Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflects the original. The U.S. Declaration of Independence, adopted July 4, 1776, was the first formal statement by a nation's people asser The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. John Hancock and Charles Thomspon were the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The rest of the delegates signed the historical document over the next few weeks. It will be signed by 56 delegates in Congress between August 2, 1776 and January, 1777. 55 delegates in Congress sign the Matlack “Parchment” copy of the Declaration of Independence. Congress authorizes a printed version of the Declaration of Independence known as the Goddard Broadside. On August 2, 1776, roughly a month after the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, an “engrossed” version was signed at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia by most of the congressional delegates (engrossing is rendering an official document in a large clear hand). Declaration of Independence, document approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. On July 2 the Congress had resolved that ‘these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.’ The signing of the Declaration of Independence took place on August 2, 1776. As President of the Second Continental Congress, John Hancock was the first to sign this historic document. He used large bold script and signed under the text in the center of the page. On July 4, 1976, in a meeting of the congress at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the wording of the declaration were adopted and signed by the president of the congress, John Hancock, making it an authentic document declaring the thirteen colonies independent states. The Lee Resolution contained three parts: a declaration of independence, a call to form foreign alliances, and of a plan of confederation. On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the first part of Lee’s resolution, leading to the issuance of the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the United States of America. Many members of the Continental Congress started to sign an engrossed version of the Declaration on August 2, 1776, in Philadelphia. John Hancock’s famous signature was in the middle, because of his status as President of the Congress. Born on April 13, 1743, near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. A brief overview of how the original Declaration of Independence was first printed for signing by the delegates of the Second Continental Congress. Signers of the Declaration of Independence Download this Information in PDF Format Declaration of Independence Summary Nearly 250 years since it was signed, the Declaration of Independence remains one of the most seminal political documents ever written. The Declaration consists of three major parts. The preamble employs the enlightened reasoning of Locke, Rousseau, and Thomas Paine, to establish a philosophical justification for a split with Great Britain. The main body Signers of the Declaration of Independence The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July, 4, 1776. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals of fundamental rights and freedoms, it provided both the foundation and the guiding principles for the new nation. When was Declaration of Independence signed? Explore dates, who wrote it, where and when it was signed, its role in American independence. Brief but detail-rich biographies of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The first federal census was not conducted until 1790 but the Census Bureau estimates Pennsylvania’s population in 1775 was 302,000 based on counts conducted during the Colonial and Continental periods. The following year, the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, formally asserting separation from British rule and making July 4, 1776, a pivotal point in Roger Sherman (1723-1793) —Roger Sherman was a member of the Committee of Five that was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence. He and Robert Morris were the only individuals to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. He was the Judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766-1789, a member of the Continental Congress from 1774
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