Two hundred and fifty years ago this month on July 4th, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in the city of Philadelphia, in a rhetorical shot heard ‘round the world aimed at King George III, head of the most powerful empire in the world. By August 2nd of that same year, fifty-six men, representatives of Great Britain’s thirteen original North American colonies, affixed their signatures to it and sealed their fates. This was no small act, but it was a surprisingly small Declaration—only about 1,337 words. The four men who helped draft it apparently thought that brevity was the soul of wit, but where might they have gotten that idea? And while we’re on the subject of ideas, where could they possibly have gotten the idea that “the pursuit of happiness” was an “inalienable right?” From a poet, of course! And not just any poet, but one of t ...