1776 Was Only the Beginning
Series Introduction
Two hundred fifty years ago, the Boston Tea Party was not just a protest over tea—it was a rebellion against corporate rule.
The British East India Company was granted special privileges by the Crown, allowed to undercut local merchants, and shielded by a distant government that ignored the will of the people. Colonists recognized what we still face today: when corporations are given political power, democracy erodes.

Move to Amend carries forward that unfinished revolution, working to end the legal doctrines that grant corporations constitutional rights and treat money as free speech. Just as the patriots dumped tea to oppose governance shaped by corporate monopoly, we organize today to build what democracy has always promised — a system where We the People, not corporate entities, decide the direction of our democracy.
Every generation has been forced to ask the same question in its own time: who governs — concentrated power, or the people?
As the country approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Move to Amend is launching a new series, Declaration of Independence from Corporate Rule, to explore that question in the present moment.
In the months ahead, we will look at how corporations gained constitutional rights, why so many of today’s crises share a common root, and how constitutional change has historically expanded democracy when existing systems no longer served the public good.
This series is not about looking backward. It is about understanding the work that remains unfinished — and the role each generation plays in carrying democracy forward.