Publishing and Publicizing the Declaration of Independence

After weeks of drafting, editing, and debate, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Congress then ordered that it be printed on broadsides-single-sided sheets-and distributed throughout the nation. They were produced overnight at the print shop of John Dunlap and promptly sent to state assemblies, committees of safety, and military commanders. The copy sent to Williamsburg arrived by July 19. The full text appeared in Dixon & Hunter's Virginia Gazette on July 20.

On July 19, 1776, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment and signed by every member . According to the congressional journal, on August 2 "the declaration of independence being engrossed and compared at the table was signed." Bolstered by military successes during the Winter of 1776-1777, Congress ordered a second printing of the Declaration. The Dunlap Broadside had included the names of the President and Secretary of Congress. The second printing was duly produced by Mary Katherine Goddard in Baltimore.

Following the War of 1812, and approaching the 50th anniversary in 1826, a fresh appreciation of the Declaration swept across the nation. It was viewed as a symbol of patriotism for a new generation. Several facsimiles of the Declaration were produced between 1818 and 1823; chief among them was an official government printing by William J. Stone.

July 5 1776

Dunlap Broadsides

In the late afternoon of July 4, 1776, a copy of the document was taken to the nearby print shop of John Dunlap, the official printer for Congress.

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July 19-26 1776

Virginia Gazette

Alexander Purdie's Virginia Gazette (Friday, July 19, 1776) briefly noted the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by Congress .

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August 2 1776

Official Document

The Continental Congress approved and adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

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January 18 1777

Mary Katherine Goddard's Printing

The Continental Congress approved and adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

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1819

William Woodruff's Facsimile

An upsurge in public interest in the Declaration of Independence occurred in the early nineteenth century.

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1823

William Stone's Facsimile

This copy of the Declaration of Independence, printed on parchment, is one of 201 produced from William J. Stone's engraving.

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