First published 2025
Walter Isaacson dissects the creation of the Declaration of Independence's most famous line: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." The bestselling biographer traces how Thomas Jefferson drafted the original text, then shows how Benjamin Franklin and John Adams shaped it through careful editing. Isaacson reveals that Jefferson first wrote "sacred" rather than "self-evident" and demonstrates how each revision balanced competing ideas about faith, reason, and political theory. Published for America's 250th anniversary, the book examines word-by-word choices that created a statement designed to unite the colonies around concepts of equality and individual rights. Isaacson connects these eighteenth-century debates to contemporary democratic values, showing readers how the Founders' editorial decisions continue to influence American political thought.
Genres: biography, history, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: America, United States
Period: 18th Century, American Revolution
67 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster