The Declaration of Independence is a literary masterpiece that was written jointly by a committee of fifty people. It’s short and punchy—just 1310 words long—but still somehow daunting and difficult to get to grips with. And what is it exactly? Is it a birth certificate announcing happy news, or a petition for divorce full of grievance and score-settling, or something else? Is it aimed at the American people, or King George, or someone else? Was it the first ever declaration of independence, or a cheap imitation of a genre already well established? What did people at the time make of it? What did it change? Why does it matter? Join University of Maryland historian and author Dr. Richard Bell as we tackle the fascinating origins, misunderstood purpose, and extraordinary global legacy of the Declaration of Independence.