First Public Read of Declaration of Independence 238 Years Ago Today
I enjoyed sharing this bit of history with my Odyssey students after hearing a segment on NPR this morning. It gave me a purposeful reason to share a musical rendition of the historical document that helped me learn the words as a child. However, reading (or singing) the words is an invitation to a close read and more. This complex text was crafted to be a document that would stand the test of time, with the caveat that it would be “the right of the people to alter and abolish it” if it did not whole true.
In spite of the historical context in which it was written, we can still ponder whether or not it was held as a truth from its inception or if it was, at least in part, a lie before the ink dried on the paper. What was its intent and reality for the indigenous and the indentured, the male and female, the black and the white? How is it living up to its creed today for Americans and would-be Americans?
Explore the resources below to examine each word and principal of this founding document of our country?
At Independence Hall, Echoes of a Public Proclamation 238 Years Ago
Making the Declaration of Independence Come Alive
King’s “I Have a Dream” – The Declaration of Independence as a “Promissory Note”
The Declaration of Independence Annotated
Fascinating Facts about the Declaration of Independence
