Jefferson Wrote a Charge Sheet in July 1776. We Only Remember the Declaration's Preamble

The part after "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" is the most critical.

The Declaration of Independence, as Jefferson actually wrote it — a legal indictment, built on named legal sources.

"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."

What do you remember from the Declaration of Independence?

I remember the first line. After that, my memory gets sketchy.

But the 27 grievances that follow the opening are the most important part.

I need to review them during the week of America’s 250.

You probably do, too.

A 2026 AEI survey found that only 29 percent of Americans have read the full Declaration. Another 26 percent have never read a word.

The 27 built an airtight legal case at the core of the Declaration, laying the foundation for the country we have today.

Jefferson named the sources he based the argument on: Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, and Sidney. Those 27 grievances aren’t a list of complaints.

They’…