Walter Isaacson’s The Greatest Sentence Ever Written commemorates America’s 250th anniversary by examining the most revolutionary sentence in the Declaration of Independence: “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, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
With clarity and insight, Isaacson shows how this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation, even during these polarized times. Readers will gain a fresh appreciation for how it was drafted to inspire unity, equality, and the enduring promise of America.
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Jennifer Doudna, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and more. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
