“From the simple fact that Jefferson’s text was intended to be read aloud as a literal declaration of political independence, Fliegelman has woven a truly brilliant picture of Jefferson, the document, and American politics and letters. . . . The result is a profoundly exciting new way of understanding the Declaration, its author, and the performative act of the Revolution itself.”—Isaac Kramnick, Cornell University.

“Will more or less immediately transform current study of 18th-century American literature and culture.”—Mitchell Breitwieser, University of California, Berkeley.

“Such a deft blending of careful accessibility and intellectual sophistication that it will be useful and compelling to a range of scholars, from undergraduates to professors of English, history, and political science.”—Mitchell Breitwieser, University of California, Berkeley.