The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence; What the Declaration of Independence Really Claimed; Origins of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Rutherford’s ‘Lex, Rex’; Why secessionist nationalists want to stay in the European Union;     The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence The Declaration marked the legal beginning of the United States and We the People. By Randy Barnett  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   What the Declaration of Independence Really Claimed Identifying the founding principle of the United States: First come rights, then comes government. By Randy Barnett  •  Read more »   Algernon Sidney: A father of the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence drew ideas from English martyr Algernon Sidney's defense of armed resistance and religious freedom. By David Kopel  •  Read more » Origins of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Rutherford’s ‘Lex, Rex’ Samuel Rutherford's 1644 book "Lex, Rex" described the why, how, and when of revolution against lawless rulers. By David Kopel  •  Read more » Why secessionist nationalists want to stay in the European Union Secessionist nationalists in many European countries want independence, but also seek to remain part of the European Union. This attitude may seem contradictory. But it is not. By Ilya Somin  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   Fact Checker Count the pinocchios. A weekly review of what's true, false or in-between. Sign Up »         Share The Volokh Conspiracy:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for updates from The Volokh Conspiracy blog. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071