Declaring the nation’s liberty
March 30, 2004
A document that changed the course of history is setting a course toward Iowa State.
An original copy of the Declaration of Independence, printed the night of July 4, 1776, will be on display from noon to 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union Tuesday. The Declaration is the centerpiece of the “Declare Yourself” tour, a nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign which encourages young voters to participate in the upcoming presidential election.
The program was founded by veteran TV producer Norman Lear, who purchased the document with the intent of using it to reignite political interest among students.
“When Norman purchased the copy, he wanted to use it to reconnect people with the ideas of the Declaration,” said Mary McGuire, associate director of the tour.
“The writers of the Declaration were revolutionaries and so were the ideas contained in the document.”
The copy visiting Iowa State isn’t the Declaration itself — it’s one of 200 original copies which predates the signed copy. This copy was circulated throughout the colonies before the American Revolution, McGuire said. It was lost, but then rediscovered in 1989 by a Pennsylvania man. He found the copy in the back of a painting he purchased at a flea market for $4.
The lucky shopper sold the copy to Lear, who founded the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, which has included an 18-city college campus tour, with Iowa State as the final stop. It’s the culmination of a three-year project, which has been to 50 cities and aimed to show the relevance of the nation’s first document.
Taking the Declaration from city to city is no easy task, considering the document travels in an airtight case, with humidity and temperature control. It’s also accompanied by tight security.
In addition to the Declaration, there will be on-site voter registration, free gift bags and other activities in the Great Hall of the Union from noon to 4 p.m., with appearances by Kendal Sheppard and Christina Pyle, former cast members of Road Rules Campus Tour and the Inferno.
Josh Reicks, senior in political science and president of the ISU College Republicans, said the “Declare Yourself” tour was a great opportunity for students to see the “pinnacle document that established the rights of all men to govern themselves.”
“The Declaration established that men had a duty to throw off the shackles of an oppressive government,” he said. “This message has been a blueprint for 200 years to people seeking freedom and escaping tyranny.”