n contemplating America’s 250 year celebration of The Declaration of Independence, we need to consider whether the preamble still reflects an ideal versus a reality. The preamble states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As a founding document of America, the Declaration of Independence identifies the equality of men and the right to “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” as obvious truths that need no explanation. After 250 years, however, with both our historical shared beliefs and future ideals in question, there are no “obvious truths.” According to American History Central and the National Archives, the Second Continental Congress created the Committee of Five to state the reasons for independence. The committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson (deist, lawyer, scientist, and plantation owner from Virginia), John Adams (unitarian and lawyer from Massachusetts), Benjamin Franklin (deist, scientist, and printer from Pennsylvania), Robert R. Livingston (Presbyterian and merchant from New York), and Roger Sherman (congregationalist and lawyer from Connecticut). The committee designated Jefferson to write the initial draft.

“Thomas Jefferson was a deist,” said Vanessa Williamson, Senior fellow, Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution. “He was not a sort of an active Christian, and many of the founders doubted, largely in their private letters, but in writing, that God was an active presence in the day-to-day lives of man.”

As a result, we need to question whether America was truly founded as a Christian nation and the importance of God amongst the founding fathers. Although they could agree on the dignity and value of people, their views seemed to have evolved from a shared recognition of equality than a moral virtue. Their views were also limited in scope because to them that equality was applied only to white men.

“And it is worth pointing out that as much as we talk today about the beautiful phrase about things like ‘all men being created equal,’ at the time of the Revolution, most black men fought on the side of Britain,” said Williamson.

“Because it was Britain that they thought, and at the time quite correctly, was more likely to live up to the goals of emancipation no matter what our founding documents had said.”

Despite the inspiration and rallying cry of the Declaration of Independence, it failed to attract most black men. For black men, slavery represented their reality, but for plantation owners who signed the Declaration of Independence it represented their economic reality.

Consequently, black men linked their aspiration of the Declaration of Independence to Britain more than the colonies, especially as it related to their freedom. Noting that no women or poor people signed the Declaration of Independence, someone could argue that this founding document was exclusive to white, educated men with means versus being inclusive of all Americans today.

In celebrating the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence, we need to contemplate the dog whistles of Make America Great Again, the ideology behind Christian Nationalism, the authoritarian and intimidating attacks on democracy and civil liberties, the changing narrative on religious liberty, the whitewashing of history, and the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Does the preamble of this founding document reflect the best interest for white educated males with means in America, or Americans as a whole today?