The first printed copies of the Declaration of Independence are called Dunlap broadsides, an important part of the story behind America250.
Philadelphia printer John Dunlap produced the broadsides on the night of July 4, 1776, after Congress ordered the Committee of Five to supervise the printing. The sheets made the Declaration available beyond the delegates who had debated it.
Historians estimate that about 200 copies were originally printed, though the exact number is unknown. Dunlap broadsides are distinct from the later Goddard broadside, which was printed in January 1777 and included the names of the states.