The Capitol Rotunda and the Declaration of Independence
The dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC stands as a symbol of the American nation and the meeting place of the US Congress. The Capitol rotunda dome contains four mural-size paintings. One is a well-known painting depicting the signing of the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, presented to Congress in 1776.
The five writers standing are: John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men . . . are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . . .” The Founders were influenced by Enlightenment era ideas and the Bible’s teaching on equality. Adams and Jefferson particularly admired Jesus’s teachings on morality. Engage with the Bible—this Book of all books!
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