Historian Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be. She describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in other "declarations" of 1776. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson. She also reveals what happened after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in American society.--From publisher description.

Introduction: Gathering at the Shrine -- Ch. I. Independence. 1. Congress. 2. Independence? 3. Common Sense. 4. A Republic? 5. Decision -- Ch. II. The "Other" Declarations of Independence. 1. In English Ways. 2. Mobilizing the People. 3. Declaring Independence. 4. Founding a Republic -- Ch. III. Mr. Jefferson and His Editors. 1. The Drafting Committee. 2. Jefferson's Draft: The Charges Against the King. 3. Jefferson's Draft: A Revolutionary Manifesto. 4. Congress's Declaration -- Ch. IV. American Scripture. 1. Spreading the News. 2. An All-But-Forgotten Testament. 3. A Partisan Document. 4. Sacred Text. 5. Equality and Rights -- Epilogue: Reflecting at the Memorials -- App. A. State and Local Declarations of Independence, A Log: April-July 1776 -- App. B. Local Resolutions on Independence: Some Examples -- App. C. The Declaration of Independence: The Jefferson Draft with Congress's Editorial Changes.