America at 250, with Special Emphasis on the Proposition that All Men are Created Equal

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

Two-hundred and fifty years ago, America famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.” That same year, Pennsylvanians led by Benjamin Franklin declared that “all men are born equally free and independent.” This year, Americans are once again discussing issues of creational equality and birth equality—this time in the context of a great debate over the meaning of birthright citizenship. How will the Supreme Court decide this issue? How should it decide? What would Lincoln have thought about the current debate?

Yale Law School Professor Akhil Reed Amar will examine these and related questions through the lens of his recent book,  Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920.

A book sale and signing will take place after the program.