I’ve read several books by Walter Isaacson and found him an engaging and profound writer. The Greatest Sentence Ever Written–“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”–receives Isaacson’s intense focus word by word.
Although drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence was edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Isaacson shows where Franklin impacts the greatest sentence by making some canny changes. “Benjamin Franklin, who emerges here, once again, as a wily, practical intelligence who crossed out Jefferson’s original phrase, ‘We hold these truths to be sacred,’ and replaced ‘sacred’ with ‘self-evident.’”
This slim little book, only 69 pages!, does a deep dive into America’s most famous document and parses its most famous 35 word sentence almost word by word. With the 250th Anniversary of America approaching, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written brings analysis and historical perspective to our troubled nation. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- 1776 — 1
- We — 3
- Self-evident truths — 7
- All men — 11
- Created equal — 13
- Endowed by their creator — 19
- Certain unalienable rights — 23
- Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — 25
- Common ground — 27
- The American dream — 33
- Going forward — 39
- Appendices:
- The drafting process — 43
- From John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, 1690 — 48
- From Rousseau’s The Social Contract, 1762 — 50
- From the Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 1776 — 52
- Jefferson’s “Original rough draught” of the Declaration of Independence, June 1776 — 53
- The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 — 61
- A NOTE ON TYPE — 69
Agreed as to the greatest sentence ever written.
The greatest sentence ever said? “Here, take my money.” Followed by, “And there’s donuts.”
Jerry, the Greatest Sentence to me is when Diane said, “I do.”
But what about women?
Shouldn’t that sequence be something like “all humans” …
I’ve read somewhere that “all men …” was used by some people against the idea of equality of men and women.
Wolf, women had secondary status in the U.S. for much of its history. Now, the current Administration is trying to roll back Rights of everyone.
Too bad Congress and the Supreme Court are allowing Trump and whoever is pulling his strings to gut it.
Jeff, we were supposed to have three EQUAL branches of government. Trump has rigged the Supreme Court with his minions and bullied the Republicans in Congress to follow his orders or face a Primary. This isn’t the way our Government is supposed to work!
Well, the Republicans have let it happen, by sucking up to Drumpf. Of late, it’s clearly striking some of them that he’s an increasingly lame (and certainly senile) pony.
Todd, we can only hope for a dramatic re-set with the Mid-Term Elections.
“All men” = white men of Western European heritage. Hard to gainsay that historic reality. Unless we celebrate the greatness of Washington and Jefferson but also admit their shortcomings, the nation will not long endure. Trump and his gang of despicables have reinforced that sad fact.
Fred, you’re right. We seem to be regressing…
Nope. The chauvinism has never gone away (and in many directions, not solely gendered…the fantasy that My Kind of Person, however described, is superior to all others…ethnicity, religion, etc. along with gender). Just because it was mocked by nonj-fools thus making fools/chauvinists angry, isn’t any newer. As George Wallace (true believer) and Richard Nixon (canny exploiter, till he lost his canniness) could tell you. Also Andrew Jackson, still on our currency, and Woodrow Wilson, and and and.
Todd, good points.
What about, “But wait, there’s more” or “Call now. Operators are standing by”?
Also: “It’s a sure-fire thing; you can’t lose; you’ll double your money in a week.”
My personal favorite: “Against stupidity, the very gods strive in vain.” —Friedrich Schiller
Deb, how about Neil Armstrong’s “That’s one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind” or Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream”?
Also translated, as “Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.” Skiffy readers of a certain age would’ve likely first encountered the phrase in that form when Isaac Asimov used THE GODS THEMSELVES as the title, and the Schiller phrase with an ellipsis and question mark appended on the frontispiece, of one of his mid-period novels.
I am not a crook.
When you’re a celebrity, they let you do it.
Jeff, Nixon and Trump…eerie sentences…
Drumpf being proud of his criminality.
Here’s my great sentence: OWLHOOT is in the mail!
Bob, I’ll be waiting with bated breath for OWLHOOT to arrive! Given the terrible weather, I’m expecting delays…