At the heart of the Declaration of Independence is a single sentence that has defined, inspired, and challenged Americans for 250 years: "We hold these truths to be self-evident." In his new book, Walter Isaacson unpacks how those words came to be—who wrote them, how they were revised, and why they still matter. Which of the Declaration's promises have we kept, and which are we still working toward? What does it mean to reckon with those words as America marks its 250th anniversary? Join Walter Isaacson and Max Boot for a conversation on America's founding ideals, how far we've come, and how far we still have to go.

Copies of Walter Isaacson’s book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, will be available for sale and signing at the program.

This event will take place in person at the Council's Conference Center and is open to Council members. If you are not a member and would like to attend in person, you can become a member. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to register to watch the livestream.

Speakers:

Walter Isaacson 
Author & Professor of History, Tulane University
Walter Isaacson is a professor of history at Tulane University. He has been editor of Time Magazine, CEO and chairman of CNN, and CEO of the Aspen Institute, and currently serves as an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg and a cohost of PBS's Amanpour & Co. A prolific biographer, his subjects have included Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, and Albert Einstein, among others. His latest book is "The Greatest Sentence Ever Written."

Max Boot 
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Max Boot is a best-selling historian, biographer, and foreign policy analyst. He is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for The Washington Post. His last book, "Reagan: His Life and Legend," was named one of the 10 best books of 2024 by the New York Times.