Celebrating The Declaration of Independence on its 250th Anniversary




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ClassGraphic “We hold these truths to be self-evident, . . .” As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of Declaration of Independence, we will consider two distinctive insights into this historic document and its remarkable second sentence.  After discussing Walter Isaacson’s long essay, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written (Simon and Schuster, 2025), we will read Danielle Allen's groundbreaking book, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality (Liveright, 2015). Isaacson dives deeply into the famous sentence, analyzing how this revolutionary passage written by Thomas Jefferson, and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, lays the foundation for the American ideals of unity, equality, and inalienable rights. Based on her teaching experience, Danielle Allen encourages a “slow reading” of the founding document, unpacking the opening statement on a "separate and equal station"; understanding philosophical debates around liberty and equality and how equality is a foundation for liberty; examining how grammar and punctuation can reshape meaning and how collective authorship may have affected the text; and confronting the document's inherent contradictions, particularly regarding slavery. We will conclude by assessing the global impact of the Declaration. Join us as we rediscover a document belonging to all Americans!
 

Class Details

7 Session(s)
Weekly - Wed

Location
500 Davis Center

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition: 

$0.00

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information. Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
3/4/2026 - 4/15/2026 Weekly - Wed 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM Evanston, 500 Davis Center  Map George Sullivan  ; Dan Coha  ; Stephen Schwab 

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