Date of Publication:
July 4, 2026
On the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights asks:
How well has America fulfilled its promise that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights?
Through essays spanning history, democracy, technology, public health, race, immigration, climate, economic opportunity, and global leadership, this collection, authored by over 50 HKS faculty and Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights faculty and fellows, explores the distance between America's founding ideals and today's realities—and what it will take to close that gap.