Why Jefferson's Words Still Matter Today: The Declaration's Ongoing Importance

Dr. Justin Dyer, dean of UT Austin School of Civic Leadership, explores why the Declaration of Independence remains vitally important in modern America. He examines how the document's foundational principles transcend time and continue to guide our understanding of equality, governance, and human rights.

• Declaration begins with universal truths about equality and rights that remain relevant today
• Reform movements throughout American history have appealed to Declaration principles
• Document provides timeless principles that help us rise above momentary social media disputes
• Even specific grievances against King George III relate to enduring constitutional principles
• Declaration's ideas will remain relevant for America's 250th, 300th anniversaries and beyond if they tap into fundamental truths
• These principles help address modern challenges including AI, population growth, and complex governance

For more information about Dr. Dyer and the UT Austin School of Civic Leadership, visit their website!

Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum!

School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership

Center for American Civics

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, my name is Jameson and I'm in fourth grade.
My question is why is theDeclaration of Independence
still important?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
All right, thank you so much for that question.
I am very excited becausetoday's scholar is Justin Dyer.
He is the dean of UT AustinSchool of Civic Leadership and
he is here to answer thequestion why is the Declaration
still important today?
Dr Dyer, he is here to answerthe question.
Why is the Declaration stillimportant?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
today.
Dr Dyer, well, thanks forhaving me.
It's a great question.
I think there are severaldifferent ways you could answer
that.
One is that the ideas in theDeclaration of Independence are
still relevant to us today.
It begins by proclaiming theseideas that are theoretically
true at all times and all places, not just bound to the time in
which they're written, sayingthat all men are created equal

(00:46):
and endowed by their creatorwith certain unalienable rights,
that the purpose of governmentis to secure those rights and
that the just powers ofgovernment come from the consent
of the governed.
And so I think thinking throughthose ideas and how they apply
today is still relevant.
But in addition to that, theDeclaration has also been
extremely impactful, not just inour own country, but different

(01:07):
groups have always appealed tothem in the service of their own

(01:29):
reform movements, and you seethat in the 19th century, you
see it in the 20th century, Ithink you still see that in the
21st century.
And so it remains a vitalsource of American ideals and a
way of structuring our owndisputes about how best to apply
those today deals, and a way ofstructuring our own disputes
about how best to apply thosetoday.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
So, as an American, I mean we are in a time of
there's lots of social media.
I mean information is so easilyreceived.
What does that look like, youknow, when we're talking about
the Declaration of Independence,what does that look like then,
if I am an eighth grade studentor I'm a senior in high school
or maybe a freshman in college,how can I kind of relate to the

(02:10):
Declaration and its importancetoday, living in this world of
technology and so much quickchange?

Speaker 1 (02:17):
There's a lot of quick change, and in the
Declaration there is a flagthat's being planted about
truths that transcend what isthe issue of the moment, and so,
of course, it blends thosethings.
It's a document that is writtenwith very particular issues in
mind.
It's a foreign policy document.
If you read all of the chargesthat are leveled against the

(02:39):
king at the end of the document,those are very specific charges
, rooted at a time and a place,but they even those, even those
charges against the king appealto things that transcend that
particular moment, and sothey're all related to the
principles of constitutionalgovernment.
Should we have independentcourts?
Should judges be dependent onthe will of the executive?

(03:01):
Should people be able to standfor trial for crimes that they
have alleged to commit in aplace close to where they
committed the crimes?
There are all these principlesthat are embedded, even in those
charges against the king, thatare relevant to us today.
And then, of course, these big,these statements of principle
at the beginning of theDeclaration of Independence

(03:21):
remain relevant to us today.
In what sense are we all equal,and is that true?
And if true, what does thatmean for how we live together,
for how we make decisions forhow we govern ourselves, and so
I think all of what we see inthe Declaration of Independence
really transcends that momentand helps draw us out of the
current disputes that we'realways in, and I think that
social media works very hard tosuck us into at all times.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
So these principles and these kind of questions are
evergreen.
Do you think, you know, nextyear we're celebrating America
250?
And do you think that when weget to 300, 350 years and beyond
, that kind of foundation willstill be there to help guide
what we want as Americans?
If those ideas are true, ifthey tap into something real,
then they'll always be relevant.
Be there to help guide what wewant as Americans.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
If those ideas are true, if they tap into something
real, then they'll always berelevant.
But even when they were beingput forward in the late 18th
century, they were contested atthe time.
They've always been contestedthroughout American history.
There are people who point tothem, question whether or not
they're valid and in what sense,and who dispute whether or not

(04:23):
these things are true.
But if true, then they willalways guide us and I think as
we move into a new era, we thinkabout what does artificial
intelligence mean for humanity?
What does it mean for humanequality?
What is our various ideas aboutgovernment and the complexity
of human life and trying togovern from ocean to ocean, with

(04:45):
more people and differentchallenges.
How do these principles apply?
I think it's relevant atAmerica 250, and I think it'll
be relevant at America 300.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Wonderful.
Well, thank you so much forthis.
Listeners, if you want to learnmore about Dr Dyer, ut Austin
School of Civic Leadership, Iwill put that in the show notes.
Dr Dyer, you've written a lotof books and have publications
kind of on these traditions, sothank you so much for your time
today.
It is greatly appreciated.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Pleasure to be with you, thank you.