Detail, “Declaration of Independence” by John Trumbull (1819), depicting the Committee of Five—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Public domain
“All people are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential and unalienable rights.” — John Adams
Robert Curry
Author
Robert Curry is an independent scholar and author of “Common Sense Nation: Unlocking the Forgotten Power of the American Idea” and “Reclaiming Common Sense: Finding Truth in a Post-Truth World,” both from Encounter Books.