From: America 250 OTD ·

June 22, 1776 — Self-Evident Truths

As the Declaration of Independence took shape in June 1776, Thomas Jefferson penned some of the most enduring words in American history. But Benjamin Franklin, with a quiet edit, helped sharpen the philosophical foundation of the American cause.

Jefferson’s original draft declared:

“We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable, that all men are created equal…”

When Jefferson shared the draft with Franklin and John Adams, Franklin crossed out “sacred and undeniable” and wrote “self-evident.”

The change mattered.

Franklin did not remove the Declaration’s grounding in a Creator. The final text still declared that all people “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” In this view, the existence of both natural rights and their source—the Creator—were self-evident, discoverable through reason as well as affirmed by faith.

Rights were not gifts from Parliament, the King, or any government. They existed before government—and could not rightfully be taken away by earthly rulers.

That was central to the American argument. Many colonists believed King George III and Parliament were violating rights they had no authority to destroy.

Franklin’s edit strengthened that claim. The Declaration would rest not only on religious conviction or inherited English custom, but on universal truths accessible to human reason.

Franklin understood the Declaration had to do more than announce independence. It had to justify revolution.

His single edit helped define a core American principle: government does not grant rights. Its purpose is to secure rights people already possess.

And that’s the way it was, June 22, 1776. #America250OTD #SemiquincentennialMinute #OnThisDay #DeclarationOfIndependence #ThomasJefferson #BenjaminFranklin #NaturalRights #UnalienableRights #SelfEvidentTruths #AmericanRevolution #FoundingFathers #Liberty #Revolution250 #USHistory #June1776 #america250