1)The Original- But Not The First

After voting to adopt the Declaration written by Thomas Jefferson, Congress engaged John Dunlap to print broadside copies of the document. That night Dunlap produced somewhere over 200 copies. Later that week the Congressional Calligrapher, Timothy Matlack, was asked to create the engrossed (hand penned) version. The engrossed Declaration would be signed by the 52 members of the Continental Congress as the “original Declaration” but the Dunlap broadside came first.

2)John Hancock’s Giant Signature

The story that has long been told claims that John Hancock placed his overly large signature on the Declaration and said, “There, now King George can read it without his spectacles.” The story, while charming, is not true. King George never saw the signed document.  He was sent a printed version which bore only Hancock’s name as President of the Continental Congress. Many samples of John Hancock’s signature have survived and all of them are large. Apparently John had a very strong self image and his signature reflected it.

3)The Declaration Was Not Signed On July 4 1776

On July 2^nd 1776 the Congress voted for Independence. On July 4^th, they voted to adopt the actual Declaration. The engrossed version of the document was not signed until August 1776. The names of the signers were not to appear in a publicly printed form until December 1777.

4)Slavery In The Declaration

Thomas Jefferson’s original hand written version of the declaration contained a scathing denouncement of slavery. When the Declaration was brought before congress, many amendments were made before it could pass. Sadly, some Southern states would not vote for the Declaration until the denouncements were removed. What did survive are the words “.that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  It would take a later war to make these words a reality and end slavery in America.

5)A Missing Colony

Only 12 of the original 13 colonies voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. New York abstained from voting because of no clear direction to vote for it from the home state. With no votes cast against it, the document was officially adopted.

6)A Message On The Back Of The Declaration

There is, in fact, a message on the back of the Declaration of Independence. It reads, “Original Declaration of Independence, dated July 4 1776.” This appears at the bottom of the document and upside down. It was written there so that it could be easily identified when rolled up. There is no treasure on the back. The treasure is on the front.

7)A Nest Of Rebels

Just by being a member of the Second Continental Congress you were considered a traitor by King George III. Many prominent leaders in Congress had a price put on their heads. When they signed a declaration and pledged their life, their fortune and their sacred honor, they really were truly risking all of it. 

8)The End For Two Signers

Two of the original signers of the Declaration died on the same date. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had been good friends, bitter rivals, and finally reconciled to friends again. Both men died on the 4^th of July 1826. Adams last words were, “Jefferson still lives”. He did not know that his friend, fellow signer and fellow former President had died a few hours earlier.

9)The Army Discovers Independence

A printed copy of Declaration was sent to General Washington in New York where the continental army held the city. On July 9th 1776, Washington had the troops assembled and ordered that the declaration be read to them. Later that night, the soldiers filled with independent spirit knocked down a statue of King George III which stood at the foot of Broadway on the Bowling Green. The statue was mainly cast of lead and would be melted down for bullets. A fragment of Washington’s copy of the Declaration still exists at the Library of Congress.