On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The next day, the first printed copies were sent off and began to circulate through the thirteen colonies, which were now, on paper, independent states.

Throughout July and August of 1776, the Declaration was reprinted in major American cities and small towns alike. Some of these new printings appeared in newspapers. Others were issued as large, single-sheet publications known as broadsides. Many versions, in both formats, were printed before the delegates to the Continental Congress began to sign the official handwritten Declaration in early August.

These early printings of the Declaration were created at a time when the independence of the future United States was anything but certain. From the perspective of those who read it in the summer of 1776, we can see the Declaration of Independence in its original form: not yet a famous founding document, but breaking news.