Insight: Why The Declaration Is Important

If the Constitution contains the letter of American law, the Declaration of Independence proclaims its spirit. Lincoln called the Declaration’s assertion of liberty for all an “apple of gold” that was framed by the Constitution’s “picture of silver.” Forged in the crucible of revolution, the Declaration lays forth the principles of liberty that were at the very heart of the American Founding and continue to uplift and empower the people of this nation nearly two-and-a-half centuries since. Download PDF