This episode is a deep dive into our founding document, the Declaration of Independence — its history, its intellectual influences, its legacy and ultimately its evolution into our national “scripture” as historian Pauline Maier calls it.

00:00 Introduction to the Declaration of Independence 
01:23 The Myth That Binds Us 
05:01 Historical Context and Influences 
07:11 Early Colonial Period 
18:04 The Road to Revolution 
27:32 The Continental Congresses 
32:49 Drafting the Declaration 
42:35 Inspirations & Influences 
45:23 Jefferson's Version 
46:17 The Slavery Clause Controversy 
51:34 Religious Language in the Final Draft 
53:17 Structure and Purpose of the Declaration 
58:07 The Declaration's Role in Securing Foreign Aid 
01:00:41 The Influence of Enlightenment Philosophy 
01:13:48 The Declaration as a Living Document 
01:19:43 Lincoln's Reinterpretation at Gettysburg 
01:22:52 The Declaration's Enduring Legacy 
01:26:53 Final Words 

Books & Texts:
<a href="https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/compare.html" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Declaration of Independence (side-by-side versions)</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Scripture-Making-Declaration-Independence-ebook/dp/B004JHYRDG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=210VZOVGZA3M7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YYFY8j4_CIbuyP57cmhFHSguFoPCzl7vgHej_he-c8SItE_Vh9JAB_WNmQiKFZcryG5aNYyrHlxXdIh_1wgqRZgL3X3IjXm9hEhRIt36ghMDg6NRH0kMOlnLvGwPFX7ogtcIJKCTwJFL9LFhWcZEcj4aT1m9xriyhwPLtuCK5sExpqn-iYOnLjl0NHV-QPR0UaIXfyOAQWw4b_QaH4toAYnM5JZ8SXdL_NVGiqIydSc.t-ah8AbK0FGuo6zGMhQGVH2cXEj1Yy2Oj773GPM8MXo&dib_tag=se&keywords=american+scripture&qid=1729797593&s=books&sprefix=american+scripture%2Cstripbooks%2C231&sr=1-1" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Scripture by Pauline Maier</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inventing-America-Jeffersons-Declaration-Independence/dp/0525435972" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Inventing America by Garry Wills</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ideological-Origins-American-Revolution/dp/0674443020" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution by Bernard Bailyn</a>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Gospel-Founding-Fathers-Making/dp/0812976665" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Gospel by Jon Meacham</a>
<a href="https://oll.libertyfund.org/pages/1776-paine-common-sense-pamphlet" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Common Sense by Thomas Paine</a>
<a href="https://jqas.org/jqas-monsters-to-destroy-speech-full-text/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John Quincy Adams's “Monsters to destroy” 1821 speech</a>
<a href="https://firstchurchofharwich.org/john-winthrops-city-upon-a-hill-blessing-from-1630/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John Winthrop's “City upon a hill” 1630 sermon</a>
<a href="https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of 1863</a>

Dulma Altan

The Declaration of Independence

This episode is a deep dive into our founding document, the Declaration of Independence — its history, its intellectual influences, its legacy and ultimately its evolution into our national “scripture” as historian Pauline Maier calls it. 00:00 Introduction to the Declaration of Independence 01:23 The Myth That Binds Us 05:01 Historical Context and Influences 07:11 Early [&hellip;]