The Untold Story of the Declaration of Independence | Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words

Jennifer Hayne

News Commentary, News

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s a miracle the Declaration survived 250 years. It was rolled through battlefields during the Revolutionary War, nearly destroyed when the British burned Washington in 1814, and spent decades being moved from city to city before becoming America’s most treasured national document. Today's conversation with Michael Auslin, author of National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America," explores not only the remarkable survival story of the Declaration itself, but also the ongoing battle over what it actually means. WHERE TO WATCH: 👉Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest editions of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words” by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2iOoN0xoOoSNvDFlpLLYGY?si=5a9f369acc874c6e 👉 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/victor-davis-hanson-in-his-own-words/id1566731706 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273?sub_confirmation=1 👉 Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/VictorDavisHansonInHisOwnWords?e9s=src_v1_sa%2Csrc_v1_sa_o 👉 Victor’s website: https://victorhanson.com PROMOTIONS: 👉If Victor Davis Hanson is must-watch for you, The Signal Sitdown belongs in your feed. Bradley Devlin delivers long-form conversations on Washington’s biggest fights—from an unapologetically conservative perspective. Subscribe now!https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 👉Watch The Tony Kinnett Cast NOW! LIVE weekdays at The Daily Signal and wherever you get podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoV3kHckydY58R7TaYsizl45v 👉America is worth preserving. Do your part and act now by going to https://www.heritage.org/beautiful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I mean, it's a miracle. It exists. Congress was running away from the British during the Revolutionary War,
0:05.0	and the document went on the road with them. And there's, you know, there's no guards for it. There's no, you know, there's no secure storage for it. They're simply throwing it into, we don't even know because they don't tell us, but they're either throwing it into sacks or chests. chests, they're putting it on the carts, they're taking it out in the middle of winter, in the middle of summer.
0:22.6	Of course, the greatest threat is in 1814 and by the skin of its teeth, 24 hours less.
0:31.6	It escapes the British who march into Washington. They defeat a rag-tag American force at Bladenburg in Maryland,
0:40.3	and then march into the city.
0:41.8	And right next to the White House is the Department of State, where the declaration was,
0:45.8	and it's burned to the ground.
0:47.1	So if not for the incredible foresightedness of a clerk named Stephen Pleasanton,
0:52.6	and James Monroe, Secretary of State, who says,
0:54.5	you might want to think about taking these documents out of the city,
0:57.5	really an afterthought.
0:58.5	The British almost certainly would have burned it.
1:05.0	Hello everybody. This is Victor Davis Hansen for the Victor Davis Hansen in his own words podcast.
1:18.7	I'm doing solo today, Jack Fowler and Sammy Wink are not with me. It's one of our frequent interviews.
1:25.1	But I am talking to Michael Oslin.
1:28.7	He's a colleague of mine at the Hoover Institution, and his formal title is Payson
1:33.8	Treat Distinguished Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution,
1:39.9	and you know him probably from op-eds in the Wall Street Journal,
1:43.4	and he's got a brand-new book out from Simon & Schuster called National Treasure,
1:48.9	How the Declaration of Independence Made America.
1:53.2	Thank you for being with us.
1:55.1	If it's all good, I'll call you by what I know you as Misha rather than Michael.
	...

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