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WEEK OF DECEMBER 28, 2025
** This Week on the Ideas Behind the Declaration of Independence
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** Conditions of Revolution: Sic Sometimes Tyrannis
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Shaped by generations of debate about authority, consent, and justice, the Declaration of Independence articulated clear principles for when resistance to government becomes justified. It endures not as an invitation to constant rebellion, but as a reminder that liberty depends on prudence, lawful self-government, and the careful balance between resisting tyranny and preserving a just constitutional order.
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** As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, what do the defining ideas and conversations of our time reveal about renewing the moral and institutional foundations of self-government?
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** “The Declaration of Independence is not a declaration of revolution; it is a declaration of principles. It was intended to be a statement of ideals, not a program of action.”
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** – Calvin Coolidge
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The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offers an opportunity to reflect not only on America’s founding, but on the ideas that made independence intelligible and self-government sustainable. Liberty Fund is marking the occasion with essays, conversations, and resources that examine the Declaration as a statement of principles, one concerned with moral authority, lawful resistance, and the careful balance between liberty and order. This week’s selections explore how those ideas continue to shape the character, institutions, and responsibilities of a free society two and a half centuries on.
** Articles
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** Men Will Be Men: Religious and Enlightenment Ideas in the Declaration ([link removed])
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William B. Allen, A Call to Liberty ([link removed])
Situating the Declaration of Independence alongside the works of Gibbon and Adam Smith, the essay traces a shared Enlightenment critique of empire and its moral, political, and economic costs, showing how these thinkers challenged tyranny and colonial domination while affirming liberty as the true source of human flourishing and self-government.
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** The Founders' Vision for American Independence ([link removed])
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Brenda M. Hafera, Law & Liberty ([link removed])
This essay invites readers to reflect on what the Founders meant by independence at America’s birth. It explores independence not only as national sovereignty, but as the enduring project of economic responsibility, and an independent mind ordered toward the common good.
** Adam Smith and the American Founding: The Theory of Moral Sentiments as a Field Guide to the Pursuit of Happiness ([link removed])
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Sarah Morgan Smith, Adam Smith Works ([link removed])
Early American thinkers understood the pursuit of happiness as deeply connected to virtue, moral character, and life in community. Drawing on John Adams and Adam Smith, this piece shows that happiness at the founding was not a purely private aim, but a civic and social achievement essential to a healthy republic.
** Conserving a Virtuous Liberty ([link removed])
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Michael Lucchese, Law & Liberty ([link removed])
A healthy and free society depends not only on laws and institutions, but on a shared understanding of liberty as a moral practice rooted in virtue and responsibility. Drawing on classical philosophy and the American founding tradition, this essay argues that families, schools, and civic institutions play a vital role in cultivating the character and habits needed for self-government to endure.
** Adam Smith Hopes for America ([link removed])
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Michaela Loughran and Daniel B. Klein, Adam Smith Works ([link removed])
Adam Smith anticipated that the American colonies were developing a new form of government with unusual promise. This essay examines Smith’s reflections on colonial society, commerce, and self-government to show how his vision of good governance aligned with the institutional and constitutional possibilities he saw emerging in America.
** Podcasts
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** Michael Munger on Constitutions ([link removed])
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EconTalk ([link removed])
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** Randy Barnett on Liberty under Law ([link removed])
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T ([link removed]) he Future of Liberty ([link removed])
** Videos
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** A Design for Liberty: The American Constitution ([link removed])
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Online Library of Liberty ([link removed])
The video examines the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Founders’ belief that liberty must be sustained through sound institutions. It traces the early republic’s effort to balance freedom and order, culminating in the Constitution as a means of securing the blessings of liberty for future generations.
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