Author Talk: Emily Sneff – When the Declaration Was News

Event

Location

Central Library — Rabb Hall

Date

Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026

Time

6:00 PM EDT

Cost

Free

Cross-listed event

This event is organized by BPL Special Collections.

Image of Dr. Emily Sneff

Dr. Emily Sneff discusses her 2026 nonfiction book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News.

Publishing for the 250th anniversary of the United States, When the Declaration of Independence Was News focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. It explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in the process of declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators.

Dr. Emily Sneff is an early American historian and leading expert on the Declaration of Independence. She earned her Ph.D. in History from William & Mary. She is a consulting curator for exhibitions marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration at the Museum of the American Revolution and Historic Trappe.

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