This week we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence. Looking back at that moment in time, it’s clear now this was a watershed moment not only for our country, but for all of humanity. A new political arc was emerging, one that would eventually eclipse the “Divine Right of Kings” as the dominant form of government on earth and replace it with the rebirth of republics reminiscent of ancient Athens and Rome.
To be clear, however, our Founders intended that this time would be different, as they closely studied the failings of those earlier republics and eventually included stipulations in our Constitution with the hope of avoiding their mistakes. The American republic would come to be a hallmark achievement of the Enlightenment and it would be based on ideas that would usher in a new order of the ages.
Indeed, the ideas contained within the Declaration were some of the most consequential in the history of the world. Perhaps as significant as the ideas themselves was the process used to draft it. Sometimes overlooked (especially in light of 21st century standards concerning diversity) was just how different the principal authors were in terms of backgrounds, vision and values. The disparate worldviews of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were revealed in full measure during the 1800 presidential campaign, but in 1776, these two souls came together in common purpose to question the very assumptions concerning how humans form political bonds and legitimize governmental action, replacing Divine Right authorities with the agency and responsibilities of citizens.
Before the American Declaration it was a given that for nations to flourish its citizens generally had to share ethnic, racial and religious views and that political power was best centralized behind all-powerful monarchs supported by aristocracies of “better men” who likewise shared blood, worldviews, and religion. As Thomas Hobbes asserted, without these arrangements perpetual civil war would ensue and life for humans was sure to be “nasty, brutish and short.” The very idea that (mostly) farmers from pluralistic backgrounds and beliefs could govern themselves was considered absolutely absurd by the heads of state of Europe. Yet, this is precisely what Adams (a Unitarian Christian with cosmopolitan-communitarian values) and Jefferson (a Deist with largely libertarian-agrarian values) did with the Declaration, declaring that all (…in 1776 they followed the word all with the word “men,” but this new political arc spawned by the Declaration would eventually evolve to encompass all of humankind, including women) as in, all are created equal, and that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.
This was a clear rejection of British worldview which believed that God empowered a monarch to rule over them. Although our new organizing construct would not be fully realized until after we ratified the Constitution and established a pluralistic republic based on constitutional and democratic principles and adopted a new motto E Pluribus Unum – “out of many, one,” with those summoning words in the Declaration, it was clear this was the beginning of something truly new.
Later in the Federalist Papers, the Founders concluded that since human nature was conflicted, capable at once of extraordinary love and sacrifice but also haunted by “lesser angels,” political power should be decentralized and separated and kept transparent, checked and accountable. These powerfully consequential ideas united citizens from all imaginable backgrounds around a form of government that safeguarded us from tyrannical abuse of would-be despots.
Today, for all of our challenges, to be born American is still to win the lottery of life. That’s why we continue to see so many humans from every corner of the world fight so hard to get here. While the Constitution created in Philadelphia was itself a compromise meant to drive future compromises, the unexpected gift that came from adopting a form of government that required us to work together was the forging of common purpose; what I call the “Spirit of Philadelphia.” This powerful coalescing energy helped forge the unity, optimism and determination necessary to face the many challenges that came with the advent of the Industrial Age. It also created the “American Dream,” where citizens were free to rise to their God-given potential but balanced that with the hope that their children would go further than them in the race of life. This new reality was worlds apart from the ancient regime in Europe where a person born a serf, died a serf. We had truly ushered in a new order of the ages.
While it’s true that at the outset of our country the “American Dream” did not apply to everyone, the lofty aspirations regarding equality contained in the Declaration of Independence provided the north star for future generations to move towards. This is precisely what Dr. King meant when he said his dream was “deeply embedded in the American Dream,” likening the Declaration to a “promissory note,” redeemable by all.
Finally, returning to our original national motto “out of many, one” – we must remember that all words contained in this concept are important. Today, some emphasize the one, but don’t see the “many” comprising it, while others champion “the many” without seeing and being proud of the “one” team that the “many” created. For all of our human failings and past sins, America is both a great and good country and together we have changed the course of human history for the better. We should cherish our union and the motto that helped create it – out of many, one.
Happy Birthday, America!
Chris Gibson, a decorated Army combat veteran and former Member of Congress from upstate New York, is a Senior Fellow with the Hannah Arendt Center and Professor of Practice at Bard College. A past president of Siena College, he is the author of The Spirit of Philadelphia, a book published by Routledge in May 2025. This commentary is drawn from the research done for that book.
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