One of Nantucket’s most meaningful Fourth of July traditions has been the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Unitarian Universalist Church. This year’s reading will be hosted by Father Max Wolf at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, creating a new tradition on the island. For many of us, the last time we’ve actually read the Declaration of Independence was in grammar school during civics class. N Magazine felt it would be appropriate on this 250th anniversary to provide our readers with a copy of the Declaration of Independence for everyone to read. This 1,458-word document, written by Thomas Jefferson, changed the course of history and has produced the longest standing major democracy the world has known. Signed by 56 colonists, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams and John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence announced to the world the colonies’ intention to break away from British rule and establish an independent nation. Today, we celebrate the improbable success of this country, which was described by Alexis de Tocqueville as a “great experiment,” and despite internal conflicts throughout our history, the country endures.