'Subjects' found in Jefferson's draft

WASHINGTON, July 3 (UPI) -- New technology has revealed Thomas Jefferson changed "subjects" to "citizens" in a draft of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Library of Congress says.

The discovery was announced Friday, The Washington Post reported. While Jefferson made many changes in early drafts of the Declaration, crossing out words, there was only one place where he tried to wipe out a word completely.

"Seldom can we re-create a moment in history in such a dramatic and living way," said Dianne van der Reyden, the library's preservation director. "It's almost like we can see him write 'subjects' and then quickly decide that's not what he wanted to say at all, that he didn't even want a record of it. Really, it sends chills down the spine."

Fenella France, who spent weeks using infrared technology to find the missing word letter by letter, said Jefferson went to great lengths to hide it. He deliberately shaped the curves of letters in the new word to match those underneath.

The change was a major political break -- with Jefferson saying the residents of the 13 colonies were no longer subjects of the British king but citizens responsible to a government of their choice.