“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.”

Those words, which begin the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, are among the most important and oft cited in political history. They are front and center in the national consciousness as the nation celebrates the declaration’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.

For the Imagining Liberty Project, led by TC Professor Thomas James, “the ideas of liberty and the reality of who was included are a defining American conversation.” In exploring the changing conditions of education and experience during the Revolutionary era, the initiative helps students, educators and others examine how those shifts gave rise to the thinking found in the declaration and better understand the United States, its history and its challenges today.

Across a suite of commissioned papers, a podcast series, a professional development course, a conference and outreach and engagement with educational organizations, Imagining Liberty is designed as Socratic rather than didactic — leveraging the 250th anniversary of the declaration to spark meaningful inquiry and reflection. The project seeks to illuminate the Declaration of Independence as “a call to action and active citizenship — challenging everyone in the U.S. to become makers of our history and our future each day.”

“The Declaration of Independence was a crucially important action for the world,” says James, Professor of History & Education, who collaborated with a team of students across a variety of programs at TC as well as with scholars and educators from other universities and organizations. “The declaration created the United States — the first time in history that a colony or region proclaimed itself to be a sovereign nation with a written statement and reasons for its independence. At the same time, the Declaration was flawed with regard to slavery, Indigenous people and the enfranchisement of women. We’re living with resounding words expressing ‘these truths,’ but also with the reality that the rights and opportunities they promised were not extended to many people in society.”

Imagining Liberty, funded by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation through a two-year grant to TC called “1776: Seedtime of American Education,” is a multifaceted project that seeks to further the conversation about these contradictions rather than to definitively answer them — a task particularly well suited for a graduate school of education rooted in deep inquiry and dialogue.

This call to action includes engaging with the declaration’s complexities, and the project aims to connect with individuals across the political spectrum.

“This is a moment for everyone to be part of the conversation,” says James, who believes that learners actively create understanding by taking initiative to connect new information and insight with knowledge derived from their past experiences.  

Imagining Liberty looks at how different groups of people living in Revolutionary times constructed their own meanings from the Declaration. It asks audiences to consider the ways in which grievances against King George III shaped how different groups of Americans experienced the changing economy and the politics of state and local governments. How might an enslaved person or member of an Indigenous nation view the issue of domestic insurrections? What classes of colonists might have been most affected by the suspension of trade with countries other than Great Britain? Who, in addition to “foreigners” coming to the colonies in rising numbers, might have had the greatest stake in a steady flow of immigration?

Imagining Liberty highlights the continued importance of engaging with the declaration 250 years after its appearance in 1776, attesting that the document “belongs to every generation that chooses to engage with it.” 

“We have to use our political processes to come to an agreement on decisions. So, the project isn’t meant to promote optimism or pessimism,” says James, emphasizing the importance of civic engagement. “It’s about being an active citizen. That’s where greater happiness lies for everyone in this nation that was launched by the Declaration of Independence, even when people disagree as they always will about many things.”

Wherever you go, the desire for freedom is ubiquitous, and James believes it is innate: “Even though the declaration excluded many groups, it unleashed a hope for ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’ in all kinds of people. This widely shared aspiration became a driving force in the history of the United States.” 

— Joseph Levine