On the final episode of Democracy in Question's third season, host Katie Dunn Tenpas speaks with historian Heather Cox Richardson about the Declaration of Independence as a whole and its relevance today. The Declaration can be understood as an unfinished promise that depends on Americans' capacity to defend, expand, and reinvent its ideals.

Show notes and transcript.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

On this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas speaks with Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, about the Declaration's most consequential closing phrase. From the founders' dual loyalties to the erosion of "sacred honor," they illuminate what mutually pledging their "Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor" demanded in 1776 and what it asks of Americans now.

Show notes and transcript.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Two grievances lodged against King George in the Declaration of Independence—taxation without consent and trade restrictions—continue to shape American policy today. On this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas is joined by Brookings scholars Kari Heerman and Vanessa Williamson for a conversation that draws a direct line from the founders' grievances in 1776 to the tariff and tax policy decisions defining the U.S. today.

Show notes and transcript.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.