"On show at the National Archives from May to November 2026 will be a rare Dunlap version of the declaration, printed in Philadelphia on 4 July 1776. Dunlaps were the first official printings of the Declaration of Independence and were named after John Dunlap, the printer whose name is given at the bottom of each copy. It is believed that only around 200 Dunlap prints were ever made."
"The document was primarily written by Thomas Jefferson and it lays out colonies' grievances and asserts their right to self-governance. It is celebrated annually in the US on 4 July as Independence Day. The declaration contains one of the most famous sentences in history: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.""
"Also on display at the exhibition in Kew will be copies of the Tea Act which led to the Boston Tea Party and the 1783 Treaty of Paris where Britain recognised the USA. The break with Britain came in the early stages of a war for independence that lasted from April 1775 to September 1783. The United States won, and the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the 13 colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent nation."
An exhibition at the National Archives in Kew titled Revolution 250: The Making Of The USA will run from May to November 2026 and will feature historical documents marking the 250th anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. A rare Dunlap version printed in Philadelphia on 4 July 1776 will be displayed; Dunlap prints were the first official printings and only around 200 copies were made. The document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, lists colonial grievances and asserts a right to self-governance, including the famous line about equality and unalienable rights. The exhibition will also show the Tea Act and the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]