The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, as read by Professor Greg Jackson and fellow citizens: Lindsey Cormack co-host of Government That Doesn’t Suck, Ben Sawyer and Bob Crawford of The Road to Now, Colleen Shogan of In Pursuit, Lindsay Graham host of History Daily. Watch Prof. Jackson's PBS special here: The Unlikely Union: A Storytelling Symphony of America or visit htdspodcast.com/pbs.

In celebration of America’s 250th, we’d like to officially invite you to enjoy this special episode telling the tale of that audacious, terrifying, and formative step taken by the Second Continental Congress to declare Independence in the summer of 1776. Fought over bitterly on July 1st, voted on affirmatively on the 2nd, with the exact wording finalized on the 4th—I mean, how could we not resurface episode #8’s account of this story for this week?

If you’re new here, you may not have listened to it—here’s your chance. And if you’ve been listening for a while, take a step back with me and remember why we revere this document.

This is the story of independence and crushed hope.

Congress is finally declaring independence but it isn’t a straightforward process. Delegates have different perspectives; John Adams and John Dickinson are taking the floor to argue passionately for and against it. The vote will come down to the wire.

It’s also time to bring the "$10" Founding Father into the story. That’s right. We’ll meet Alexander Hamilton, get the backstory of his rough childhood in the Caribbean, and see how he ends up in the Big Apple.

Speaking of NYC, George Washington has chased Lord William Howe from Boston to Manhattan, but this is a very different battlefield. He’s going to have a harder go here than he did in New England. Much harder.

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Professor Greg Jackson is interviewed by Professor Ben Sawyer on The Road to Now podcast to discuss Jackson’s new book, Been There, Done That: What Our History Shows What We Can Overcome. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, the conversation centers on the resilience of the American experiment. Rather than viewing the current political climate with despondency, Jackson argues that American history provides a proven blueprint for endurance. The conversation was recorded live at sea on The History Cruise That Doesn’t Suck!

• Order Prof. Jackson’s book now
• Listen to all episodes of The Road to Now