Declaring our independence in a modern view

There are 1,338 words in the Declaration of Independence, 356 of which will likely be highlighted as our country celebrates its 237 years of existence this week. Of those 356 words, most of the attention is given to just 55, and of those, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” get the lion’s share.

But the rest of the document announcing our separation from England is just as important, if not as poetic. It’s a list of griev...