Letter from the Editors
“This ball of liberty, I believe […], is now so well in motion that it will roll round the globe.”
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Tench Coxe, June 1, 1795
The center of Jefferson’s “ball of liberty” is the idea that all men are created equal. There is not a nation in the world that is able to fully ignore the logic of equality; every area of policy is touched by it. Several past issues of A Call to Liberty have addressed the status of equality in the world. American political institutions place questions of equality so firmly at their core, even when we think we are not addressing the subject of equality, we cannot escape its gravitational pull.
Colleen Sheehan’s lead essay demonstrates this point with particular reference to the Declaration’s resonances in American statecraft and political thought, tracing the power of this principle through our nation’s history.
Each generation needs to recieve and pass on the “ball of liberty,” pausing with it for a moment between their hands to consider what it means for them, and what it could mean for the future.
This Month's Further Reading and Listening
This month we share two offerings from Adam Smith Works: a documentary, “The Animal That Trades,” focusing on questions of authority and justice, and an essay by Brianne Wolf focused on Smith and the political problem of wealth. After that, you can listen to podcasts featuring Gordon Wood and Jeffrey Rosen and peruse a Law & Liberty forum by Aaron Coleman on defending the constitutional order.
Video
The Role of Authority
Countdown to the Declaration
New material every month as we explore the Declaration's past, present, and future.
4
months to go
Liberty v. Tyranny
A River Fed By Many Streams
There is a long tradition of debating the right to resistance: What aspects of that tradition were most influential in forming the Declaration mindset?
Education
Citizenship, Seminars, and the Declaration of Independence
What kind of education is necessary for a citizenry that takes the Declaration seriously?
Law & Constitutionalism
The Declaration of Independence and the American Theory of Government
Does the Declaration offer us any permanent guidance in thinking constitutionally?
Equality
Anything But Compromising
Writing a Declaration that could secure support required compromises and negotiations: How did these compromises chart the course of, or delay the recognition of equality for coming generations?
Political Institutions
Republican Government after the Digital Revolution
Does technology fundamentally alter the basis for representative government? Does it give us cause to reconsider the principles of the Declaration?
Philosophy & Theology
Against Authority
How important are religious and Enlightenment ideas to the concepts in the Declaration? Are these influences necessarily in conflict?
Political Economy
Economic Wisdom for Tumultuous Times
Why do we find ourselves refighting the same debates between open markets and mercantilism that preoccupied the 18th century?
Education
Educational Experience and the Challenge to Empire
What in the Founders’ education prepared them to be able to craft the Declaration? To what degree did it challenge the ideals of empire?
Liberty and Tyranny
Conditions of Revolution: Sic Sometimes Tyrannis
What sustains liberty? Does the Declaration offer a model for future political resistance to tyrants?
War & Peace
Declaring War—and Loyalty
The Declaration did not just declare American independence, but implicitly declared war on England. What happens to the voices of loyalists in the shadow of the revolution?
Law & Constitutionalism
Constitutional Tourism: Australia’s America
What is the constitutional importance of the Declaration of Independence?
Philosophy and Theology
Men Will Be Men: Religious and Enlightenment Ideas in the Declaration
Shifts in our prevailing philosophies and theologies seem to make the Declaration’s ideals little more than a pleasant fiction. Is the Declaration's ideal of lasting importance for religious and philosophical thinkers?
War & Peace
War: The Dreaded Enemy of Liberty
The American Revolution and subsequent constitution of the newly-formed United States reflected some of the key ideas of liberalism—natural rights, government by consent, and limits on state power. Can war be contained by liberal ideals?
Education
Reviving Civic Education through Conversation
Education is increasingly technological and individualized. Can this be conducive to producing citizens who share a common set of political ideals?
Law & Constitutionalism
On the Law of the Declaration of Independence
How did the multi-stranded Western legal tradition help frame the Declaration?
Liberty & Tyranny
Holding Ourselves Accountable: What the Declaration Says About Just Conduct of Governments
The Declaration sets out standards for the just conduct of government: To what degree are these still relevant to American politics today?
Equality
Are We Self-Evidently Equal?
Lincoln warned that when a free people renounced their “ancient faith” in human equality, they destroyed the moral core of self-government.
Political Economy
America the Market
Both the Declaration and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations were published in 1776. Do these works share similar preoccupations and concerns?
Philosophy/ Theology
What Begins Where the Declaration Ends?
Modern Americans live with a kind of religious and cultural diversity that the Founders would have a hard time imagining. Does the Declaration offer us the tools to help navigate these differences and dissensions?
Equality
The Declaration’s Elusive Promise
Contemporary debates over the Declaration and America’s founding suggest that the Declaration enshrines inequality at the core of our public life. How do the political compromises that were necessary to agree on the Declaration continue to haunt us?
Political Institutions
The Enduring Message (and Mystery) of the American Creed
How did the Declaration seek to vindicate the political rights of the colonists?
Find the full list of months, including archived and upcoming themes, on our Countdown page.
We are a private educational foundation that encourages thought and discussion of enduring issues about liberty.
Liberty Fund offers a rich set of educational programs. These include Socratic-style conferences, thought-provoking books, and engaging online resources focused on the understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of a free and responsible society.