How will you commemorate our nation’s 250th birthday this Fourth of July?
Getting together with family and friends for a local parade, backyard barbecue, fireworks? Dressing in red, white and blue, proudly flying the U.S. flag, blaring the National Anthem — and perhaps singing along?
Indeed, there’s plenty to plan for the big day, which arrives in less than three months.
But what’s this annual celebration really about?
Judge Michael Warren of Oakland County Circuit Court says far too many citizens don’t have an understanding of our nation’s cornerstone principles which give us the fundamental rights and freedoms we enjoy on Independence Day — and every day throughout the year.
So he’s set out to change that with his newly-released book, “The Revolutionary Words That Forged America: The Definitive Guide to the Declaration of Independence.”
Issued by Republic Book Publishing, it’s 455 pages of line-by-line — and sometimes word-by-word — analysis of the founding document of the United States.
“I’m hoping this gives a greater understanding of the Declaration of Independence and how it influenced our Constitution. It’s what unites us as Americans,” Warren told The Oakland Press in a recent interview. “If we don’t understand the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, we’re at grave risk of losing our liberties.”
Oakland County Circuit Judge Michael Warren (photo by Emma Burcusel)
Warren describes the book as “a deep dive into our inalienable rights (so readers) can understand the history of what led to the Declaration of Independence — understand our Founding Fathers and what they were writing, and what they were rebelling at the time.”
While Warren channeled his strong sense of patriotism to author “The Revolutionary Words That Forged America,” it was more complicated than he had envisioned when he finally decided to tackle the “passion project” that emerged some 40 years ago, he said. The plan was to repurpose content from his podcast, “Patriot Lessons: American History and Civics,” and transform it into a book to be released for July 4, 2026 — the semiquincentennial or 250th anniversary of Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence.
Simple enough, right?
Wrong.
“First, I realized writing the book was a lot harder than a podcast. And as I did more research, I found that not everything on my podcast was 100% accurate — and I realized there was a lot about our history that I didn’t know,” he said.
Warren readily admits that the book is “unabashedly pro-Founding Fathers,” comparing and contrasting “what we believe as Americans versus what other (countries) define as society.”
Judge Michael Warren’s recently published book was a “passion project” for him (Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group)
“It’s to make sure there’s a real understanding that, despite all our flaws, why we are an exceptional nation,” he said.
Politics, culture shift to ‘more acerbic’
Warren said our politics and culture are shifting to be “more acerbic, more toxic,” with civil, fact-based discussion giving way to personal attacks “with no foundation, no understanding.”
But knowing and appreciating our founding principles, he said, may change that.
“I’m hoping the book shows people that it’s worth fighting for and living up to our Declaration of Independence…in my heart of hearts I believe, to my bones, that we are an exceptional nation — our freedom, our liberty, our equality — greatness that most Americans take for granted.”
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia
The book is “intended for the masses,” Warren said, from advanced high school students and beyond.
“Anyone interested in American history, civics and government will love this book — it’s transformational,” he said.
It can be digested as a continuous read from front to back, by sections of particular interest, or used as a reference book, he added. And despite its length, Warren said, “it’s a light read in the sense that the subject matter is so fascinating.”
“You won’t realize how much you’ve read when you take a break from it,” he said.
An excerpt from the book’s Author’s Note: “Contrary to fashionable trends in American history, this work celebrates (as opposed to condemns) the miraculous American Revolution and Declaration of Independence. In this sense, this work is purposefully countercultural — or rather, pro-American. There is no meaningful attempt to review the subject matter from the Loyalist, British, French, Native American, fascist, communist, or critical race theory perspective.” Rather, he states, it’s written in the perspective of the “Founding Generation…Enjoy our adventure through the grandest document rendered by the hands of man.”
“The Revolutionary Words That Forged America” is available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Republic Book Publishers, Target and other retailers. A book launch and signing event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., May 4, at the Sussman Agency, 30955 Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills.
