America’s Declaration of Independence on its 245th Anniversary* Are the postmodernists and critical race theorists correct when they say America and some of its founders should appear with an asterisk behind their names from now on? The legacy of the Enlightenment and the American Experiment is in the balance. June 11, 2021 • (James Byard/WUSTL Photos) You can listen to the companion audio version of this and other essays - using the player below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or Audible. With the 245th Independence Day and the first national Juneteenth commemoration now behind us, the question is: If we could only keep one document from American history, and one only, which would it need to be? Opinions will vary. Some might say the Emancipation Proclamation, others the Bill of Rights, still others the U.S. Constitution itself. Or perhaps Lincoln’s magnificent Second Inaugural Address, delivered just 42 days before he was assassinated by an actor who could not stomach the idea that African Americans might have rights.