Contains essays in which twelve scholars examine various aspects of the origins and impact of the Declaration of Independence, discussing its theoretical foundations, its relationship to the three branches of government, its significance to the women's rights movement, and other topics.

Drafting the Declaration / Gerard W. Gawalt -- The political theory of the Declaration of Independence / Garrett Ward Sheldon -- Abraham Lincoln and the universal meaning of the Declaration of Independence / Harry V. Jaffa -- Clarence Thomas, civil rights, and the Declaration of Independence / Scott Douglas Gerber -- The Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation : a completed constitutional covenant / Robert W. Hoffert -- The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights / Thomas G. West -- The Declaration of Independence as viewed from the states / John C. Eastman -- The Declaration of Independence, Congress, and presidents of the United States / Charles A. Kromkowski -- The Declaration of Independence in the Supreme Court / Mark D. Hall -- Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X interpret the Declaration of Independence / Keith D. Miller -- Women, equality, and the Declaration of Independence / Bonnie L. Ford -- Reception of the Declaration of Independence / David Thelen.