Bending the Arc

On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Each month, we will share an article inviting reflection on this anniversary, the current state of our democracy, and our personal role in its maintenance. 

March is Women’s History Month, so today we are exploring the story of Barbara Jordan, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 18th district of Texas between 1973 and 1979. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, she was not part of the “We the People” it referenced and when she gave a speech about the Constitution on July 24, 1974, she was still a minority within a minority as a Black woman serving on the House Judiciary Committee. In 1966, during her first term in the Texas Senate, the Senate Members Lounge still bore a sign reading “Men Only.” The US had come far since 1776, and she was going to take it farther.

Jordan knew that working together was what made the government function. During her time in the Texas Senate, she made intentional relationships with people on “the other side of the aisle” and through those relationships was able to find pathways to improve the lives of people in all walks of life in her state.

She also recognized that patriotism required holding her peers and other government officials accountable. In 1974, when questions arose about whether impeaching President Nixon was petty, she addressed it head on and with an educational speech that has been taught in oratory classes throughout the country as a shining example of excellence. Her speech referenced Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers (No. 65) which argues that Congress is best suited to serve as inquisitors of the executive branch of the government because the Senate feels “confidence enough in its own situation, to preserve, unawed and uninfluenced, the necessary impartiality between an individual accused, and the representatives of his people, the accusers.”

She challenged her peers to join her in this role by saying, 

“Today I am an inquisitor. An hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.”

In 1976, during her speech at the Democratic National Convention, she reminded delegates of the goal of government:

"We are attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal."

On February 23, 2026, KPBS TV premiered a new documentary about Barbara Jordan. You can watch “The Inquisitor” for free through the KPBS+ app. The film “explores her life and legacy, unraveling how her sharp intellect and public influence transformed U.S. politics, while exploring the complexities of her private struggles that few ever knew.”

Read Barbara Jordan's July 24, 1974, Speech

Reflect

1. As I read Jordan's speech, which parts still seem true in today's United States?
2. Do I agree with Jordan’s assessment of our national purpose?
3. What hoped-for changes does this inspire in me, and how can I be part of bringing those changes into reality?

Learn more about CSA's “US at 250” initiatives including the April 23 event featuring Justice Janine Geske.

Sources: A Mighty Girl; UVA Miller Center; Library of Congress