ABSTRACT
Using hyperspectral imaging, preservation scientists at the Library of Congress investigating Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration of Independence recently discovered that his initial wording of the phrase “our fellow citizens” had been “our fellow subjects” (Kaufman, 2010). This change from “subjects” of a distant monarch to “citizens” responsible to one another captures the essence of the revolutionary change taking place at that time in government. It also illustrates the importance of revision for mature writers seeking to get their meaning and style right to meet their rhetorical purposes.
