The Declaration of Independence is a concise, well written, and foundational document for the United States. Yet, from the earliest days of the new republic, people have interpreted it in different ways and used it to support different, even opposite, positions. For example, both Northerners and Southerners used it to support their positions at the time of the Civil War. Using a multidisciplinary approach, "The Declaration of Independence and Interpretation" evaluates the insights gained by reading the Declaration from the disciplines of history, political theory, jurisprudence, stylistic criticism, and pragmatics.