This weekend marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Beyond establishing the United States’ independence from Britain, the document also sets forth the ideals of freedom and equality that define this nation.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

But what do these words mean to the people whose freedom was taken away by wrongful conviction? And what does it look like to reclaim that freedom after years — or even decades — of incarceration for a crime they didn’t commit?

Since 1992, the Innocence Project has helped to free or exonerate 258 innocent people. Together, they had 6,835 of freedom taken from them. That’s 27 times the age of our nation.

In our new feature, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Portraits of a Promise Broken and Restored,” 16 Innocence Project clients share what freedom means to them as they rebuild their lives and reclaim their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in America today.

We invite you to explore the full feature and spend time with each of their stories.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll continue the conversation by sharing more reflections from the people featured in this project directly to your inbox. We hope you’ll follow along.