Ok, last episode, I talked about how the Declaration of Independence came to be drafted, and I decided that it was really such an important document that I needed to take an extra episode to explain some of the important ideas within the document, and how they shaped our modern world.
I should start by warning you that this episode is a good bit longer than most in this podcast. The Declaration itself is just 1300 words, but there are so many good and important ideas in it, that it’s going to take a while to unpack it. I suggest, also, that if you can, while you listen, have a copy of the Declaration of Independence open to read as we go.
So far in this podcast, it’s been pretty rare that I devoted an entire episode to one person – that’s happened 8 times so, but this will be a first for me. I’m devoting 2 episodes to one document. But like I said, I think you can make a case that the Declaration of Independence is the most important document that humans have ever written. It’s certainly in the running.
But why is it so important? What is it about this document that makes it worthy of considering as one of the most important collections of ideas in all of history?