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1787: The painting "Signing the Constitution of the United States" by Thomas Pritchard Rossiter. Painted in 1878, it resides at Independence National Historical Park, in Philadelphia, Penn. MPI/Getty Images
The Declaration of Independence expressed a common American creed: All are born equal before God and the law; God bestows humans with natural rights; some of these rights are unalienable (untransferable); it’s the purpose of government to secure them; and if a government incorrigibly fails to do so, the people should replace it.
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor, is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Mountain States Policy Center and the Independence Institute. He authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025) and is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
