Reframing the Past: Global Declarations

When in the course of traditional discussions about the Declaration of Independence, it becomes necessary to break free from the contents of customary lessons that govern the way we see and study the past. At least this is what Harvard historian David Armitage argues, in part, in his fantastic study The Declaration of Independence: A Global History, published in 2007.

We've previously discussed the European background to the Declaration, making connections to the ways in which it influenced the French Revolution. Now, with David Armitage's help, I want to consider the document in a global perspective.



At the annual meeting of the American Historical Association in Washington, D.C. in early 2008, I had the good fortune to attend a lunch at which Armitage addressed this topic. Armitage is a delightful and witty speaker, and his talk covered the basic contents of his book.





Hence, I want to think about the Declaration in these ways, fleshed out in class discussion:


1. its universal/universalizing claims
2. "international" idea of the nation-state
3. the universal physicality of the document itself
4. the "declaration" genre of literature
5. declarations as anti-colonial protest
6. identify world-historical moments of declarations of independence

Be sure to scan Armitage's list of declarations of independence. Also, here's an early reflection on the universal dimensions of the Declaration, as well as an interesting review of the book from Itinerario and another from the Boston Globe. Here's a nice biographical portrait from the Harvard Gazette.