THE RECORD
What changed
Thirteen colonies invoked natural rights and consent; Smith analyzed division of labour, exchange, institutions and wealth.
EVIDENCE
What remains
The Declaration, drafts, first editions, correspondence and legislative records preserve text and context.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
Their vocabularies of statehood and markets were reinterpreted worldwide.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
Liberty coexisted with slavery and dispossession, and Smith should not be reduced to unlimited laissez-faire.