Our third and final close look at the language and meaning of the Declaration of Independence begins with a consideration of human rights, the bedrock of this vital – and contradictory – document. How are we to take the soaring principles, the demands on behalf of humanity, etched into history through this declaration, alongside the status of many of its signers as slaveholders, and its brutal denigration of American Indian people?

Historian David Nielsen offers context. Philosophy professor Anthony Kelley adds personal reflection on lived experience, and some of the big ideas at issue. Activist Adrienne Klein shares thoughts about diplomacy and the “decent respect of the opinions of mankind” we hear invoked at the beginning of the Declaration. Global peacemaker Jessica Murrey ends with a reflection on peace, independence, and how we negotiate real progress in the world. We conclude with a call to dedicate ourselves as spiritual and political heirs of this document to reaching toward its unfulfilled promises.