The American Writers Museum is thrilled to announce the 2026 John Estey Student Writing Competition is now live! To honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this year’s prompt is from this vital national document:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
Are you a young learner who wants to learn more about the Declaration of Independence? Are you an eager writer who is looking for inspiration before you start writing your competition entry? Are you an educator who is looking for ways to make the Declaration more accessible and approachable for your students? Are you a lifelong learner who wants to engage more with the nation’s Semiquincentennial? Read on!
written by Courtney Borjas, Assistant Director of Education
What is the Declaration of Independence? Why Is It Important?
The Declaration of Independence is known as the founding document of the United States of America. It was written 250 years ago this year.
Before the Declaration of Independence was written, America was a group of 13 colonies governed by Great Britain. Many colonists had become frustrated with the British government because they believed that Britain was not treating them fairly. Britain had created new taxes for the colonies, even though the colonists did not have a say in the government. After the colonists protested, Great Britain passed strict laws to tighten their control over the colonies. One of the laws even allowed British soldiers to live in the colonists’ homes.
In April 1775, fighting broke out between American and British soldiers at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This fight started a war between the colonies and Great Britain, later called the American Revolution. Later that year, people from across the colonies formed the Second Continental Congress. The Continental Congress would govern the colonies during the war. In 1776, the Congress asked a committee to write an official announcement of why the colonists wanted to separate from Great Britain. The primary author of the Declaration was Thomas Jefferson, who would later become the third president of the United States. (You can learn more about Thomas Jefferson in our online exhibit, American Voices!) Committee members, including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, helped to edit the Declaration.
The purpose of the Declaration was to explain why America wanted to separate from Great Britain. One of the most well-known phrases from the Declaration is, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”​ This quote is understood to mean that people are created the same, all people should have the same rights, and all people be treated the same way. This quote has become the guiding idea of what American democracy should be.
Writers Who Used the Declaration as Inspiration
Writers have found inspiration in the Declaration of Independence since it was published. ​They have used words and ideas found in the Declaration to create their own original pieces, including essays, speeches, and even poems! Below are some examples:
Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a leader of the Women’s Rights Movement in the United States. In 1848, Stanton helped to organize the Seneca Falls Convention, the first convention for women’s rights in the United States. Attendees signed the Declaration of Sentiments, a document that demanded that women be treated equally. Stanton was the primary author of the Declaration of Sentiments, and she used similar language found in the Declaration of Independence. She wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal.”
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most prominent voices of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capital in 1963, King referenced the Declaration of Independence: “And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'”
“Declaration” by Tracy K. Smith
Tracy K. Smith is a renowned poet. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2012 and served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019. Her 2018 poem “Declaration” is an erasure poem. Erasure poetry eliminates words of a pre-existing written piece in order to make something new. Smith took the Declaration of Independence and then “erased” words to create a new poem.
Additional Educational Resources
Want to learn even more about the Declaration of Independence? Check out these free resources from our friends at the Library of Congress!
Declaration of Independence: Primary Documents in American History
The Library of Congress offers a digital research guide about the Declaration of Independence. This guide contains copies of the Declaration, including Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft. The guide also provides links to the Library’s virtual exhibits and digital collections that are related to the Declaration. If you are interested in tips on how to search and use digital collections, check out our blog post about how to find and study primary sources!
Exploring the Writing Process Using Primary Source Materials
Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress’s Teaching with Primary Sources program, the American Writers Museum’s Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials complements classroom writing instruction with activities using primary source materials from the Library of Congress’s digital collections that inspire, motivate, and empower students to write. Using primary sources coupled with complimentary learning materials, students will learn more about the steps of the writing process.
As part of Exploring the Writing Process with Primary Source Materials, we offer a FREE lesson plan that has students study the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence to learn more about Jefferson’s revision process. Students will then learn how they can incorporate similar revision skills and techniques into their own writing. This lesson would serve as a perfect compliment for students polishing their work before submitting their pieces into the 2026 John Estey Student Writing Competition.
Access this lesson plan and other resources here!