A New Declaration

The original Declaration of Independence consisted of an introduction, a statement of principles (“We hold these truths to be self-evident…”) and an explanation of why they were choosing to make such a dramatic Declaration at that time, including a detailed list of many of the wrongs they felt that King George of England had perpetrated against the colonists.  But what was urgent in 1776 may not match the most urgent situations of today.  We therefore propose that celebrants make the sense of the Declaration more current by writing a similar Declaration of their own, or choosing a newer one that suits them.

For some thinkers, many of the more urgent problems of our time have to do not with our need for greater Independence, but a greater need to recognize our Interdependence.  Several people have written Declarations of Interdependence, focusing variously on human rights and equality (Will Durant), ecology (David Suzuki), and global politics (CivWorld).

The authors of this website have also written two examples of a New Declaration of Interdependence which we invite you to consider:

1. A New Declaration of Interdependence, 2010 This is based very closely on the structure and wording of the original Declaration of Independence, but focuses on the rights of nature.
2. A Brief Declaration of Interdependence, 2010 This has similar ideas, but is expressed in a way that is briefer and more accessible to contemporary readers.