The Declaration of Independence acknowledges a most volatile right: the people's right to rebel. If the people are not happy with their government, then it is within their unalienable rights to "alter and abolish it." In 1776, that right was exercised through armed rebellion. But is that the only way to exercise that right?

In 1963, John Lewis envisioned a different sort of revolution, one that would achieve the ends of freedom and liberty through non-violent means. In this "unfinished revolution," he argued, current enemies are seen as future friends. We'll consider how the language of the Declaration guides social movements, across the political spectrum, to institute a government that seems most likely to protect each other's unalienable rights.

This Program is Supported by the New Hampshire Humanities Council