Click the tartan to view its entry in The Scottish Registers of Tartans which includes registration details, restrictions, and registrant information.
Unregistered tartans may link to one of the web's online design environments for similar information.
For any questions about reproduction of designs or weaving of these tartans, please contact the registrant directly or via this website.
Declaration of Independence Proposal
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
~ Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
June 28, 1776 is recognized as "Declaration Day", the day the Committee of Five—primarily Thomas Jefferson, with revisions from Benjamin Franklin and John Adams—submitted the completed draft of the Declaration to the Second Continental Congress. On July 4, 1776 – Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration; Independence Day.
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in the Colony of Virginia and grew up to become one of the most influential figures of the American Revolution. Trained as a lawyer, he was known for his keen intellect, wide-ranging interests, and elegant writing. Jefferson was deeply influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, particularly the writings of John Locke and other philosophers who argued that individuals possess natural rights and that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed. By 1776, he was 33 years old and already recognized as one of Virginia's most promising political thinkers.
Jefferson's growing reputation as a defender of colonial rights led to his election to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775. Although he was not a frequent speaker, his thoughtful arguments and exceptional writing skills quickly earned the respect of his fellow delegates. When Congress decided that a formal declaration of independence was needed, a Committee of Five was appointed to prepare the document. The committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Adams, recognizing Jefferson's literary talent, strongly urged him to write the first draft.
Working largely alone in a rented room in Philadelphia during June 1776, Jefferson composed the initial draft of what became the Declaration of Independence. He then shared it with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, who reviewed the document and suggested revisions before it was presented to Congress. Franklin's edits helped sharpen some of the language, while Adams provided both encouragement and practical advice. After further debate and amendments by Congress, the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776. Its stirring assertion that all people are endowed with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, has since become one of the most enduring statements of liberty and self-government in history. ❤️ 🤍 💙 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 ✍️
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was one of the most influential thinkers of the American founding. A gifted lawyer, architect, scientist, inventor, linguist, and statesman, he believed that knowledge and reason were essential to human liberty.
Although he would later serve as the third President of the United States, Jefferson's greatest legacy remains his role in giving eloquent expression to the principles upon which the nation was founded.Jefferson drew deeply from the ideas of the European Enlightenment. He admired the writings of John Locke, whose theories of natural rights and government by consent profoundly shaped his thinking. He was also influenced by Francis Bacon, who championed scientific inquiry, and Isaac Newton, whose confidence in the discoverability of natural laws reinforced Jefferson's belief that society, too, could be governed by reason.
When Congress appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence in 1776, Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft. Although members of the committee, particularly John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, suggested revisions, the document remained unmistakably Jefferson's work. His immortal words that "all men are created equal" and are endowed with "unalienable Rights" have become among the most enduring statements of political philosophy ever written.Jefferson's vision extended far beyond independence.
He championed religious liberty, public education, limited government, and the expansion of knowledge. He founded the University of Virginia, designed many of its buildings himself, and considered its creation—along with authoring the Declaration and securing religious freedom in Virginia—to be among the greatest achievements of his life.
Though his legacy is also marked by profound contradictions, particularly his lifelong ownership of enslaved people while proclaiming universal human rights, his ideas have continued to inspire generations seeking liberty, equality, and self-government.
For more on Jefferson, click the picture of Jefferson drafting the Declaration.