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About the Book
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the logical force of the Declaration facilitated the survival of a nation. The Ultimate Guide to the Declaration of Independence explains the document more thoroughly than any book previously published. With the aid of colorized step-by-step diagrams, the authors deconstruct Jefferson’s masterpiece into the six elements of a proposition to demonstrate how the scientific method is basic to its structure.
David Hirsch and Dan Van Haften, the critically acclaimed authors of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason, are the first to discover and demonstrate Jefferson’s use of the six elements of a proposition. Hirsch and Van Haften diagram and explain how six-element structure helped Jefferson organize and compose the Declaration. The result is a much deeper and richer understanding and appreciation of the Declaration that was not previously possible. This concise full-color examination of one of our nation’s most treasured and important documents is perfect for all ages and especially for those interested in history, the use of language, and logic.
Reviews
"Hirsch and Van Haften take us inside the Declaration to show us how that nation-making document worked in Jefferson's time--and still works today."
-- Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Professor of History, Emeritus, University of Virginia
"I frequently look for new, innovative ways to teach high school students America's founding documents. The Ultimate Guide to the Declaration of Independence is fresh and engaging. It permits a teacher to approach a document students think they already know in a way that even traditional 'science and math' students can enjoy. The Ultimate Guide is ideal for close reading under Common Core standards. It turns students into text detectives who can appreciate the logical, persuasive approach embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Perfect!"
--Lisa Dudgeon, Teacher, AP Comparative Government and American Dream Honors, Bedford High School, New Hampshire
David Hirsch is an attorney in Des Moines, Iowa. He has a BS from Michigan State University and a JD, with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law. He clerked for an Iowa Supreme Court Justice from 1973-1974. In addition to a diversified “small town” law practice, Hirsch was a columnist for the American Bar Association Journal for over a decade. Hirsch is admitted to practice in all Iowa state trial and appellate courts, plus: United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Hirsch co-authored Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason and Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason. For more information, see The Structure of Reason. www.thestructureofreason.com
Dan Van Haften lives in Batavia, Illinois. He has BS, with high honor, and MS degrees in mathematics from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He began his career with AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1970, and retired from Alcatel-Lucent in 2007. His work involved software development and system testing on telecommunication systems. Co-author of Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason and Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason. For more information, see The Structure of Reason. www.thestructureofreason.com
