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
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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.
View this Document - July 19-26 1776
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Virginia Gazette
Alexander Purdie's Virginia Gazette (Friday, July 19, 1776) briefly noted the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by Congress .
View this Document - August 2 1776
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Official Document
The Continental Congress approved and adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
View this Document - January 18 1777
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Mary Katherine Goddard's Printing
The Continental Congress approved and adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
View this Document - 1819
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William Woodruff's Facsimile
An upsurge in public interest in the Declaration of Independence occurred in the early nineteenth century.
View this Document - 1823
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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.
View this Document