© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

Deciphering the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is really a list of grievances against the crown, and some of their meanings are hard to decipher. NPR's Andrea Seabrook speaks with MIT history professor Pauline Maier about the reasons behind one of the nation's most celebrated documents. She is the author of American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence.

Copyright 2004 NPR

Andrea Seabrook covers Capitol Hill as NPR's Congressional Correspondent.
Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.