What the Declaration of Independence Offers Social Movements

Presented in special collaboration with Monadnock Center for History and Culture for America's 250th.

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. In this program, Meg Mott will 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.

About the Presenter: 

After thirty years of teaching political theory and constitutional law to undergraduates, Meg Mott has taken her love of argument to the general public. Her award-winning series Debating Our Rights on the first ten amendments brings civil discussions on contentious issues to public libraries and civic associations. She and Ana Voci are the creators of Free Speech for Middle Schoolers, a curriculum that teaches constitutional reasoning through real world classroom controversies.

What the Declaration of Independence Offers U.S. Social Movements is presented in partnership with the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, one of six collaborative programs planned for 2026.  This program has been funded through a generous grant from NH Humanities.

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