In 1776, the Declaration of Independence declared that "all men are created equal." Ever since then, Americans have invoked that promise to demand inclusion and drive policy change. On this episode of Democracy In Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas unpacks what the phrase has meant throughout American history and how it informs policy debates today with guests Bill Galston and Keon Gilbert.

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.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident," but what did those words really mean in 1776, and who were they written for? In the season 3 premiere of Democracy In Question, Katie Dunn Tenpas and Vanessa Williamson dig into the radical promise within this phrase from the Declaration of Independence. They unpack its evolution, from the abolitionists who wielded it as a tool for equality, to why its vision of shared truth and self-government feels more urgent than ever.

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.

In this new season of Democracy In Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas unpacks the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence phrase by phrase with guests, finding the throughline between America's founding ideals and our democracy today.

Stay tuned for new episodes soon.

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