Origins

"This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind,..."

"An expression of the American mind." This is from a letter from Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee that states the Declaration--which he wrote--was more than a revolutionary  innovation in thought, it was a logical outgrowth, the "expression of the American mind."
That collective mind, acting as a muse for Jefferson, created the astonishing change in the relationship between government and its citizens. And that mind must be nurtured and preserved if that astonishing revolution is to be maintained.