American Scripture

American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence is a North American history book by Dr. Pauline Maier. First published in 1997 and nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award in the same year, the book considers the Declaration of Independence from moral and cultural perspectives. Critics praise the book for its broad scope and accessible narrative. Dr. Maier, a historian who specialized in the American Revolution, served as the Professor of American History at MIT, authoring numerous acclaimed books. Over her fifty-year academic career, she received various prestigious awards and fellowships. She died from lung cancer in 2013.

In American Scripture, Maier considers everything for which the Declaration of Independence stands. She makes two assertions. First, the Declaration has far deeper connotations than we typically realize. Second, we associate concepts and ideas with the Declaration that the original drafters never intended for us to adopt. In Maier’s opinion, we forget the Declaration’s true purpose.

Maier reminds us that, naturally, the meaning of any constitutional document changes over time to reflect American ideology in any given era. However, if we drift too far away from the original drafters’ intentions, we completely misunderstand the whole statement. It is on us to remember why the Declaration exists and what it means.



Maier suggests we look at the Declaration in three distinct ways: morally, literally, and politically. The Declaration represents American cultural identity and the nation’s independence from others. It represents self-sufficiency and American ideals. Many people think of the Declaration when they think of these moral connotations.

The Declaration stands for American political values. Guiding and shaping political principles, it is the cornerstone of every American political party ethos. Maier believes many people wrongly assume that the Declaration is a purely political statement. Its political connotations are only part of the story. Finally, the Declaration is one of America’s greatest literary achievements, something of which all Americans should be proud.

According to Maier, the American people own the Declaration; they who decide what the Declaration means, and how we can apply its principles to modern life. Although certain individuals drafted the Declaration, it is an evolving document that is never completed. While tinkering with the Declaration is a great idea, in theory, it works less well in practice. We risk losing sight of the Declaration’s true meaning and purpose.



Maier examines how the Declaration has changed throughout the decades. She begins by looking at the first draft of the Declaration, and who inspired it. At the time, politicians were very conscious of the responsibility on their shoulders. Not able to agree on what “independence” meant to them, the American people could not agree on a way forward for some time. Congress worked directly with the people to find a workable, tolerable solution for everyone. Maier notes that few precedents existed to guide Congress through this process. Congress didn’t understand what independence meant for them. This was brand new constitutional territory, and petitions, protests, charges, and declarations were commonplace.

The formal Declaration of Independence wasn’t the only “declaration” circulating at the time. Smaller, informal declarations circulated between towns, communities, and even states. This confusion complicated the entire process. People wanted to find the brand of independence that best served their own communities. Congress struggled to find common ground with the masses. However, one thing everyone agreed on—politicians should represent the will of the people. Forming the backbone of the final Declaration of Independence, representation is still central to modern American politics.

Crucially, Maier questions Thomas Jefferson’s role in the Declaration. He is often credited as the sole author of the Declaration, and this is untrue. Maier says that, while Jefferson contributed many theories to the Declaration, he was only one author. The American people wrote the Declaration because they chose to shape their own destiny. Claiming that Jefferson was the architect of the Declaration is inaccurate.



Essentially, Maier challenges the associations we make with the Declaration. By questioning Jefferson’s role, she challenges our understanding of the Declaration as an ingenious, inspired literary text. While it is a revolutionary document, and an important literary work, this is only a small part of its heritage.

By questioning Congress’s role in the drafting, Maier challenges our political perceptions of the Declaration. We must remember that the American people united to draft the Declaration, and this collective responsibility underpins American political values. Politicians, then, should never have too much unchecked power.

Finally, we must remember that independence means different things to different people. The American people struggled to define independence in a satisfactory way. We should remember that values evolve over time, and a constitution should be flexible enough to accommodate these changes.



Maier argues that it is fine to amend and revise the Declaration, and other constitutional documents, as long as we stick to the intended meaning. If we remember the purpose of the Declaration, we can celebrate and uphold it without compromising its value. The Declaration was a nationwide effort, and American politicians should remember this.