The huge and portentous undertaking that surrounded the declaration of freedom by a young nation of America was more than an action by a small group of colonies seeking to unite. It was fundamentally a spiritual step forward, taken on behalf of humanity – a humanity that watched and waited for its own possibilities to move in a similar direction – the direction of freedom of choice, of government by consent of the governed, and of the protection of individual liberties.

The following is a translation of the historical impulse that [...]