"The Declaration [of Independence, 1776] did not create a nation. It created only the idea of a nation, and that idea, as its scope and meaning have evolved over time, is what we annually pay our respects to. All who live here are equal. All who live here have the same rights. None who lives here is above the law. In some years, loyalty to those principles seems like something we can take for granted. This year..., not so much."
THE DECLARATION HEARD AROUND THE WORLD, By Louis Menand
Over 100 countries have documented their own independence in the language of the US Declaration. Mostly as a justification for the use of force to overthrow the yoke of colonial tyranny. The Declaration, much to the chagrin of conservatives, has been a great inspiration to anti-colonial and anti-imperialist global movements since the 18th century. Equality is scoffed at by elites but, naturally, is very popular with people who experience a lot of the hardships of inequality.
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