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Our Lost Declaration: America's Fight Against Tyranny from King George to the Deep State
New York Times bestselling author and committed constitutional conservative Senator Mike Lee reveals the little-known stories behind the Founder's takedown of a tyrannical king and the forgotten document that created America.
There is perhaps no more powerful sentence in human history, written in Philadelphia in the oppressively hot summer of 1776: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Despite the earth-shattering power of Jefferson's simple sentence and the document in which it is found, many Americans today don't understand or appreciate the Declaration's gravity. As a result, we have lost touch with much of what makes our country so special: the distinctly American belief in the dignity of every human soul.
Our nation was born in an act of rebellion against an all-powerful government. In Our Lost Declaration, Senator Mike Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories of the offenses committed by the British crown against its own subjects. From London's attempts to shut down colonial legislatures to hauling John Hancock before a court without a jury, the abuses of a strong central government were felt far and wide. They spurred our Founders to risk their lives in defense of their rights, and their efforts established a vision of political freedom that would change the course of history.
Lee shares new insights into the personalities who shaped that vision, such as:
* Thomas Paine, a populist radical who nearly died making his voyage from Great Britain to the colonies before writing his revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense.
* Edmund Randolph, who defied his Loyalist family and served in the Virginia convention that voted for independence
* Thomas Jefferson, who persevered through a debilitating health crisis to pen the document that would officially begin the American experiment.
Senator Lee makes vividly clear how many abuses of federal power today are rooted in neglect of the Declaration, including federal overreach that corrupts state legislatures, the judicial system, and even international trade. By rediscovering the Declaration, we can remind our leaders in Washington D.C. that they serve us--not the other way around.
There is perhaps no more powerful sentence in human history, written in Philadelphia in the oppressively hot summer of 1776: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Despite the earth-shattering power of Jefferson's simple sentence and the document in which it is found, many Americans today don't understand or appreciate the Declaration's gravity. As a result, we have lost touch with much of what makes our country so special: the distinctly American belief in the dignity of every human soul.
Our nation was born in an act of rebellion against an all-powerful government. In Our Lost Declaration, Senator Mike Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories of the offenses committed by the British crown against its own subjects. From London's attempts to shut down colonial legislatures to hauling John Hancock before a court without a jury, the abuses of a strong central government were felt far and wide. They spurred our Founders to risk their lives in defense of their rights, and their efforts established a vision of political freedom that would change the course of history.
Lee shares new insights into the personalities who shaped that vision, such as:
* Thomas Paine, a populist radical who nearly died making his voyage from Great Britain to the colonies before writing his revolutionary pamphlet, Common Sense.
* Edmund Randolph, who defied his Loyalist family and served in the Virginia convention that voted for independence
* Thomas Jefferson, who persevered through a debilitating health crisis to pen the document that would officially begin the American experiment.
Senator Lee makes vividly clear how many abuses of federal power today are rooted in neglect of the Declaration, including federal overreach that corrupts state legislatures, the judicial system, and even international trade. By rediscovering the Declaration, we can remind our leaders in Washington D.C. that they serve us--not the other way around.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published April 23, 2019
61 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Mike Lee
5 books47 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name.
Mike Lee is a United States Senator from Utah. A member of the Republican Party and an advocate for the founding constitutional principles. He has served in the U.S. Senate since 2011. Lee and his wife Sharon live in Alpine, Utah, with their three children.
Mike Lee is a United States Senator from Utah. A member of the Republican Party and an advocate for the founding constitutional principles. He has served in the U.S. Senate since 2011. Lee and his wife Sharon live in Alpine, Utah, with their three children.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 23, 2019
For every American
This book should be read by every American. Quite simply it re-educated us on our founding and allows us to see the greatness of this nation and also understand where and when we began to move away from our founding principles. It is written in a very simple and enjoyable format and allows us to reflect on our original core values.
This book should be read by every American. Quite simply it re-educated us on our founding and allows us to see the greatness of this nation and also understand where and when we began to move away from our founding principles. It is written in a very simple and enjoyable format and allows us to reflect on our original core values.
July 29, 2019
Couldn’t put it down!
Another fantastic book by Senator M. Lee. I recommend this for anyone wanting to learn the history and true meaning of our Declaration of Independence. Very easy read and very informative.
Another fantastic book by Senator M. Lee. I recommend this for anyone wanting to learn the history and true meaning of our Declaration of Independence. Very easy read and very informative.
December 9, 2019
Good recap of the founders history.
August 11, 2023
I love America!
I love the Declaration of Independence and the group of Founding Fathers who were the right people at the right time to forge our country’s independence with this inspired vision and belief that “All Men Are Created Equal.” I am grateful for the power expressed in this document and the truths that are contained there in. We need to get back to practicing these principles in our government, in our communities, and never give up the fight to keep mankind unencumbered by big government, over taxation, and lack of representation in how those tax dollars are spent. We also need to continue to promote freedom for all people worldwide.
Loved this book!
I love the Declaration of Independence and the group of Founding Fathers who were the right people at the right time to forge our country’s independence with this inspired vision and belief that “All Men Are Created Equal.” I am grateful for the power expressed in this document and the truths that are contained there in. We need to get back to practicing these principles in our government, in our communities, and never give up the fight to keep mankind unencumbered by big government, over taxation, and lack of representation in how those tax dollars are spent. We also need to continue to promote freedom for all people worldwide.
Loved this book!
March 2, 2020
This should be required reading. Senator Lee does an excellent job of documenting the thinking behind the founding of America in this well written, concise volume. The book speaks well to the problems we have today in America and why we are making them worse b thinking the government is the answer to them. It is striking to think that the exact principles that led the founders to write the Declaration of Independence are so similar to the track that so many ill-informed people think we should go down today. Of course, they will say we have elected our representatives, so we are not in the same situation. This speaks to the sad state of our electorate that we have elected officials who so despise the founding principles of our country that they want to throw it all away. A quick read that will lead you to want to study more. A book that should be required of all citizens. And, for those who think Lee just blames one political party, he clearly doesn't. He blames our ruling class...the very notion that we have one would be repugnant to those who founded our country and shed blood to ensure that it remained as they intended.
July 30, 2020
Seeing as Mike Lee is presently my Senator, I figured it might be a good idea to read some of his work as a way to see into his thinking. I'm glad this book turned out as good as this was.
I've read much on the American revolution, its causes and the people behind it, so a good portion of this book was material I knew. However Lee's format presented information I hadn't known due to how he focuses on the Declaration of Independence it self and some of the specific acts and people behind why it was done, and why events proceeded as they did.
Mike Lee goes through the various grievances listed in the document and recalls events showing exactly why they were burdensome on colonial America and why they were a cause to break away entirely. There is a lot of detail presented in the events he chooses. He goes into detail about many of the people we might not know as well. We know, for example, of Thomas Paine's Common Sense but Lee goes into detail about Paine and the creation of that work and his differences later.
He also talks of the character of King George III and how his character eventually made reconciliation with the mother country an impossibility. Indeed, in some ways these qualities of George could be considered good things, but for the colonies it made things impossible to live with.
It's an excellent and brief book about the ideas and and real issues behind our Declaration and why this founding document is not only important then, but remained important throughout our history. Mike Lee spends some time discussing how it was the Declaration of Independence that great people in our history look back to -- the first principles of our founding that guide us to a stronger and better nation.
Excellent work. Definitely worth reading.
I've read much on the American revolution, its causes and the people behind it, so a good portion of this book was material I knew. However Lee's format presented information I hadn't known due to how he focuses on the Declaration of Independence it self and some of the specific acts and people behind why it was done, and why events proceeded as they did.
Mike Lee goes through the various grievances listed in the document and recalls events showing exactly why they were burdensome on colonial America and why they were a cause to break away entirely. There is a lot of detail presented in the events he chooses. He goes into detail about many of the people we might not know as well. We know, for example, of Thomas Paine's Common Sense but Lee goes into detail about Paine and the creation of that work and his differences later.
He also talks of the character of King George III and how his character eventually made reconciliation with the mother country an impossibility. Indeed, in some ways these qualities of George could be considered good things, but for the colonies it made things impossible to live with.
It's an excellent and brief book about the ideas and and real issues behind our Declaration and why this founding document is not only important then, but remained important throughout our history. Mike Lee spends some time discussing how it was the Declaration of Independence that great people in our history look back to -- the first principles of our founding that guide us to a stronger and better nation.
Excellent work. Definitely worth reading.
May 7, 2021
Most Americans are aware that we celebrate the Fourth of July as our national holiday because that's the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. But how many of us really grasp what went into that document, and particularly the lengthy listing of grievances against the British Crown? In this book, Senator Lee explores the decade that preceded the Second Continental Congress, in which the royal government shifted policies from one of benign neglect to active intervention, in a way that led to a great deal of resentment, and ultimately resistance.
However, for much of this period the colonists were hoping that their grievances could be settled amicably. Even many of the leaders of the growing resistance to the various objectionable Acts of Parliament assumed that King George was surrounded by greedy and overweening advisors, and if only one could push past those men and get the truth into the king's hands, he would put things to rights. It was only when he clearly took personal umbrage at the colonists' efforts to gain the redress of grievances that the breaking strain was reached and the Second Continental Congress made the breach official.
Even after the War of Independence was won, the leaders of the new American government had no desire to create an entrenched hostility, and sent John Adams, who had once been at the forefront of the movement to independence, to establish diplomatic relations with the former mother country. It should not be overly surprising, for the English-speaking peoples are a patient folk, who will suffer slights and wrongs to the point others mistake restraint for weakness, and are not apt to hold grudges, but would prefer to be reconciled once the enemy is decisively beaten.
However, for much of this period the colonists were hoping that their grievances could be settled amicably. Even many of the leaders of the growing resistance to the various objectionable Acts of Parliament assumed that King George was surrounded by greedy and overweening advisors, and if only one could push past those men and get the truth into the king's hands, he would put things to rights. It was only when he clearly took personal umbrage at the colonists' efforts to gain the redress of grievances that the breaking strain was reached and the Second Continental Congress made the breach official.
Even after the War of Independence was won, the leaders of the new American government had no desire to create an entrenched hostility, and sent John Adams, who had once been at the forefront of the movement to independence, to establish diplomatic relations with the former mother country. It should not be overly surprising, for the English-speaking peoples are a patient folk, who will suffer slights and wrongs to the point others mistake restraint for weakness, and are not apt to hold grudges, but would prefer to be reconciled once the enemy is decisively beaten.
January 26, 2024
This book is garbage.
First of all, in this book, Lee talks a lot about things like the importance of representative government, how the legislature is responsible to stand against tyrannical executives, and how state governments should have more influence. Then, about one and a half years after the book is published, Lee is deeply involved in a plot to overturn the will of the people, he is begging the White House for talking points, and, as a federal official, is calling state legislatures attempting to pressure them to overturn the will of their constituents. Mike Lee is far more dangerous than any "deep state" he rails against in this book. The level of hypocrisy is disturbing.
As for the book itself. Lee is no historian, as with his book "Written Out of History," he doesn't really care what the actual facts were, as long as he can spin them for his own narrative. To make it worse, he jarringly inserts his own talking points into the historical narrative, demonstrating his misunderstanding of, or willingness to distort, facts about government, laws, and more recent history.
The Declaration of Independence does stand for important principles, principles that are often lost or underappreciated today. Unfortunately, this book does not generally do a good job describing the history or the principles. There are points where he does articulate some principles well, however, they are disingenuous coming from someone who regularly and dramatically attacks the principles of the founders, along with others he mentions, including Lincoln and MLK. I cannot recommend this book to anyone who actually cares about the Declaration of Independence or Constitution.
First of all, in this book, Lee talks a lot about things like the importance of representative government, how the legislature is responsible to stand against tyrannical executives, and how state governments should have more influence. Then, about one and a half years after the book is published, Lee is deeply involved in a plot to overturn the will of the people, he is begging the White House for talking points, and, as a federal official, is calling state legislatures attempting to pressure them to overturn the will of their constituents. Mike Lee is far more dangerous than any "deep state" he rails against in this book. The level of hypocrisy is disturbing.
As for the book itself. Lee is no historian, as with his book "Written Out of History," he doesn't really care what the actual facts were, as long as he can spin them for his own narrative. To make it worse, he jarringly inserts his own talking points into the historical narrative, demonstrating his misunderstanding of, or willingness to distort, facts about government, laws, and more recent history.
The Declaration of Independence does stand for important principles, principles that are often lost or underappreciated today. Unfortunately, this book does not generally do a good job describing the history or the principles. There are points where he does articulate some principles well, however, they are disingenuous coming from someone who regularly and dramatically attacks the principles of the founders, along with others he mentions, including Lincoln and MLK. I cannot recommend this book to anyone who actually cares about the Declaration of Independence or Constitution.
May 1, 2019
I really liked the angle of looking at the grievances in the Declaration of Independence. It is nice to know some of the background. In this way, this look at the D of I was different from others I have read. It is not a history of the time, but rather it is the history and coming forth of the Declaration.
The narrative was engaging. In a few places I had to slow down to understand some minor legalese, but overall, I appreciated the fast pace and loved the personal glimpses into the lives and hearts of some of the men involved in the most crucial moments of the birth of the United States. I learned a lot more about the legal and political events that led to the list of grievances, as well as more about King George III’s positions and involvement. I’ll be keeping this book as a reminder to myself that the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence are still in force, and that as a people we can continue to work to realize them.
The narrative was engaging. In a few places I had to slow down to understand some minor legalese, but overall, I appreciated the fast pace and loved the personal glimpses into the lives and hearts of some of the men involved in the most crucial moments of the birth of the United States. I learned a lot more about the legal and political events that led to the list of grievances, as well as more about King George III’s positions and involvement. I’ll be keeping this book as a reminder to myself that the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence are still in force, and that as a people we can continue to work to realize them.
August 13, 2020
Excellent tour down memory lane of how things were amidst the thirteen colonies that finally declared their independence for a tyrannical Great Britain and King George, III. The text is sprinkled with anecdotal stories, some enhanced by the author, that helps the readers place themselves in similar circumstances and thereby empathize with the events of the times. The Founders of this great country faced a difficult task of creating a NEW country while not giving up the good they inherited from their mother country. The author also presents the sentiments and feelings of Jefferson with regards to the practice of slavery and what a scourge it was and would continue to be in this country as long as people did not honor the very message of the Declaration of Independence - that ALL men (and women) are create EQUAL.
Great read, simple and direct with a minimal amount of theory dispersed to enhance the flavor.
Great read, simple and direct with a minimal amount of theory dispersed to enhance the flavor.
July 18, 2025
I like that Mike Lee leads us through the history of the Declaration of Independence and how that document evolved over time with numerous patriots to mention and honor for the courage and contributions. I learned quite a bit including the history of the trade wars leading up to the revolutionary war and Captain Thomas Truxtun. I also like how the author draws similarities and warnings to what is going on in our world today. The fight for freedom in our nation's history continues as we speak to fight for our freedom from oppressive government, bureaucrats, celebrities and media types.
July 10, 2019
Why o why that we can’t see the light
The historical background supporting his thesis.
Our culture has rejected the founders great truths that we are equal in opportunity.
Also in god given rights that the progressives are intend to subvert and deny.
The historical background supporting his thesis.
Our culture has rejected the founders great truths that we are equal in opportunity.
Also in god given rights that the progressives are intend to subvert and deny.
August 17, 2019
Although I enjoy the content of Lee's books, his writing style just doesn't suit me. That's not to say that I won't read future books by him but just that they aren't my favorites. Possibly a result of TMI
February 6, 2020
I enjoyed the stories to help us better understand the importance of the Declaration of Independence in our day and the need to get rid of so many government employees that are not accountable to us but are making important decisions. What a good man we have in the senate!
February 18, 2020
Renew your Stand for Our Declaration
It is one thing to read and know what it says. Mike Lee takes the reader deep into the history of the founding of the United States, what the founders went through to stand against the Mother Country to gain our freedom name by name.
It is one thing to read and know what it says. Mike Lee takes the reader deep into the history of the founding of the United States, what the founders went through to stand against the Mother Country to gain our freedom name by name.
January 16, 2020
Great discussion of the Declaration of Independence, looking at colonial days and modern days
January 23, 2020
Senator Lee strikes again!
This book related the details of the Declaration of Independence and its history and modern day A!erica. Well done, Senator!
This book related the details of the Declaration of Independence and its history and modern day A!erica. Well done, Senator!
February 20, 2020
A good, concise history of the Declaration and its importance to America as our national creed.
May 30, 2024
Excellent read. A great reminder of how the Declaration of Independence is even more timely today. Be reminded.
October 1, 2024
This was a great read. A good overview of what was going on in the colonies before American independence was announced. I'm going to read his other books.
May 31, 2025
A discussion of events that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and what it means.
January 28, 2020
Brief, and without proper historical context to be considered a sincere attempt at objectivity, Lee weaves an interesting tale about the formation of the United States government and the intention of some of its formers. Admittedly, arguing that this book is in any way attempting to be objective is quite silly since, in the title alone, one can clearly deduce how the author interprets “his” history. This is not to say that the book is inaccurate; based on my limited knowledge it appears relatively accurate (not that that stands for much) and based on the author’s standing, it seems probable that he would be compelled to pursue accuracy. Nonetheless, this book seems to be a cherry-picking of bits of history that fit a narrative- and that kind of book is bothersome to one who is truly trying to understand a period in history (in whatever way one can do that).
The lack of direct references to his subject’s writings, and therefore his overall guiding style was the biggest issue I had with this book. Lee tells you what to know and how to think about it and, personally, it made the reading quite boring.
My one takeaway quote:
“When a ruler stops maintaining the welfare of his subjects, when he wields the power of the government against the people, when he allows Parliament and his ministry to become corrupt and a foe to human liberty, he is nothing but a tyrant, and it is the people’s right to remove him.”
- John Locke
The lack of direct references to his subject’s writings, and therefore his overall guiding style was the biggest issue I had with this book. Lee tells you what to know and how to think about it and, personally, it made the reading quite boring.
My one takeaway quote:
“When a ruler stops maintaining the welfare of his subjects, when he wields the power of the government against the people, when he allows Parliament and his ministry to become corrupt and a foe to human liberty, he is nothing but a tyrant, and it is the people’s right to remove him.”
- John Locke
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews