
US Declaration of Independence first and final drafts as GitHub diffs - karmelapple
https://github.com/usgov/forget-the-king/pull/1
======
Bromskloss
Hmm, so this is a case where a Git repository, with all its commit history, is
the final product. Would it be feasible to develop this product within a
different Git repository? How would one best do that? Is such a repository
also available on GitHub?

~~~
icebraining
You can track a git repo inside another, as long as the "inner repo" is bare
(otherwise git will add it as a submodule instead).

~~~
Bromskloss
OK. How do you edit the inner repository, if it's bare? Do you have to clone
it to a different directory, make changes, and then push it back to the
original place?

~~~
icebraining
Yeah, I think so.

------
phasmantistes
There are a lot of commits in the history of this repo that seem like actual
typos on the behalf of the creator of the repo. For example, the line "that
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" was accidentally
removed here[1], and re-added in the next commit here[2]. It seems silly to
have a project purporting to be various drafts of the Declaration to contain
diffs which are entirely anachronistic/accidental/have nothing to do with the
actual drafting process.

It turns out[3] that Jefferson wrote a first draft (of which only a fragment
survives), then wrote the "original Rough draft" which is very similar to the
document we know. 47 alterations were made before the vote for Independence,
and 39 more between then and the official adoption of the document on July
4th.

I'd really like to see a version of this git repository accurately reflecting
the fragment, original draft, all 86 revisions (in approximate order and
attributed as well we can), and final version published as the Dunlap
Broadside, instead of this anachronistic heap.

[1] [https://github.com/usgov/forget-the-
king/pull/1/commits/f9ff...](https://github.com/usgov/forget-the-
king/pull/1/commits/f9ff3ee2d0e53633e7cb5a374d3cd875894315cc)

[2] [https://github.com/usgov/forget-the-
king/pull/1/commits/d041...](https://github.com/usgov/forget-the-
king/pull/1/commits/d041db6716fc0789cd83cbf7234337de8304375d)

[3]
[https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara3.html](https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara3.html)

~~~
karmelapple
Hello, original repo contributor here!

> I'd really like to see a version of this git repository accurately
> reflecting the fragment, original draft, all 86 revisions (in approximate
> order and attributed as well we can), and final version published as the
> Dunlap Broadside...

Me too!

I was unaware that we had the information you mentioned. I helped put this
together after talking with my teammate about how it would be interesting to
show a famous document being revised like we view code revisions.

Looks like some rationale behind the 82 changes is here:
[http://alexpeak.com/twr/doi/draft/](http://alexpeak.com/twr/doi/draft/)

> It seems silly to have a project purporting to be various drafts of the
> Declaration to contain diffs which are entirely
> anachronistic/accidental/have nothing to do with the actual drafting
> process.

This is primarily for entertainment value. The commit messages are certainly
not learned insights into what the founders were thinking. Perhaps I should
have made a note somewhere, like at the bottom of the PR description - the
silly aspect is there, and a bit intentional, since I am in no way a scholar
on this.

Maybe consider this a prototype demonstrating the potential value - if any -
of seeing revisions to famous important documents. The exercise of looking at
putting together the diffs was certainly educational! I hope seeing the diffs
can be a little insightful to someone else.

> the line "that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
> was accidentally removed here[1], and re-added in the next commit here[2].

Intentional - and intentionally silly. I thought it would be interesting to
imagine one of the most well-known phrases in US historical writing could be
accidentally gobbled up by a stray press of the delete key, just like an
important line of code may get wiped out unintentionally.

If anyone with more knowledge of the 82 changes creates a very serious capture
of each change, let me know and I will promote it in this repo!

------
exabrial
USA: Far from perfect, but we're trying.

Happy [early] Independence Day fellow Americans.

------
mtreis86
Is there a way to change the dates on the comments to the date they were
recorded? It would be fun to see these as "comment made 240 years ago"

~~~
karmelapple
I was hoping so! I figured maybe that would break the date system, too.

Anyone know how?

~~~
rhaps0dy
Yes, like this.
[https://github.com/gelstudios/gitfiti](https://github.com/gelstudios/gitfiti)

Setting the GIT_AUTHOR_DATE and GIT_COMMITTER_DATE environment variables.

~~~
Ajedi32
That'll let you change the commit dates, but not dates for the GitHub
comments.

------
coldcode
You can never view a historical document with modern eyes the same way someone
at the time it was written did. I bet we couldn't write/agree on such a
document today at all either.

------
thewavelength
The comment from bertilda-lovejoy just summarizes the first-world problems
very well.

~~~
nicklo
That account (bertilda-lovejoy) was made 10 minutes ago, so don't get too bent
out of shape over it. Its likely a mens-rights red-pill-er intentionally
misrepresenting feminist values by taking them to a tone-deaf extreme in a
repo thats obviously not meant to be taken seriously.

~~~
cwmoo740
Bertilda Lovejoy made a name for himself by writing outrageous YouTube
comments. I don't know if this is the same person, but it's not coincidental
that they chose that name here.

~~~
RodericDay
She has always been a manufactured character, including those YouTube
comments.

