The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence presents Americans with an opportunity to reflect on the relevance of our past to current challenges. 

The Declaration: Continuity and Commerce will aid our reexamination of the Declaration by drawing attention to its Framers but also one of its great interpreters: President Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge recognized early the primacy of equality, economic liberty, and continuity in our Founding. “About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful,” Coolidge said, “…if all men are created equal, that is final.”

While President, Coolidge took care to mark the 150th anniversary of the Declaration, choosing to emphasize the role of enterprise in the nation's founding. He pointed out that our nation's father, George Washington, was not only a general and statesman but also "a builder and creator" and a "man of affairs." Washington's appreciation of all sides of human life enabled him to craft a government with greater prospects for abiding success. 

Even before he became President, Coolidge recognized that Common Law and property rights—two traditions we inherited from Britain--also gave the new nation a sturdy base: "ultimately, personal rights and property rights are the same thing."

We will explore this history on January 10, 2025 at a national conference in Washington, D.C. The conference will be held at the James Madison Building of the Library of Congress. Receiving such preparation in 2025 will supply all attendees, but especially younger minds, with context for the 2026 celebrations.

The Declaration conference will devote considerable time to the past, including the English, Scottish, and French influences upon our Framers as they crafted the Declaration and then the Constitution. This conference also sets its sights on the future. Key policymakers and some one hundred high schoolers and college students, alumni of Coolidge Foundation programs, will attend.

Due to venue capacity restrictions, attendance at The Declaration conference is by invitation only.

Have questions about the conference? Email William Pettinger at wpettinger@coolidgefoundation.org.