The Declaration of Independence might be one of the most influential political documents ever written.

But as we approach its 250th anniversary, many Americans don't know what it stands for or why they should care.

According to a 2025 Kato Institute poll, 53% of Americans don't know why we declared independence

from Britain in 1776. Even as 9 and 10 Americans say the declaration has been a force

for good in the world. So at a turbulent time when, according to a recent Pew Research poll,

only one in three Americans trust their fellow citizens. The cost of living is skyrocketing.

People fear AI replacing them.

And why should anyone in 2026 be taking time out of their day to understand a historic

document from over 250 years ago?

My name is Paul Meany.

I'm the editor of intellectual history at libertarianism.org, a project of the Cato Institute.

And to answer this question, we have today's guest, Thomas Berry, who will help us understand

why we should care about the Declaration of Independence and how it's relevant to our lives today.

Tommy, you're the director of the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies,

and you spend a career doing foundational research on the American government,

things like separation of powers, executive power, and the importance of freedom of speech.

When you think about how few Americans seem to appreciate this foundational document,

the Declaration Independence, what do you think is one of the main things that they're missing?

Well, thanks for having me and thanks for that.

Uplifting, optimistic introduction.

Great note to start on for celebrating our 250th.

I think what people don't realize is that the United States is very unusual in that we

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