It’s a miracle the Declaration survived 250 years. It was rolled through battlefields during the Revolutionary War, nearly destroyed when the British burned Washington in 1814, and spent decades being moved from city to city before becoming America’s most treasured national document. Today’s conversation with Michael Auslin, author of National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, explores not only the remarkable survival story of the Declaration itself, but also the ongoing battle over what it actually means. From Thomas Jefferson’s original draft and the edits made by Congress, to Abraham Lincoln’s interpretation during the Civil War and modern debates over equality, liberty, and national identity, the Declaration has remained at the center of nearly every major conflict in American history.Decla
