Printed document reading, across the top, “In Congress, July 4, 1776, A Declaration By Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled,” with the name of John Hancock printed prominently at bottom right

Broadside of the Declaration of Independence
Philadelphia: Printed by John Dunlap, 1776
Rare Book Division

Broadside of the Declaration of Independence

The inhabitants of the newly “Free and Independent States” learned about the change in their national status through various printings of the Declaration of Independence. John Dunlap, the official printer of the Continental Congress, issued the first of these publications on the evening of July 4, 1776. All formal pronouncements of American independence derive from Dunlap’s printing, including the engrossed, or formally handwritten, copy of the Declaration held by the National Archives.



Most copies of the so-called Dunlap Broadside were lost through their intended use: whether pasted up and exposed to the elements or carried around for public readings, these documents were subjected to extreme wear and tear, and most deteriorated rapidly. The New York Public Library’s example is one of only 26 copies known to survive.

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