The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American history. It's also, when you get right down to it, a diss track.
Full text of the Declaration of Independence at the Bill of Rights Institute Website
Thomas Jefferson's soaring language gives the Declaration its grandeur, but beneath the flourishes is a much simpler message: a group of British colonists telling King George III that they no longer recognized his authority over them. "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed," Jefferson wrote—in other words, "you ain't the boss of me."
Of course, the Declaration's most famous assertion—that "all men are created equal"—stood in stark contrast to the realities of 1776. Jefferson himself was a wealthy enslaver, and many of the ideals expressed in the document would remain out of reach for millions of people for generations. The ongoing work of expanding liberty and equality has depended not only on the words of the founders but also on the efforts of countless Americans who have pushed and continue to push the nation closer to the stated ideals of the Declaration and, later, the U.S. Constitution.
The Declaration remains complicated, aspirational, contradictory, and deeply influential. How much do you know about the document that launched a revolution—and the holiday that grew up around it? Take our quiz and find out.
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The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence
Freedom Round The Globe: A World History Of The American Revolution
A People's History of the American Revolution
Cocked And Boozy: An Intoxicating History Of The American Revolution
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