplement containing Thomas Jefferson’s original rough draft, so you can see not only the final words that changed history, but also some of the drafting and revision that shaped them. You may download the keepsake here: https://declaration.boydandboydpc.com The Declaration was not merely written. It was drafted, debated, edited, and strengthened. Jefferson prepared the first draft. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, the Committee of Five, and then Congress itself made changes before the final text was adopted on July 4, 1776. Some edits were stylistic. Others were substantial. Together, they produced one of the most important statements of liberty and self-government in human history. One of the most interesting changes is that Jefferson’s draft described certain truths as “sacred & undeniable.” The final version used the phrase we know today: “self-evident.” That change made the Declaration more direct, more universal, and more enduring. The Declaration reminds us that legacy is not only property. It is conviction, duty, sacrifice, and the willingness to preserve something valuable for the generations that follow. For 250 years, Americans have been entrusted with the work of preserving liberty. For 50 years, our firm has been honored to help families preserve legacy. We invite you to download, read, print, and share this keepsake with your children and grandchildren. It may also be a good opportunity to ask a simple family question: What principle in the Declaration would you most want the next generation to understand? With warm wishes for a meaningful Independence Day, Boyd & Boyd, P.C. You Create The Legacy, We Create Your Plan.

The Drafting of the Declaration

In June of 1776, the American colonies stood at a dangerous threshold. Reconciliation with Great Britain was fading, war had already begun, and the members of the Continental Congress were acting under strict secrecy because their work placed their lives and fortunes at risk.

On June 7, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution declaring that the colonies “are and of right ought to be free and independent states.” Four days later, Congress appointed a five-man committee to prepare a formal declaration: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.

The committee chose Jefferson to write the first draft. He was only 33 years old, but he was already known for the force and clarity of his writing. Jefferson did not claim that he was inventing entirely new political ideas. He later explained that he was trying to give voice to what he called the “American mind.”

Jefferson worked privately in Philadelphia and produced what became known as the “original Rough draught.” That draft was then revised by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, the full committee, and finally by Congress itself. After Congress voted for independence on July 2, it continued editing the document before adopting the final text on the morning of July 4.

Some edits were stylistic. Others were substantial. Jefferson believed Congress had “mangled” his draft, and he especially regretted the removal of a passage blaming King George III for the slave trade. Still, the final document retained the central argument: human beings possess rights that do not come from government; governments exist to secure those rights; and when government becomes destructive of those ends, the people have the right to alter or abolish it.

Late on July 4, after the text was approved, Philadelphia printer John Dunlap set the Declaration in type and printed approximately 200 copies, now known as the Dunlap Broadsides. The famous parchment copy displayed today at the National Archives was ordered on July 19, and delegates began signing it on August 2, 1776.

For Boyd & Boyd, P.C., this anniversary has a special meaning. In 2026, our country celebrates 250 years since the Declaration announced the principles of liberty, self-government, and responsibility. Our firm also celebrates 50 years of helping families protect what they have built and pass forward what matters.

A Family Conversation for the Fourth of July

The Declaration is not only a public document. It can also begin a private conversation about liberty, responsibility, and legacy.

What principle in the Declaration would you most want your children or grandchildren to understand?
What freedoms have mattered most in your family’s story?
What did prior generations preserve for you that you now feel responsible to pass forward?
If your family wrote a one-paragraph declaration of values, what would it say?

Continue the Conversation at Home

The Declaration of Independence began as a public statement of principles. But every family also has principles, even if they have never been written down.

As you read the Declaration with your children or grandchildren, you may wish to ask a deeper question: What does our family stand for, and what are we trying to preserve?

To help begin that conversation, we have included an optional Family Constitution Workbook. It is not intended to distract from the Declaration. Rather, it is a simple companion exercise for families who want to use this anniversary as a moment to reflect on values, responsibility, decision-making, and legacy.

An Optional Family Reflection Resource

The workbook invites your family to think through questions such as:

· Who should participate in important family decisions?
· How should younger generations be prepared for responsibility?
· How should family disagreements be resolved?
· What values should guide the family across generations?
· What rights, duties, and commitments should be included in a family “Bill of Rights”?

You do not need to complete it all at once. You may simply use it as a Fourth of July conversation starter.

The Declaration reminds us that principles matter. The Family Constitution Workbook helps bring that same idea home.

Download the Family Constitution Workbook

Optional family reflection resource from Boyd & Boyd, P.C.

Two Resources for Reflection

The Declaration keepsake is the primary resource. The workbook is included only as an optional companion for families who want to turn the anniversary into a conversation about values and legacy.

The Declaration Keepsake

A commemorative copy of the Declaration of Independence, including a supplement with Jefferson’s original rough draft.

Download the Declaration

Family Constitution Workbook

An optional reflection tool to help families discuss values, decision-making, responsibility, and legacy.

Download the Workbook

Historical Sources

The historical summary draws from public materials published by the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Papers of Thomas Jefferson at Princeton.

National Archives: Declaration of Independence drafting history and timeline.
Library of Congress: Jefferson’s “original Rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence.
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: drafting notes and manuscript context.