The Declaration of Independence Symposium

Abraham Lincoln opened his magnificent Gettysburg Address with the words “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.” Lincoln recognized and affirmed that the American nation, then in a horrible civil war, was born with the Declaration, and his address came on the heels of one of its worst battles. It is to the Founders’ witness we are always turning and straining to understand and guide our deliberations as Americans, Lincoln tells us. That necessary work continues, as our rich inheritance in natural right, law, and self-government must be further discovered and applied as we work out our republican form of government.

We at the Civitas Institute have been studying, writing, and celebrating the truths of our Declaration of Independence in anticipation of our nation’s remarkable 250^th birthday. Much of that effort has gone into The Civitas Collection 250, available in both book and web formats.

Four contributors now join this Civitas Outlook symposium with essays on the Declaration as law, constitution, inheritance, and republican debate.

Gregory Collins “The Declaration and the American Inheritance”

Aaron L. Nielson “The Declaration as Law”

Joseph Postell “The Declaration and The Civitas Collection 250”

John Yoo “The Declaration as a Constitution”

We wish you the best in your own remembrance and celebration of America’s semiquincentennial milestone!