The Declaration of Independence famously declared that “all men are created equal,” endowed with the rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” But the document never explicitly mentions “freedom” or uses the word “American.” When it mentions “the united States of America,” “united” is left lower-case, while the concluding paragraph insists that the colonies (plural) are “Free and Independent States.”
More than a mere matter of semantics, this fact is worth reflecting on as Washington celebrates 250 years of “American freedom.” In reality, the Declaration of Independence called the United States into being as an independent political entity before defining an identity for its inhabitants or articulating who among them would be granted freedom.
This tension, between independence and freedom, has reverberated through U.S. history, shaping the country’s domestic debates and foreign policy alike. Throughout the 19th century, Americans fought over what freedom and equality meant at home. Then, in the 20th, they struggled, and often failed, to apply this new understanding to the rest of the world.
An oil painting depicting a large group of men in 18th-century European attire gathered in a formal room. A small committee stands at the center presenting a document to a seated man at a desk.
