[27] If Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and other patriots could have known that one day a British monarch would stand on the balcony of the Old State House, from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston, and be greeted in such kind and generous words—well, I think they would have been extremely surprised! He was the first and third governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence led to John Hancock or Hancock becoming a colloquialism for a person's signature. [2] Glorious and patriotic reading of the Declaration of Independence at the First Parish in Cohasset, Massachusetts. A 300 year old congregation reading a 250 year old Declaration of Independence! 1776 – July 14, the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in Massachusetts by Isaiah Thomas in Worcester. [1] 1840 – The monkey wrench was invented by Loring Coes of the Coes Knife Company. [2] 1847 – The first commercial valentine card was mass-produced in Worcester by Esther Howland. [3] In 1776, towns across Massachusetts were required to read the Declaration of Independence first at church and then they were told to enter it into their permanent town record. Isaiah Thomas read the Declaration of Independence in public at the Worcester Old South Meeting House on July 14, 1776. Click on a thumbnail below to view the full-sized The Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in Boston from the balcony of the Old State House on July 18, 1776. It then became the first capitol of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1798. Back in 1776, Bostonians gathered under the balcony of the Old State House to hear the brave and revolutionary words of The Declaration of Independence for the first time. By way of background, it took nearly two weeks for The Declaration of Independence to travel from Philadelphia to Boston. Public readings of the newly minted Declaration of Independence took place in taverns, churches, town greens, or anywhere else people could gather. In New England, the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence is believed to have taken place in Worcester, Massachusetts. In response to this resolve, the towns of Massachusetts draft letters to their representatives and the rest of the Continental Congress, outlining for them "the path of your duty" with respect to the question of independence. Via express delivery powered by man and horse, the first copies of what would become the preeminent decree for liberty known to man arrived in Boston on July 15. The American Gazette-- a newspaper based in Salem, Massachusetts--published the Declaration in full as part of its July 16 edition. Every July 4th the Captain Commanding of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts reads the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston, as part of Independence Day ceremonies. Boston City Hall Plaza Assembly: Boston's Official Independence Day Commemoration! Declaration of Independence 455 Main Street The star in front of City Hall marks the spot where, on July 14, 1776, Isaiah Thomas stood on the western porch of Old South Meetinghouse and delivered the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts. From the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (and how to watch on TV or in person) to the reading of the Declaration of Independence, here's your guide to Fourth of July weekend in Boston. Revolutionary Spaces is pleased to once again invite the public to attend the reading of the Declaration of Independence by members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts from the balcony of the Old State House this Monday, July 4. In 1776, when the people of Boston first heard the Declaration read from this precise spot, it represented one of the first opportunities The star in front of City Hall marks the spot where, on July 14, 1776, Isaiah Thomas stood on the western porch of the meeting house and delivered the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts. On July 17, the Executive Council of Massachusetts directed that the official text of the declaration be printed and copies be sent to “Ministers of each Parish, of every Denomination.” The ministers were charged with reading the declaration on the first Sunday after they received their broadsides. Independence Declared In Philadelphia, the Continental Congress had adopted the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, and "published"--publicly announced--it the next day. Express riders carried copies of the first printing of the Declaration to Boston, arriving on 15 July. On July 24, 1776, he read the Declaration of Independence, the first in Massachusetts to do so. The stage from Philadelphia stopped in Worcester on its way to Boston with the news. In this diary entry, Boston merchant John Rowe describes the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston. The Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, voted to declare independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776. This bustling city, incorporated in 1722 as a town and later as a city in 1848, has been at the forefront of pivotal moments, including hosting the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Massachusetts by Isaiah Thomas in July 1776.
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