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Book/Printed Material Dunlap Broadside [Declaration of Independence].

About this Item

Title

  • Dunlap Broadside [Declaration of Independence].

Summary

  • John Dunlap, official printer to the Continental Congress, produced the first printed versions of the American Declaration of Independence in his Philadelphia shop on the night of July 4, 1776. After the Declaration had been adopted by the Congress earlier that day, a committee took the manuscript document, possibly Thomas Jefferson's "fair copy" of his rough draft, to Dunlap for printing. On the morning of July 5, copies were dispatched by members of Congress to various assemblies, conventions, and committees of safety as well as to the commanders of Continental troops. Also on July 5, a copy of the printed version of the approved Declaration was inserted into the "rough journal" of the Continental Congress for July 4. The text was followed by the words "Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress, John Hancock, President. Attest. Charles Thomson, Secretary." It is not known how many copies of what came to be called "the Dunlap broadside" were printed on the night of the fourth. Twenty-five copies are known to exist: 20 owned by American institutions, two by British institutions, and three by private individuals. Shown here is a copy from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Names

  • Dunlap, John, 1747-1812 Printer.
  • Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 Author.
  • Second Continental Congress, United States Creator.

Created / Published

  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : John Dunlap, 1776-07-04.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
  • -  1776
  • -  Autonomy
  • -  Broadsides
  • -  Politics and government
  • -  United States -- Declaration of Independence

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 page (printed).
  • -  Original resource at: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
  • -  Content in English.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • World History

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667578

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Dunlap, John, Printer, Thomas Jefferson, and United States Creator Second Continental Congress. Dunlap Broadside Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: John Dunlap, -07-04, 1776. Image. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667578/.

APA citation style:

Dunlap, J., Jefferson, T. & Second Continental Congress, U. S. C. (1776) Dunlap Broadside Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: John Dunlap, -07-04. [Image] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667578/.

MLA citation style:

Dunlap, John, Printer, Thomas Jefferson, and United States Creator Second Continental Congress. Dunlap Broadside Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: John Dunlap, -07-04, 1776. Image. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667578/>.