This July Fourth, the U.S. will celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As part of that commemoration, ASU News is highlighting just a few examples of the spirit of service that helps define the university.

We’ve all heard the story about the Declaration of Independence in history class, but did you know it was preceded by a similar declaration years earlier? We asked an ASU constitutional scholar to share some little known facts or misconceptions about the founding of our country to help us understand our history a little better.