Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence
- Cambridge Companion to American Studies
- The Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 European Antecedents to the Declaration of Independence
- 2 The Twenty-Six Grievances
- 3 The Process of Writing and Procedures for Adopting the Declaration
- 4 The Declaration as Political Rhetoric
- 5 Equality, Liberty, and Rights in the Declaration of Independence
- 6 The “Stubborn” Declaration
- 7 “Popular Sovereignty” and the Declaration of Independence
- 8 Slavery and the Declaration
- 9 A Theological Interpretation of the Declaration of Independence
- 10 The Declaration versus the Constitution
- 11 Getting “the Hang of the Declaration”
- 12 Native Nations and Declarations of Independence
- 13 The Declaration in Anti-slavery and African American Thought
- 14 The Declaration of Independence and Women
- 15 Aspirational Reliance on the Declaration of Independence
- 16 Presidents and the Declaration of Independence
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
16 - Presidents and the Declaration of Independence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 December 2025
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence
- Cambridge Companion to American Studies
- The Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 European Antecedents to the Declaration of Independence
- 2 The Twenty-Six Grievances
- 3 The Process of Writing and Procedures for Adopting the Declaration
- 4 The Declaration as Political Rhetoric
- 5 Equality, Liberty, and Rights in the Declaration of Independence
- 6 The “Stubborn” Declaration
- 7 “Popular Sovereignty” and the Declaration of Independence
- 8 Slavery and the Declaration
- 9 A Theological Interpretation of the Declaration of Independence
- 10 The Declaration versus the Constitution
- 11 Getting “the Hang of the Declaration”
- 12 Native Nations and Declarations of Independence
- 13 The Declaration in Anti-slavery and African American Thought
- 14 The Declaration of Independence and Women
- 15 Aspirational Reliance on the Declaration of Independence
- 16 Presidents and the Declaration of Independence
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
American presidents have actively participated in the process that transformed the Declaration of Independence into a fully constitutive document. Many presidential citations are either ceremonial or express shared values. All presidents, however, claim the Declaration supports at least some of their favored policies on civil rights, governmental powers, the culture wars, and immigration. Liberal and conservative presidents dispute whether the Declaration supports regulation in the public interest or limited government. Presidents in the culture wars engage in parallel play, with more progressive presidents citing the Declaration when supporting the rights of LGBTQ persons, gun control, and liberal immigration policies, and conservative presidents citing the Declaration for bans on abortion, a greater place for religion in the public sphere, and crime control measures.
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- The Cambridge Companion to the Declaration of Independence , pp. 236 - 250Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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