In 1776 Thomas Jefferson announced to the world America’s plans for independence. For the first time in history, there was to be a nation and a government dedicated to the individual’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For Atlas Shrugged’s 50th anniversary, Onkar Ghate examines the moral revolution launched by Ayn Rand, without which the political revolution of the Founding Fathers would have had to remain incomplete. He discusses what this moral revolution has meant for America so far, what it promises for the future, and why Atlas Shrugged should be considered America’s second Declaration of Independence — a declaration not of political but of moral independence.