The Declaration of Independence not only rejected monarchical rule but also called for the dismantling of the British class system in favor of popular sovereignty. Professor Finkelstein argues in a piece published in Root Quarterly that the present state of the American political system appears to have bestowed monarchial powers to the president in a “process of reverse-engineering” the country’s founding principles. It is time for the American people to reinforce a fundamental value laid out two hundred and fifty years ago: equality under the law.

Claire Finkelstein is the Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania and the Faculty Director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law. Read her bio here.  

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.