Writing the Big Letter

In the summer of 1776, Philadelphia was hot and buzzing with flies, and the leaders had a very big job to do.

They picked a tall, red-haired young man named Thomas Jefferson to write down why America wanted to be free.

He sat at a little wooden desk for days, dipping his quill pen and thinking hard about every single word.

His famous line was that all people are created equal — a big, brave idea that people still think about today.

His friends Ben Franklin and John Adams read it, changed a few bits, and then it was ready for the whole world.