It was heartening to receive today a supportive email from David Armitage, chair of Harvard’s vaunted history department, and author of The Declaration of Independence: A Global Perspective. Dr. Armitage called our Declaration Project as “an important enterprise.” Such an endorsement from one of the most respected scholars on our Declaration of Independence means a great deal to me. I’m sometimes asked which books on the Declaration I’d recommend, and here’s the three I’d recommend above all others: Armitage’s book, the late Pauline Maier‘s beautiful American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, and Danielle Allen‘s stirring Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality (I had the privilege of moderating a thoughtful exchange with Dr. Allen at the National Constitution Center). All are exceptional scholars whose eloquent writing is also geared towards a lay audience. Each book presents singular insights on the Declaration, approaching it from quite different vantage points. I hope you’ll immerse yourself, as I have done on numerous occasions, each time gaining new illuminations, in these vital works. I can’t sing their praises enough.
Menu
