“It also laid down what would become the nation’s defining creed: That all people are created equal. The United States would not be held together or defined by blood, soil, or religion, but instead an ideal and the symbols through which it was expressed,” said Gienapp, who co-teaches HISTORY 25: America at 250 with Stanford law Professor Pamela Karlan.

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“It asks students to think,” Karlan said, adding, “But they can do this thinking only once they know. The goal of the course is to give them that knowledge so they can think for themselves.”

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“Throughout the Declaration of Independence, you can see foreshadowing of where we find ourselves today,” said Karlan. “We hope students start thinking about these issues while they’re here, but that what they learn carries them through their lives.”