Do you think that Jefferson plagerized in the declaration of independence? Drawing from Locke, Mason, andother

Question

and other philosophers/historical figures?

He also used a lot of his previous writing in drafting the declaration... but what of the other individuals' thoughts?

Answer 1

That is not plagiarism. That is inspration. Plagiarism is picking out sentences or passages from exclusively one author and repeating it verbatim. He was using their thoughts and doing analysis and combining their thoughts together to come out with his own. Every writer/philosopher does that. As to his own, no ethical issues there whatsoever.

Answer 2

No, I don't. First remember that it wasn't just Jefferson at work here, Ben Franklin and John Adams also had some input. Mostly though, the document seeks to explain based on Enlightenment philosophy, the colony needs to break with England. Jefferson (and his committee) were explaining themselves and their adopted political philosophy, not trying to claim that the ideas were their own.

In Jefferson's time, the elite educated minds often discussed politics in broad philosophical terms. They were, after all, living under a dull and ancient system of monarchy; certainly that must have been hard for people who considered themselves "Enlightened".

Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes and Montesquieu (and all the other lights of the Enlightenment) were pretty standard reading and discussion fodder for these guys. It wasn't as if Jefferson thought he was going to get away with something, he knew that many other people had read these words. Both Locke and Adam Smith talked about the rights of "life, liberty and property." Jefferson knew that his phrase "Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" would expand his rather short "Declaration" to embrace the works by the philosophers to whom he alluded by phrase.

So, in a nutshell, he didn't copy, he took hundreds of pages of philosophy written over the course of a hundred years and boiled it down to a few paragraphs of some very elegant writing.

Also, remember that the Declaration was assigned to a committee! There were five people assigned to the committe (Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman and Jefferson). The group met, discussed what they wanted the thing to say and then picked Jefferson to do the actual writing. He did so, submitted copies Franklin and Adams for their approval, they made some changes, the commitee looked at the final document and handed it on to Congress.

Answer 3

In the Laws of Nature all men are created equal! That is a classic Roman dictum where the Laws of Nature is a metaphor for Roman law!

The truths that are supposed to to be self evident that is edited by Ben Franklin who informed Jefferson that saying they were sacred would imply an established religion!

The part about savages and the diatribe on the King which was naive was all Jefferson!

Answer 4

This was common back in those days. Jefferson was inspired by the writings of Locke. Also, remember this is the Enlightenment. Writers of all countries read each other's works and modeled their writings after these individuals.

He also had input from Benjamin Franklin.

BTW-
The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen borrowed from Jefferon.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

It isn't plagiarism if everyone knows you are doing it.

In those days probably nearly all the men who were at the meetings and conventions had read all those other documents and writings. So, when Jefferson referred back to them in his writing, or even directly quoted them word for word, what he was doing was reminding the readers of the longer, more detailed arguments which Locke or Rousseau or the others had made.

It was almost as if he was writing shorthand reflecting back to those longer versions of the defenses of the rights of individuals against oppression.

Answer 7

Ummm... Henry lee another Virginia delegate actually wrote the first version of the D of I. He borrowed from Locke, etc. Life, Liberity, and right to own property.

Jefferson was asked to rewrite it. His revision was passed.

Answer 8

Some of the writing is word for word fromm others. Some of it is original thought or interpretation.

Answer 9

I think Jefferson was inspired, but i also think he was intelligent enough to get some feed-back from his peers.(Adams,Franklin,Revere etc.)

Answer 10

Yes, I did hear that, but since they didn't have copyrights back then, I guess it technically wasn't illegal to plagearize.