Filippo Mazzei: The Tuscan Doctor Who Inspired the Expression of 'Equality' in the US Declaration of Independence

Exactly 250 years before the signing of the document known in history as the US Declaration of Independence, the foundations of the country known today as the US were being laid. In 1776, representatives of the 13 British colonies gathered in Philadelphia and signed the official manifesto of the war of independence launched against Great Britain, ruled by King George III, which would last until 1783. During this process, not only local figures but also individuals coming from Europe to support this revolution wrote their names in history. One of these names was Filippo Mazzei, who came from the Tuscany region of Italy and directly influenced the founding philosophy of the US.

Born in 1730 in the town of Poggio a Caiano, Prato, Filippo Mazzei played a role far beyond that of an ordinary physician. Moving first to the city of İzmir in Turkey and then to the city of London in England, Mazzei met figures like Benjamin Franklin there and became acquainted with American revolutionary ideas. Settling in Virginia in 1773 with a desire for curiosity and adventure, Mazzei formed a deep and long-lasting friendship with future US President Thomas Jefferson. This relationship between the two was based not only on commercial but also on philosophical and political exchange of ideas, and the thoughts of liberty Mazzei brought from Italy left deep marks on Jefferson.

Mazzei's greatest influence was seen on the concept of 'equality', which is considered one of the cornerstones of the United States today. Jefferson translated Mazzei's ideas that 'all people are naturally equal, free and independent', published in local newspapers, into English. These ideas were the source for the Virginia Declaration of Independence and ultimately the 1776 US Declaration of Independence. The famous phrase 'All men are created equal' was created by taking inspiration from the texts Mazzei wrote on Liberty and Equality. These ideas turned not only into the founding of a new nation but also into a manifesto that guided all democratic movements in the world.

Filippo Mazzei's contributions were appreciated by world leaders and civil rights activists not only in that period but also centuries later. In 1958, then-President John F. Kennedy stated in his book 'A Nation of Immigrants' that this great doctrine was actually adapted from the writings of Philip Mazzei, an Italian patriot and close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Similarly, in his 1963 'I Have a Dream' speech that resonated worldwide, Martin Luther King referred to Mazzei's spirit, wishing the nation to fully live out the belief that all men are created equal. These references show that Mazzei's legacy is not limited to the founding of a nation but has become a universal standard in the struggle for human rights.

Mazzei's influence was not limited to ideas; he also played an active role in the practical aspects of the American Revolution. A Virginia citizen, Mazzei voluntarily took to the fields from the first days of the war of independence. Sent to Europe by Jefferson and James Madison, Mazzei sought credit to aid the newly established nation, purchased weapons, and even ensured these weapons entered the country through illicit means. He also collected intelligence of critical importance for use on the front. According to what Mazzei's grandson Jacopo Mazzei conveyed, his grandfather was a complex character who tried to travel the whole world to increase his social knowledge and dedicated himself to the idea of the freedom of the English colonies. This passion turned him from just a physician into one of the first diplomatic agents of a new nation.