The Declaration of Independence declared that legitimate government rests on the 'consent of the governed.' Where does the social contract between Americans and government stand today? In this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas asks Brookings senior fellow Jonathan Rauch to trace the idea from founding principle to present-day practice.

Show notes and transcript.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

The words "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence were specific enough to win over colonists in 1776, but vague enough to appeal to social movements since and today. In this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas asks Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, about the origin of this phrase and why it still matters.

Show notes and transcript.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence declared that "all men are created equal." Ever since then, Americans have invoked that promise to demand inclusion and drive policy change. On this episode of Democracy In Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas unpacks what the phrase has meant throughout American history and how it informs policy debates today with guests Bill Galston and Keon Gilbert.

Show notes and transcript.

Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.