The Declaration in Sound

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The Declaration of Independence and other stories on the history of a nation

It’s hard to imagine what was on Thomas Jefferson’s mind when he sat down to write the Declaration of Independence in the summer of 1776. Chances are he was trying to think of an elegant way to define the character of a new nation and sever ties with England at the same time. We can be certain of one thing. He wasn’t writing for a radio audience. But as luck would have it, one of the most profound documents ever written is also great radio.

“It was written to time. It’s the perfect length for a Morning Edition segment,” says Barry Gordemer, a senior producer at Morning Edition, referring to the Declaration’s ideal nine- minute length for the “A” segment of the show. Gordemer has produced NPR’s version since the tradition began in 1988. He has worked with many of the different NPR personalities who have brought these historic words to life. He notes, “The response I get when I ask someone from NPR to read this is really consistent. They’re always greatly honored and admit they’ve been waiting for years to be asked.”

Here are the NPR readers, listed in order of appearance: Steve Inskeep, Renee Montagne, Paul Brown, Jean Cochran, Anne Garrels, Don Gonyea, Deborah Amos, Juan Williams, Mike Shuster, Joanne Silberner, Richard Harris, Andrea Seabrook, Red Barber, Cheryl Corley, Nina Totenberg, Eric Westervelt, Elizabeth Blair, Brenda Wilson, Baxter Black, Joe Palca, Ina Jaffe, Tom Goldman, David Folkenflik, Robert Krulwich, Ivan Watson, Larry Abramson, Susan Stamberg, Claudio Sanchez, Cokie Roberts, Renee Montagne, and Steve Inskeep.

Track Listing:

1. The Reading of the Declaration of Independence (9:46)
   Morning Edition, July 4, 2006
   A reading by NPR staff
   (Music Composition: Dawn At Yorktown, composed by Eric Weinberg)
2. Declaration Lingo (2:43)
   All Things Considered, July 4, 2000
   Commentary by Barbara Wallraff
3. The Signers of the Declaration of Independence (2:35)
   Morning Edition, July 4, 2000
   Commentary by Bob Edwards
4. Quirks of the Founding Fathers (3:00)
   Weekend Edition Saturday, July 3, 2004
   Susan Stamberg with writer A.J. Jacobs
5. July Fifth (5:23)
   Weekend Edition Sunday, July 5, 1998
   Steve Inskeep with historian Joseph Ellis
6. Thoughts on the Pledge of Allegiance and Citizenship (5:10)
   Day to Day, July 4, 2005
   Produced by Barrett Golding
7. "Iron Tears," A British View of the American Revolution (6:30)
   Weekend Edition Sunday, July 3, 2005
   Liane Hansen with author Stanley Weintraub
8. "1776" Takes Readers to the Battlefront (6:13)
   Morning Edition, July 1, 2005
   Steve Inskeep with author David McCullough
9. George Washington, Staying in Character (4:43)
   Weekend Edition Saturday, February 17, 2007
   Robert Krulwich with historian David Hackett Fischer
10. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (3:28)
    Morning Edition, July 4, 2005
    Andrew Sullivan from This I Believe