The Declaration of Independence

In 1776, the Continental Congress gave five men the responsibility of writing a declaration outlining America’s independence from Britain. These men—Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman—worked together to create what became the founding document of the United States. The committee of five made forty-seven alterations to the original draft, written by Jefferson, before sending it to the Congress. That body made an additional thirty-nine alterations, before unanimously ratifying the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

Many printings of the Declaration of Independence text have been produced since the original manuscript version was first set into type in 1776. Throughout the nineteenth century, printers continued to create versions of the document, some true facsimiles and others decorative designs intended to be framed and displayed.

Resources

Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Catherine Nicholson, “The Declaration of Independence and the Hand of Time,” Prologue Magazine of the National Archives, Fall 2016, Vol. 48, No. 3.
John Bidwell, The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America’s Founding Document, University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2024.
John Bidwell, “Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America’s Founding Document,” American Antiquarian Society program, April 17, 2025.