National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America

Summary

The inspiring story of the Declaration of Independence—the first to take us from its drafting by Thomas Jefferson to today—charting the many lives of a document that captures the soul of America and has united generations around its ideals.

“A nimble, captivating view of the defiant 1,320 words that have knit themselves into every chapter of the last 250 years.” —Stacy Schiff

“Fascinating and well researched…weaves the glorious narrative of the Declaration from its inception to our day.” —Walter Isaacson

In this inspiring tale of war and idealism, reverence and neglect, Michael Auslin takes us from the boardinghouse in Philadelphia where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence to its stealthy printing, covert signing, dissemination in the doldrums of the Revolutionary War, and long, harrowing, and ultimately hallowed afterlife.

We follow the Declaration as it is hauled out of a soon-to-be-burning Washington in 1814 and see it hidden in a dank cellar, printed on handkerchiefs, hung on classroom walls to teach civic values, and used to flog insurance and hawk coal. An inspiration to both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis in the Civil War, the Declaration has grown more important for each new generation. As FDR reminded Americans that their country was founded on a promise of freedom from tyranny, military officers lowered the precious parchment into a bunker at Fort Knox. After World War II, its ink fading, it was painstakingly preserved and enshrined.

Through it all, as the country has grown from 4 million to 40 million to 400 million, Jefferson’s words have inspired immigrants to become American and fueled implausibly varied causes, from suffragists and civil rights leaders to groups waging war on the US Government. As Jefferson hoped, the principles set forth in the Declaration became a beacon to the world. But what lessons should we take from them today? Can this statement of ideals in whose name the signers pledged their lives and sacred honor bring a fractured nation together? As we gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Founders’ bold experiment in democracy, Auslin reminds us that this enduring document was an eloquent statement of the principles that, for all our differences, still bind us together.