Thomas Jefferson and the Man from Uz

Philadelphia, 1776 – While the mid-summer heat wave sizzled over the city, Thomas Jefferson sat at his wooden desk to write a statement for the colonies. At first, his part was prepared specifically for the men of Congress. But 40,000 people of Philadelphia soon heard the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. Up and down Vine Street, excited colonists were touched by the words. The message spread like a brushfire in the New Market ward. From 7th Street to the docks on the Delaware River,...