When Americans think about the Declaration of Independence, we tend to remember its most famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” and its promise of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But to fully understand the Declaration we also need to read the section most Americans skip: its 27 grievances against King George III. For the founding generation, these grievances were not simply a list of complaints. They were central to the Declaration’s argument, laying out the case for how the King and Parliament had violated their rights and why independence had become necessary. Historian Rosemarie Zagarri explores what the grievances meant in 1776, what they reveal about the colonists’ understanding of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and how reading them more closely can deepen our understanding of the Declaration as a constitutional argument and a justification for revolution. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
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This episode was produced and mixed by Bill Pollock. With production support from Charles Sahm. Research was provided by Anna Salvatore and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Rosemarie Zagarri is a distinguished university professor at George Mason University. She is the author of four books, including Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic, and A Woman’s Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution. Her articles have appeared in leading scholarly journals and in numerous edited collections. Zagarri’s latest book project is titled Liberty and Oppression: Thomas Law and the Problem of Empire in Colonial British India and the Early American Republic.
Julie Silverbrook is chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs, and educational initiatives, advancing its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue. She oversees the creation of public-facing constitutional content and works to ensure the Center’s programs, scholarly engagement, and educational resources operate as a coordinated national strategy serving students, educators, families, and lifelong learners across the country.
Additional Resources
- The Declaration of Independence, National Constitution Center
- “The Declaration’s Grievances Against the King,” by Rosemarie Zagarri for the National Constitution Center
- Primary Source: Declaration of Independence (Short list of grievances), National Constitution Center
- The Promise of America: Reflections on, Our Enduring Ideals
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