One key to understanding andquot;inalienableandquot; rights--as distinguished from ordinary, andquot;alienableandquot; rights--is found by turning to one of Thomas Jefferson's rough drafts of the Declaration of Independence. Listen to learn more about the foundations of your rights that cannot be taken away!

Center for Civic Education

The Declaration of Independence states that andquot;all Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.andquot; But what does andquot;unalienable Rights,andquot; or as it was intended andquot;inalienable Rightsandquot; mean? Learn more in this episode!

Center for Civic Education

On Friday, we discussed the origins of Americans' sense of political equality, but our founders also possessed a strong sense of moral equality. Indeed, the idea of the moral equality of human beings has ancient origins. Listen to today's episode for more!

Center for Civic Education

The Declaration of Independence states that among the andquot;truthsandquot; that Americans hold to be andquot;self-evidentandquot; is that andquot;all Men are created equal.andquot; But what was meant by this statement? Learn more today!

Center for Civic Education

Thomas Jefferson said that his purpose in writing the Declaration of Independence was to express a shared understanding of the American mind. Learn more about this term and its significance today!

Center for Civic Education

That andquot;all Men are created equalandquot; and andquot;endowed by their Creator with Certain unalienable Rightsandquot; was self-evident to Americans at the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Why was this? Learn more about the foundations of our self-evident truths.

Center for Civic Education

Independence Day is a time to remember and appreciate our heritage of a democratic form of government and to reflect on our country's fundamental principles. Over the few episodes, 60-Second Civics will examine some of the fundamental ideas about government that are contained in the Declaration of Independence, which was issued on July 4, 1776.

Center for Civic Education

What is the Equal Rights Amendment and how would its ratification change American life? In this episode, Dr. Lisa Tetrault, associate professor of history at Carnegie Mellon University, explains the Equal Rights Amendment. This is the fifth episode in our 60-Second Civics series on women's rights as part of the Center for Civic Education's Civil Discourse: An American Legacy Project.

Center for Civic Education

How does abortion relate to fundamental rights as viewed by both sides of the abortion debate? Dr. Lisa Tetrault, associate professor of history at Carnegie Mellon University, explains how fundamental rights relate to the modern abortion debate. This is the fourth episode in our 60-Second Civics series on women's rights as part of the Center for Civic Education's Civil Discourse: An American Legacy Project.

Center for Civic Education

What was the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and how does it relate to the Declaration of Independence? In this episode, Dr. Lisa Tetrault, associate professor of history at Carnegie Mellon University, explains the historical significance of the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments.

Center for Civic Education