Letter from the Editors
Such men need no trophies; they ask no splendid mausolea. We are their monuments; their mausolea is their country, and her growing prosperity the amaranthine wreath that Time shall place over their dust. Well may the Genius of the Republic mourn. If she turns her eyes in one direction, she beholds the hall where Jefferson wrote the charter of her rights; if in another, she sees the city where Adams kindled the fires of the Revolution. To no period of our history, to no department of our affairs, can she direct her views and not meet the multiplied memorials of her loss and of their glory.
from the Executive Order [on the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams]
It is one of the great ironies of history that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of one another on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary Jubilee of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Neither man knew the other was dying, and newspapers reported that Adams’ last words were “Jefferson still lives.”
This year, the chimes of our celebrations mingle with mourning bells again as we remember the great American historian Gordon Wood, lost to us recently in a tragic accident. Wood’s work on American history, and his presence as a part of this project has loomed so large that it is hard to imagine he will not be here to celebrate the 250th.
But history is long, and when great men and women are lost, their ideas are not. This project has sought to demonstrate that and to persuade us all that we﹘all of us﹘are their living monuments. It is a good time to recall that with a mingled sense of pride and duty.
This Month's Further Reading and Listening
As we reach the end of the A Call to Liberty Project, we urge you to explore previous issues you might not have read. We also offer you some large-scale ways to continue your learning. We have shared many clips from Gordon Wood and Jack Greene’s long discussion of the Declaration over the past two years. Perhaps now is the right time to watch the whole thing? We’ve also pointed you to two books of material collected from the Founding, as well as reminded you of the ever-growing digital pamphlet collection, The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776. In addition, you’ll find essays by Peter Onuf and Samuel Fleischacker that remind us of the connections between the American Founding and the thought of Adam Smith.
Countdown to the Declaration
Celebrate the Declaration's past, present, and future.
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?
Political Economy
Taxation Without Consent: An Enduring American Grievance?
Many of the colonists’ complaints centered on unjust taxation. To what extent do those complaints continue to be relevant today?
Political Institutions
Individual Liberty and the American System
Has the model of representative government embraced by the Founders stood the test of time? Is it a dead hand holding us back or the backbone of our liberty?
War & Peace
Dissension, Destruction, and War
Does the Declaration offer a practical framework for future decisions regarding just war?
Celebrating 250 Years!
American Ambitions
This month completes our 2 years of scholarly inquiry and celebration. Happy 250th! May we continue to explore, challenge, and appreciate our Declaration for centuries to come.
Find the full list of months, including archived and upcoming themes, on our Countdown page.
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