Living the Declaration: The Next 250 Years

Since the 1970s and for a variety of different reasons, the Declaration has been marginalized as a touchstone in national discourse. There are plenty of politicians and political movements in the last two generations that included a throwaway citation of the Declaration in a speech or manifesto. But this is far from the American people—even 10 or 15 or 20 percent— taking the Declaration seriously as a touchstone for deliberation. No 12-step ideological project for taking the Declaration seriously will elevate it to the prominent position it should hold today. Still, as America enters its next 250 years, it is worth considering what nonideological, nonpartisan steps will help in this effort. For Americans to get right with the Declaration, they must take it seriously for (1) its ideas, (2) the disposition it inspires, and (3) the skill set it requires.

Taking the Declaration’s Principles Seriously Today

First, taking the Declaration seriously means taking its principles seriously. As a set of ideas, the Declaration is critical for every citizen to know. It takes about ten minutes to read it. At just over 1,300 words, it is not too heavy a lift. After you finish this book, read the document in its entirety if you have never done so or if you have not read it recently. The Declaration’s preamble (second paragraph) is important, but it is vital to understand the document’s whole argument. Instead of pitting equality and liberty against each other, the Declaration reveals them to be complementary. All human beings are equal in possession of the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government’s job is to secure those rights. If government fails to secure the rights, it is unjust. If it persists in failing to protect citizen rights, revolution may be justified.

The history of America is the history of a protracted, almost always contentious debate about the Declaration and its principles. From its inception, it has been the subject of ceaseless debate, much of it serious. America’s Declaration demands that it be debated. Its own insistence on freedom carved out room for this deliberation. After all, the Declaration started with “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind.” Debating these ideas is an essential part of taking the Declaration seriously. And debating them seriously is not just about citing the Declaration.