Draft of the
Virginia Constitution

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Draft of the Virginia Constitution
Page 2
Holograph manuscript, May 1776
Manuscript Division

Immediately after learning that the Virginia Convention had adopted its call for independence on May 15, 1776, Jefferson, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress, drafted "the fundamental constitutions of Virginia." This draft profoundly influenced the Virginia government and was the direct predecessor of the Declaration of Independence. Shown here is Jefferson's litany of abuses by King George III, a topic of great weight in the Declaration.