All Men are Created Equal: The Declaration of Independence
A Reenactment Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration

October 21, 2026 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Format: In-Person
Where: New York City Bar
42 West 44th Street
New York, NY, 10036

Description:
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Although its principal purpose was for the thirteen colonies to declare their independence from Britain and its King, perhaps the Declaration’s most important contribution to the development of American democracy was its statement of “self-evident” truths. Among these, the notion that “all men are created equal” generated significant debate in a new nation that included states where slavery was an integral part of the economy and culture.

The gap between principle and practice only became more pronounced as the number of enslaved persons and the South’s reliance on them grew. Southern statesmen in Congress pushed back against any suggestion that slavery should be abolished or restricted in any way by passing a “gag rule” to prevent discussion on the floor of the House of Representatives in 1832. Former president John Quincy Adams as a member of the House fought the “gag rule” and also argued the case of the Amistad before the Supreme Court, fighting for the freedom of the Africans who had been kidnapped in Africa and sold as slaves in Havana before they took control of the ship and attempted to return to Africa. He invoked the Declaration of Independence both in his argument to the Supreme Court and in his “trial” for perjury and treason on the floor of Congress.

This program will celebrate the Declaration of Independence by focusing on this self-evident truth from its adoption to its role in “a new birth of freedom,” through narration, reenactment of court and Congressional proceedings, and historic documents and photographs. 

Program Fee:
Free for Members | $50 for Nonmembers

CLE Credit:
New York: 1.5 Professioanl Practice