Declaration of Independence documentary to feature UW prof

“As the Statue of Liberty presents the visual promise of American democracy, the Declaration of Independence provides the linguistic representation of that promise.”

No one would argue with that statement by Stephen Lucas, professor of communication arts at UW–Madison, least of all, the History Channel, which will feature him in its upcoming new documentary, “The Declaration of Independence.”

Lucas has published a controversial paper linking the American Declaration to a Dutch document. On the History Channel, he will discuss the origins of the venerated document in terms of style, language and meaning.

The program will debut Saturday, July 3, at 7 p.m. CDT on cable channel 44 in Madison. Repeats will be scheduled later.

Lucas’ expertise extends to the people of the American Revolution as well as to its documents. In August, look for his new book, “The Quotable George Washington” (Madison: Madison House).