Existing comment:
Declaration of Independence
It is fitting that the means by which the colonies declared their separation from British rule was that of a one-page printed broadside. In fact much of the American Revolution was reported through pamphlets, posters, and newspapers. When actions demanded rapid distribution, the colonies turned to the power of the press to further the revolutionary cause.
Before putting independence to the vote, the Committee of Five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson) was formed to draft a statement. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the declaration. Between June 11 and June 28, 1776, Jefferson penned the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, which firmly stated it was just and right that the colonies separate themselves from a rule that had so violated their contract.
On July 4, 1776, a draft of the Declaration, with key changes by Franklin, Adams, and the Continental Congress, was delivered to John Dunlap (1747–1812), owner of a print shop located near the Philadelphia State House. That night it is estimated that 200 copies of the "Dunlap Broadside" were printed for distribution to members of Congress, to commanders of the Continental Armies, and to King George of England. News spread quickly through the colonies; twenty-nine newspapers printed the text of the Declaration of Independence and colonial presses printed nineteen additional broadside editions. |