July 4, 1776
is one of the most famous dates in American history.
But the Declaration of Independence displayed in the National Archives is not the document that first announced independence to the American people.
The version most Americans know today is the engrossed parchment copy, created weeks later and signed primarily on August 2, 1776. By the time that document was completed, the news had already spread across the colonies.
The first Americans who learned they were living in an independent nation saw a printed broadside produced by Philadelphia printer John Dunlap on the night of July 4, 1776. Congress ordered copies immediately after approving the Declaration, and roughly 200 were printed and rushed across the colonies to government officials, military commanders, and newspapers.
These Dunlap Broadsides carried the words that changed history.
Soldiers heard them read aloud. Towns gathered to listen. Crowds celebrated, argued, and debated the future of a new nation. The Revolution had already begun, but this was the moment Americans were officially told they were no longer subjects of the British Crown.
Today, only about 26 known Dunlap Broadsides survive. One forgotten copy was famously purchased for just $4 at a flea market in 1989 before being identified as an original and later selling for millions.
The document that declared independence and the document preserved behind glass in Washington are connected, but they are not the same thing.
Today, only about 26 known Dunlap Broadsides survive. One forgotten copy was famously purchased for just $4 at a flea market in 1989 before being identified as an original and later selling for millions.
The document that declared independence and the document preserved behind glass in Washington are connected, but they are not the same thing.
The version that changed history was the one that was printed, distributed, and read across a continent in the summer of 1776.
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