The Declaration of Independence was a political document drafted for the urgent needs of a moment, but it became a recurring source of inspiration for all those who would defend liberty. We invite you to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence with us as a member of the Liberty Fund Network!

We are kicking off a two-year-long celebration featuring essays, podcasts, books, and more, and focusing on one theme per month related to our nation’s founding. This July, we are exploring the long tradition of debating the right to resistance. Specifically, what aspects of that tradition were most influential in forming the Declaration mindset?

A River Fed by Many Streams by Wilfred M. McClay

The Declaration was a work of political rhetoric, composed at a time of immense urgency, and addressing itself to fires of controversy, drawing upon the multiple streams of thought and sentiment that made up the American mind.

Online Library of Liberty: The Pamphlet Debate

The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776, selected by Jack Greene, makes available in modern digitized form a trove of eighteenth-century books and pamphlets addressing the American Question. 

Liberty Fund Books: Political Writings by Samuel Johnson

Containing twenty-four of Samuel Johnson’s essays on the great social, economic, and political issues of his time, this book features some of his principal writings during the American Revolution including “The Patriot.”

Adam Smith and the American Founding: The Theory of Moral Sentiments as a Field Guide to the Pursuit of Happiness

There would be no happiness for anyone independent of a concern for not only the good which citizens hold in common, but also for the individual goods of one’s fellow citizens individually. Read more…

Econlib: Joseph Ellis on American Creation and the Founding with EconTalk

Listen to the Liberty Fund Network’s famous podcast EconTalk featuring Joseph Ellis, of Mt. Holyoke College and author of American Creation, as he talks about the founding. Read more…

Law & Liberty: The Constitutional History of the Boston Tea Party

The significance of the Tea Party as the ignition spark that exploded the powder keg of the American Revolution cannot be overemphasized. Read more…