How Durable the American Idea?

The transcendent American idea is declared in the Declaration of Independence and given terrestrial form by the Constitution of the United States. The Declaration proclaims all men are created equal, and the only legitimate form of government is one deriving its powers from the consent of the governed. The reference to men is synonymous with person and makes no distinction based on ethnicity, race, gender, religion, place-of-origin, social standing, rank, or other dimension. The principles of individual sovereignty and equality are considered providential and forever beyond the reach of self-appointed elites, autocrats, kings, or tyrants.