Editor’s Note: This submitted news piece was written about an event that took place in late May at Arlington High School and was held to run to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
By Brian Miller
A lively group of residents from in and around Arlington dove into the Declaration of Independence for inspiration and guidance on how to reinforce its principles and revive democracy.
The event, “Re-Examining Our Roots: The Declaration of Independence at 250” was an opportunity to learn about and discuss America’s founding document. The free event, held May 28 at Arlington High School, challenged participants to reflect on what the Declaration means to today’s society. About 60 people attended.
In the keynote presentation, Michael Kozuch, K-12 director of social studies and history for the Arlington Public Schools, explained the content of the Declaration and its impact and evolving meaning. That set the stage for the formation of breakout groups which used a set of guiding questions to reflect principles such as “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and what it means now that a government derives its “just powers from the consent of the governed” and that governments derive their “just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Gary Goldsmith, a participant in one of the discussion groups, was struck by the radical nature of the idea articulated in the Declaration that people don’t need to put up with a government that doesn’t serve their needs, and that the Declaration gives them permission to abolish it.
“We are the only country to come into existence on the basis of an idea as opposed to religion, family, or something of that sort,” he said. “The ideas (of the Declaration) are ephemeral and need to be defended and maintained. It’s one of the challenges of our time.”
Kozuch explained that the Declaration was built on the then revolutionary concept of the inherent rights of man – self-government and equality — the lynchpin of the Enlightenment. The Declaration’s principal author, Thomas Jefferson, extended the concept of rights to include “the pursuit of happiness”. In 1776, these rights applied only to white males who owned property, excluding women blacks and indigenous people. In the last 250 years, Kozuch explained, various groups have used the Declaration’s statement of equality to push for the extension of their legal rights. Other countries have leveraged the Declaration to press for independence from colonial rule or foreign domination.
Kozuch said the Declaration not only affirms the rights and the equality of all people but it also places responsibility on the citizenry to preserve those principles.
“The Declaration was a call to action at the time it was written and it is a call to action now – to protect our democracy and strengthen our civic institutions and to remind our political leaders that their powers come from the consent of the governed,” he said.
Kozuch said that the ideas of the Declaration are insufficient to protect the rights of citizens in the 21st century and used climate change as a prime example. He outlined, as the Declaration does, grievances – areas in which the government has fallen short in addressing climate change. Kozuch urged the audience to look to their own values and seek the changes in government necessary to enact them.
Linda Burgess of Arlington, a participant in the event, said she appreciated the way Kozuch adapted the Declaration to address climate change, incorporating his own mission statement on the pursuit of happiness.. “(It prompted me) to think about what else can be added.”
Concluding the program, Howard Winkler, former president of the Arlington Historical Society and Arlington Civil Right Committee, gave a talk on Prince Hall, a free Black man who lived at the time of the American Revolution and argued that the rights outlined in the Declaration pertained equally to Blacks as they did to whites. Hall is memorialized by a marker in a burial ground for African-Americans in East Arlington.
Hall petitioned for the abolition of slavery and of the slave trade, and for free, tax-funded public education for Blacks. His petitions contributed to legal arguments that led the State of Massachusetts to abolish slavery in 1787. Hall found support for his cause from the Masonic movement, which espoused equality, liberty, and universal brotherhood, for which it was admired by Blacks.
Because Blacks were excluded from American Masonic lodges, Hall formed the first Black Masonic Lodge, obtaining a charter from England. The Black Masonic movement grew from that point and was named after him. There are now over 300,000 Prince Hall masons worldwide.
“He was a great American,” Winkler said.
Tish Miller of Arlington said she found the discussions empowering. She said she regularly reads the news stories about events suggesting the decline of American democracy. Thursday’s discussion was the first time she has had a “discussion about what we can do, what we can change.”
Matthew Janger, principal of Arlington High School, was the facilitator of one of the groups. He said he found the participants in his group well informed and that the discussion resulted in the expansion of their understanding of equality. The phrase “all men are created equal” articulated by the Declaration generated a hope, although it fell far short of realization at the time.
While the signers of the Declaration couldn’t have imagined what today’s society would be like, “they knew they were opening a door for the future,” Janger said.
This submitted story was published on July 1, 2026.
