The Apostole of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson, Slave Holder and Author of the Declaration of Independence:

'His Stand on Slavery in Light of the Philosophical, Legal, Political, and Socioeconomic Climate of His Times', by Lisa Hopkins, The Concord Review.

"It had no officially binding legal force. Its only power lay in its message and its resonance with man's innate moral sense. However, it also described Congress's vision of the war and the new America they hoped to establish."

See the Declaration of Independence in Gateway to the Great Books (10 Vol., 1963) volume 6, and in American State Paper, Great Books of the Western World (first edition, 52 Vol., 1952) volume 43, (second edition, 60 Vol., 1990) volume 40.