America

The Declaration of Independence contains the words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” For the first time in human history, it set out the following principles as a political platform: all people are born equal; they possess the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and governments must be formed with the consent of the governed. These principles became part of America's ideology and laid the intellectual foundation for the country's development over the following two centuries. If the Declaration of Independence laid that foundation for Americans in legal terms, then the core of the American spirit took shape over the course of the nation's history.