Aired grievances: Robert Parkinson on forefathers' frustrations in 'Tyrants and Rogues'

When asked about the Declaration of Independence, most Americans quote memorable phrases from the preamble. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

But historian Robert Parkinson says even Thomas Jefferson, who penned those words, would be puzzled by our preoccupation with the introduction when the grievances that make up the body of the Declaration were the meat of the document.

Parkinson’s new book, “Tyrants and Rogues,” is a deep dive into those grievances — and the villains of the Revolutionary period who spurred them.

“Americans are throwing a temper tantrum here, because they feel like their father has betrayed them,” he tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. It’s a conversation set in 1776 with implications for 2026 — a launch into a month of books that commemorates America’s 250th anniversary.

Guest:

• Robert Parkinson is a historian and professor at Binghamton University in New York. His new book is “Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence.”

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