What Did the Declaration Declare? & What Did the Constitution Mean To Early Americans? & Declaring Rights

by Joseph J. Ellis, Edward Countryman, Jack N. Rakove

What did the Declaration declare? An enduring mythology has grown up around the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Generations of Americans believe that Jefferson wrote it in his Philadelphia study, influenced only by the stirring of great events around him. Challenging this romantic ideal, the five historians included here find that the document was the result of many influences and that it may have even been a collaborative writing effort on the congressional floor. Investigating various angles of the argument, the authors pose a variety of opinions on the Declaration's authorship, influences, and ultimate impact.

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published April 28, 1999

About the author

Joseph John-Michael Ellis III is an American historian whose work focuses on the lives and times of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His book American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson won a National Book Award in 1997 and Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for History. Both of these books were bestsellers.

Reviews

[Liam Elsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trash book #5. Educating myself on the origins of our country. Next up is the quirky millennial George Washington biography.

[Mike Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Introduction to some of the arguments about the Declaration. Though you really should read the actual books these chapters are taken from.

[Cami Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry as hell but it provided some good thinking points as I prepare for America’s 250th programming at my workplace.