How have the words and ideas in the Declaration of Independence impacted human rights around the world?
1776 North America
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The words “all men are created equal” have echoed throughout history.
1789 France
“Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.”
Since 1776, there have been approximately 120 declarations of independence made by different countries and different peoples.
1848 United States
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.”
What does “all men are created equal” mean to you?
1863 United States
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Why do you think Thomas Jefferson's words have echoed as often as they have?
1930 - India and Pakistan
“We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people, as of any other people, to have freedom and to enjoy the fruits of their toil...”
What patterns do you notice within this timeline?
1963 United States
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'”
Whose stories and struggles are represented?
1973 United States
“All men are created equal and they are endowed with certain inalienable rights . . . that’s what America is. No matter how hard you try, you cannot erase those words from the Declaration of Independence.”
If rights can be gained, can they also be lost?
1984 China
“We believe -- and we believe it so deeply that Americans know these words by heart -- we believe ``that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among those are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Take an American student or teacher aside later today and ask if he or she hasn't committed those words to memory. They are from the document by which we created our nation, the Declaration of Independence.”
Is “all men are created equal” being lived up to in our country today? When will we know when it is?
2013 United States
“What makes us exceptional -- what makes us American -- is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.”
What victories in the struggle for human rights are missing from this timeline?
2014 Tunisia
“Taking pride in the struggle of our people to gain independence and build the state, to free ourselves from tyranny, to affirm our free will...A political system ... that guarantees respect for human rights and freedoms, independence of the judiciary, equality of rights and duties between all citizens, male and female, and equality between all regions...”
The Declaration of Independence was written over 200 years ago.
Will it still be relevant in another 200?
What Comes Next?
“This ball of liberty, I believe […], is now so well in motion that it will roll round the globe.”
Gallery of Images
Credits
The Declaration of Independence Around the World
Sources for Quotations
- “We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .” – Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, the Second Continental Congress – http://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/1682
- “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” – Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, Marquis de Lafayette, The National Assembly– http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp
- “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.” – Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Women’s Rights Convention – http://ecssba.rutgers.edu/docs/seneca.html
- “Four score and seven years ago . . .” – President Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address – http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/gettysburg/good_cause/transcript.htm
- “We believe that it is the inalienable right of the Indian people . . .” – Mahatma Gandhi, Declaration of Sovereignty and Self-Rule, Indian National Congress – http://cadindia.clpr.org.in/historical_constitutions/declaration_of_purna_swaraj__indian_national_congress__1930__26th%20January%201930
- “I have a dream that one day . . . ” – Reverend Martin Luther King, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety
- “All men are created equal. No matter how hard they try . . .” – Harvey Milk, California Board of Supervisors, Gay Freedom Day Parade - https://ir.usembassy.gov/bringing-people-hope-harvey-milk-gay-rights-movement-america/
- “We believe -- and we believe it so deeply . . .” President Ronald Reagan, speech at Fudan University – http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=39843
- "“What makes us exceptional – what makes us American . . .” – President Barack Obama, Second Inaugural Address – https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama
- “Taking pride in the struggle of our people to gain independence . . .” – The Constitution of the Tunisian Republic – https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Tunisia_2014.pdf
- “This ball of liberty . . .” Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Tench Coxe, June 1, 1795 – http://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/155
All sources last checked on September 24, 2018.
