Are These Truths Still Self-Evident? Re-Reading the Declaration of Independence in 2022

Free with museum admission

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” One of the most consequential phrases in history, this piece of the Declaration of Independence has been at the heart of American democracy since its inception. What we as a nation hold to be true has perhaps never been so important since the Revolution, but how can we be sure of the meaning of the truth? Join Jason Steinhauer, author of History, Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past, for a special Independence Week presentation that examines the profound changes that concepts like “truth,” “fact,” and “self-evident” have weathered in the two-and-a-half centuries since the Declaration was penned. Presented in partnership with the National Constitution Center as part of the Finding the Founders series of scholar talks.