In less than 60 minutes of listening to this audiobook, you will have heard the original 1776 United States Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson's account of the Declaration, and much more.

The listener should be aware of what this audiobook is not about: it is not an academic work, nor intended for professors, nor a complete long study of the subject. The audiobook is intended for students, teachers, parents, and interested parties. If this one-hour audiobook interests you as it has others, this will provide a gateway to longer works on this subject and related ones if you are so interested. Otherwise, this has been quite enough information for most listeners, who report relistening to it several times. This audiobook was a live lecture and has all the immediacy of one, complete with paper shuffles and background noise!

To improve your understanding of this historic document, we have included original readings and commentary related to this subject, such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted a few months before the Declaration of Independence.

This additional information will furnish you with original source material, giving you a fuller understanding of the context and events surrounding the Declaration of Independence. These are the subjects covered:

• Jefferson's account of the Declaration of Independence
• A brief history of the Declaration
• Drafting the documents
• Reading of the Virginia Declaration of Rights: May, 1776
• George Mason (1725-92): author of the Virginia Declaration
• The call for independence
• Republicanism in America: Our two-party system
• The American Revolution, 1776-83
• Drafting the Declaration of Independence
• Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
• Reading of the Declaration of Independence: July 1776
• Analysis of the Declaration
• Questions for discussion and subjects for essays