Black American History: How “The Declaration (of Independence)” became a controversial pop song by this iconic group in 1970

Editor’s Note (July 4, 2026): As Americans celebrate Independence Day, I’m revisiting one of my favorite pieces from the DJROBBLOG archives. Few songs have combined patriotism, pop music, protest, and Black history as uniquely as The 5th Dimension’s “The Declaration,” a fascinating—and often overlooked—musical interpretation of America’s founding ideals. I hope you’ll enjoy (or rediscover) this story. Also, R.I.P. to 5th Dimension founding member LaMonte McLemore (1935-2026).

(Originally published July 4, 2021).  Not too many pop groups – or any act for that matter – would consider setting the entire preamble to the Declaration of Independence to music and releasing that as their first single for a new record label to which they’d just been signed.

That especially goes for a group of Black singers out of California (by way of St. Louis) who had otherwise been known for their lighthearted, trippier fare with songs like “Up, Up and Away,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Paper Cup,” and “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In.”

But such was the case for The 5th Dimension, the popular quintet consisting of Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, Jr., LaMonte McLemore, Florence LaRue, and the late Ron Townson.

In 1969, hot off the heels of one of the greatest years any non-Motown Black group had ever had in popular music up to that point, the 5th Dimension – who’d just had two No. 1 million-selling singles in “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” and “Wedding Bell Blues” – elected to take the words of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and sing them verbatim on a pop song for their new album Portrait.

The song “The Declaration,” whose music was composed by Julius Johnsen and Rene DeKnight, was a huge career risk for many reasons, not the least of which was the dubious connection that the Declaration of Independence had always had with the Black community.  Written in 1776 by several slave owners – including principal author and future president Thomas Jefferson who owned hundreds – the “unalienable rights” of which it spoke weren’t applicable to Black people. It certainly wasn’t “self-evident” that ALL men had been created equal.

The risk for the 5th Dimension was particularly high given their own precarious Black fan base, as immortalized in the Questlove documentary Summer of Soul (… or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).  Often referred to back then as the “black version of the Mamas and the Papas,” most of 5D’s songs fared better on the pop charts than they did soul.  None of their songs topped the soul chart and only two singles, “Stoned Soul Picnic” and “Working On A Groovy Thing,” did better on the soul chart than pop. 

Complicating matters was a decision the group made to appear at the White House with then-president Richard Nixon, himself viewed unfavorably by many Blacks for his policies, both domestic and foreign. Under Nixon, America continued to wage war with Vietnam, and Blacks continued to fight and die on the front lines at a disproportionately higher rate than their white counterparts, only to return – if they were fortunate enough – to a country where they were appreciated even less than before. 

The fact that 5th Dimension accepted Nixon’s invite to perform at a National Governors Conference in December 1969 would threaten to alienate them from the relatively small Black fan base they’d already accumulated. But within that risk was an irony that was probably lost on many people.  The 5th Dimension had recorded “The Declaration” as a protest song, largely against Nixon’s policies.

Taken alone, the Bones Howe-produced track might have seemed like a patriotic nod to the Declaration of Independence, which was co-authored by Jefferson and a “Committee of Five,” and which officially declared the American colonies’ independence from British rule on July 4, 1776.

But 5D recorded “The Declaration” as part of a three-song medley with Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and The Rascals’ “People Got To Be Free.”  Together, the three-song suite represented the complex notion of independence in this country and the freedoms that have been enjoyed by some but not all Americans – not just in 1776, but in the nearly two-and-a-half centuries since the inspiring document’s adoption.

Lost on many people was the fact that 5D had adapted Sam Cooke’s somber Civil Rights anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” to immediately follow “The Declaration” as a reflection of the continuing struggle by Blacks in America to be freed from the institutional racism.  They capped it with the more jubilant “People Got To Be Free” as an uplifting symbol of hope not inconsistent with many post-Civil Rights songs from the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

Even within “The Declaration” itself, the song takes on multiple themes. It begins somewhat patriotically with the group’s five members singing the opening lines of the Preamble much like elementary school kids might recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Then the music takes an ominous turn as Florence LaRue sings the next lines about securing our rights and the pursuit of happiness. The song then alternates between pop and blues arrangements that feature the different singers at various turns.

Musically speaking, “The Declaration” was not as much of a leap for the 5th Dimension as one might think.   The “Medley” was, at least thematically, an extension of “Let The Sunshine In,” itself part of a medley with common messages of love, acceptance and hope…even if the path to getting there wasn’t as historically connected as “The Declaration.”

The timing of “The Declaration” and “Medley” was not accidental.  Juxtaposed against the 5th Dimension’s pop success was a world where Blacks had suffered setbacks including the assassinations of several civil rights leaders earlier in the decade, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., and John F. Kennedy, Sr.  

But during 1969, the members of 5th Dimension were clearly getting more in touch with their Black fans after having just performed at the Harlem Soul Music Festival earlier that summer. That free festival — as captured in the Questlove  Summer of Soul documentary (which features 5D’s performance) — was itself a move to unify African-Americans in a revolutionary Black Power struggle while providing uplifting entertainment by some of soul music’s A-list recording acts.

There was no bigger pop group on that festival’s stage (at the time) than 5D, whose struggle for acceptance was acknowledged by Davis and McCoo in the documentary.  “How do you color a sound?” wondered McCoo in a retrospective interview while she and Davis noted that most people thought the group was white until they’d seen their album covers.  This was particularly ironic considering that Davis’ soulful vocals were clearly honed in the Black church.

“The Declaration” was included on 5D’s fifth album Portrait in 1970.  The single preceded the album’s release by two months and was split between “The Declaration” on one side of the vinyl 45 and the “Medley: A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got To Be Free” on the other.  

As the album’s first single, and the group’s first new music after their two No. 1 hits, “The Declaration” fell flat. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on Feb. 21, 1970 – first as its own entry and then joined by the flip side the following week.  The double-sided entry ultimately peaked at No. 60 before disappearing altogether.  It never even made the Billboard Soul chart.

Despite the failure of “The Declaration” or its B-side “Medley” to catch America’s attention, the 5th Dimension continued to have success, although none as great as they’d had in 1969.  The next two singles from Portrait – “Puppet Man” and “Save The Country” – both reached the pop top 30 in 1970 (but again failed to reach the top 40 of the Soul chart).

A couple of intermittent releases (“Blowing Away” and “The Girls’ Song”) from older albums on the group’s previous record label – ironically known as Soul City Records – did moderately well with pop audiences in 1970.

It wasn’t until the Bell label took a then-unusual chance by releasing a fourth single from Portrait – the Marilyn McCoo showpiece “One Less Bell To Answer” – that the group returned to prominence.  That torchy ballad reached No. 2 on the pop chart in December 1970, becoming the group’s third-biggest hit. Perhaps more importantly, it climbed to No. 4 on Billboard’s soul chart, proving that 5D could still reach the Black audience with a great song. 

As for 5th Dimension’s decision to record “The Declaration” – a statement tune whose aspirational words were written nearly 200 years earlier – and then perform it in a sort-of veiled protest at a pro-war president’s White House dinner for the 50 states’ governors?  Well, it clearly wasn’t a fatal blow to their careers.  The group continued to have hits until Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis left in 1976, whereupon the duo – who’ve been married since 1969 – had their first No. 1 soul single (“You Don’t Have To Be. A Star”).

Regarding Nixon’s reactions to it all — while not confirmed — it was rumored that the late former president was not pleased with the group’s White House performance (some theories suggest that he allegedly wanted copies of the Portrait album collected and destroyed as a result).

Not sure if that’s true, but I’m willing to bet that the framers of The Declaration of Independence, which included a couple of future presidents in Jefferson and John Adams, never envisioned that a group of five Black singers from California – free ones at that – would be performing its preamble as a pop song nearly 200 years later.  

For that matter, they likely never envisioned California, pop songs, or the phonograph record either. 

The country’s forefathers may have imagined the end of slavery since the institution’s existence was being debated as the Declaration was being written.  But their decision to omit references to the savage treatment of fellow Black citizens from the document couldn’t have foretold the fact that the country now officially celebrates two freedom holidays (within weeks of each other) as a result of slavery’s abolishment. 

As far as this blogger knows, “The Declaration” by The 5th Dimension is the only time that anyone has set that historic document to music (and its still a great way to learn the preamble if you’re ever so inclined).

Happy Independence Day everyone!

DJRob

This article was edited on July 4, 2026, for publication on the country’s 250th birthday.

DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from somewhere on the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, pop and rock genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff!  You can follow him on Twitter at @djrobblog.

You can also register for free to receive notifications of future articles by visiting the home page (see top for menu).