How a Hatter had a role in shaping the American Declaration of Independence. Kind of....

On 11 June 1776 the American Continental Congress appointed a “Committee of Five” (John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman) to draft a declaration in accordance with Richard Henry Lee’s proposal that the colonies ought to be independent and free from Great Britain. Jefferson drafted one, and the committee made some revisions and then submitted the revised draft to Congress on 28 June. Congress proceeded, over the next three days, in debates that took place exactly 235 years ago, to make a number of amendments to Jefferson’s draft declaration, or ‘depredations’ as Jefferson called them.  Observing Jefferson’s chagrin, Benjamin Franklin offered the following story in consolation, as recalled by Jefferson in 1818. The story is a lesson in literary economy that we can all still learn from. I don’t really know why, to be honest, but I really love this story.  

I was sitting by Dr. Franklin, who perceived that I was not insensible to these mutilations. ‘I have made it a rule,’ said he, ‘whenever in my power, to avoid becoming the draughtsman of papers to be reviewed by a public body. I took my lesson from an incident which I will relate to you. When I was a journeyman printer, one of my companions, an apprentice Hatter, having served out his time, was about to open shop for himself. His first concern was to have a handsome signboard, with a proper inscription. He composed it in these words: ‘John Thompson, Hatter, makes and sells hats for ready money,’ with a figure of a hat subjoined. But he thought he would submit it to his friends for their amendments. The first he shewed it to thought the word ‘hatter’ tautologous, because followed by the words ‘makes hats’ which shew he was a hatter. It was struck out. The next observed that the word ‘makes’ might as well be omitted, because his customers would not care who made the hats. If good and to their mind, they would buy, by whomsoever made. He struck it out. A third said he thought the words ‘for ready money’ were useless as it was not the custom of the place to sell on credit. Everyone who purchased expected to pay. They were parted with, and the inscription now stood ‘John Thompson sells hats.’ ‘Sells hats,’ says his next friend? Why nobody will expect you to give them away.’ What then is the use of that word? It was stricken out, and ‘hats’ followed it, the rather, as there was one painted on the board. So his inscription was reduced ultimately to ‘John Thompson’ with the figure of a hat subjoined.

Source: Carl Becker, The Declaration of Independence (Vintage Books edition, 1958), 208-09.