National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America
Date: Dec 8, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick, and Online
Member Price: $179.00
Non-Member Price: $209.00
Areas of Law: For All Attorneys
Earn up to 3.3 credits! (More Information)
Featured Speaker
Moderator
Presenters
- Michael Auslin, Ph.D.
- Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Save the Date
The first complete history of our founding document, from 1776 to the 21st century, National Treasure is the critically-acclaimed story of how the Declaration of Independence became the supreme expression of the American ethos while guiding us along the often-bumpy road on the way to a more perfect Union. It is also a thrilling adventure tale and a fond look at the marriage of civics and commerce that has kept the Declaration in the hearts and minds of Americans.
Award-winning historian Michael Auslin takes us from the boarding house in Philadelphia where Thomas Jefferson put quill to paper through the Declaration’s emergence into cyberspace. After decades of neglect, it became a national icon. A beacon during the Civil War and to immigrants throughout American history, the Declaration inspired the country during WWII, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Side-by-side with its growing fame was a race to preserve it from the damage of decades and keep it from disintegrating, challenging generations of scientists and conservators, and employing both the crudest means and space-age technology.
As Jefferson hoped, the principles enshrined in the Declaration defined America’s national identity and became a symbol to the world. But what lessons should we take from it today? Can this statement of ideals in whose name the signers pledged their lives and sacred honor bring a disparate nation together?
As we continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founders’ bold experiment in democracy, Auslin reminds us that this enduring document was not just a call for freedom and equality but an eloquent statement of the principles that bind us together, forging unity from diversity.
Additional speakers and program details will be announced soon.
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