In the spring of 1776, Thomas Jefferson drafted a document grounded in reason, evidence, and moral inquiry. He wrote of equality as a self-evident truth, of rights as concepts to be understood rather than granted, and of government as an institution accountable to an informed citizenry. The Declaration of Independence announced a Revolution, a rupture, that would later define higher education in America as committed to the tenants of free inquiry, respect for knowledge, and the disciplined pursuit of truth in service to the public good. When the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, it proclaimed a Revolution that affirmed that ideas matter, that reason can guide action, and that a free society depends on the cultivation of thoughtful, engaged minds.

In the years that followed, these principles helped shape the purpose of colleges and universities, whereby higher education became a means of sustaining democracy by fostering critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and open dialogue. The Revolution’s legacy lives on in classrooms, libraries, studios and laboratories where knowledge is pursued not for its own sake alone, but to prepare citizens capable of self-governance.

The Revolution bound the colonies together through shared ideals and shared responsibility. It committed the nation to a future in which education would serve as both foundation and safeguard, ensuring that the principles of liberty, equality, and consent could be studied, questioned, and renewed by each generation.

Those same principles found renewed expression in the land-grant tradition that would shape American higher education in the century that followed. The Morrill Act gave form to this vision, establishing universities charged with advancing learning in service to society and making a university education accessible to more Americans.

Auburn University emerged from this tradition, grounded in the belief that education should be useful, inclusive, and deeply connected to the needs of the public. From its earliest days, Auburn embraced a mission that joined intellectual inquiry with practical application, preparing students not only for professions, but for citizenship. Classrooms became places of disciplined thought, laboratories centers of discovery, and outreach a bridge between knowledge and community life.

As a land-grant institution, Auburn has long understood education as a public trust. Teaching, research, and service are not separate pursuits, but shared responsibilities rooted in the same ideals set forth in 1776. Through open inquiry, respect for evidence, and a commitment to the common good, Auburn has helped cultivate generations of graduates equipped to lead, to serve, and to participate thoughtfully in a democratic society.

In this way, the legacy of the Revolution and the Declaration of Independence live on at Auburn, not only as a historical event or document, but as living charge. A charge that calls on the university to produce educated citizens, to pursue truth with integrity, and to ensure that knowledge remains a force for freedom, opportunity, and the public good for generations to come.