Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality

Allen reviews what slow reading of the Declaration has already revealed and what work is ahead. The Declaration offers us a frank view of how difficult and yet important it is for humans to make decisions about their future and their government. The next sentence “connects equality to judgment” and argues that judgments about government are key to how humans shape their present and future (145).

As she reintroduces the Declaration’s famous second sentence about the equality of all men, Allen wonders if it is a “bad thing” that most readers only know certain parts, or “sound bites” (147). Allen suggests that all words, no matter how brief, offer insight into the opinions and principles of the speaker. This requires both that politicians be effective and clear communicators and that audiences be careful readers and listeners. As Allen writes, “The value of learning to read slowly and listen closely is not merely that we will understand the Declaration better, but that we will understand every politician better” (150).

To understand the Declaration’s claims about equality, Allen considers exactly how many “truths” the work and its authors consider “self-evident.” To arrive at her final tally, Allen relies on the Declaration’s final versions rather than its drafts.